EARLY CHILDHOOD

OUR VISION

All of our children should be developmentally ready for success when entering kindergarten.

Preparing children for success in school begins long before they enter a classroom. From birth through age five, early experiences, environments, and supports play a critical role in shaping how ready children are to learn when they start kindergarten. Understanding readiness at a community level helps inform how well systems are supporting children during these foundational years.

The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a research-based, population-level tool that provides this insight. Administered across all Spartanburg County school districts through the Spartanburg Academic Movement, the EDI offers a comprehensive picture of kindergarten readiness by capturing educators’ observations of children’s development as they enter school. The EDI is not an assessment of individual children; instead, it reflects how community conditions, early learning environments, and supports are contributing to early development.

The EDI measures readiness across five key areas of development that research has shown to be essential for success in school and beyond: physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, and communication skills and general knowledge. Readiness in kindergarten requires strength across all five domains, as challenges in any one area can affect learning, behavior, and long-term outcomes.

Spartanburg Academic Movement uses EDI data to help the community understand current conditions, identify trends over time, and guide decision-making related to early childhood education and family supports. By examining readiness across schools and neighborhoods, the EDI helps local leaders, educators, service providers, and partners align efforts, strengthen early learning systems, and ensure children enter kindergarten prepared to succeed.