The New Jersey Department of Education has been stressing the value of early childhood education for the past 12 years. Research has clearly demonstrated the value of high-quality preschool programs for preparing children for school and even later life. Particularly in light of the Core Curriculum Content Standards and elementary curriculum, which is growing ever more rigorous, it is imperative that children receive the best possible start to their school experience.

The Pittsgrove Township School District began its preschool program under the New Jersey Early Launch to Literacy (ELLI) program and operated that program for four years. The district adopted one of the recommended curricula, High/Scope, which is based on the developmentally appropriate approach to early childhood curriculum and instruction. This study surveyed the Pittsgrove kindergarten teachers to determine whether they perceived that the students who had participated in the preschool program were more ready for kindergarten than their classmates who had not participated.

The study found that the teachers did not see a significant difference in kindergarten readiness on the part of students who had participated in the ELLI program. However, the teachers did not themselves espouse views of kindergarten readiness that comported with the developmentally appropriate perspective. Rather, the major concern expressed by the teachers was the rigor of the kindergarten curriculum. They defined readiness in terms of students' knowledge of discrete facts and use of quantifiable skills that would be required in kindergarten and beyond.