Parent Information
Early Development Index
Years of research show that early school readiness is a critical piece to setting children on the best possible trajectory for success in school and in life. High-quality early developmental opportunities lay the foundation for children’s long-term success. Orange Unified School District uses the Early Development Index (EDI) to help us measure how our community’s children are doing, what programs and opportunities are helping and where additional resources need to be deployed to ensure the success of the entire community.
The EDI is a questionnaire filled out by teachers for all children in kindergarten. The EDI is broken into 5 domains. For each domain, children’s performance is compared to their peers. The EDI can also show how children are performing within their communities and larger county.
For more information about the EDI, please watch this important video: The Early Development Index (EDI)
The EDI data confirms that many Orange County children are not developmentally on-track when they enter kindergarten. Click on this link for Orange Unified School Districts EDI report, 2021/22 EDI Data. OUSD and First 5 Orange County are using the EDI data to educate teachers, parents and communities about how they can provide services and environments in which children, parents, and caregivers can learn and thrive to foster healthy development.
First 5 of Orange County created a parent toolkit called Getting Your Child Ready for School that is based on the EDI. This parent toolkit provides tips and information to help families support their young learners. The toolkit is also available in Spanish and in Vietnamese.
