Kindergarten readiness profiles of rural, Appalachian children from low-income households

The present study used a person-centered approach to examine profiles of school readiness among entering kindergartners in rural, Appalachian communities. Aims were twofold: to determine the extent to which reliable profiles may characterize kindergartners' school readiness, with readiness encompassing language, literacy, math, socio-emotional skills, and learning-related behaviors; and to identify potential predictors of children's kindergarten readiness profiles. Participants included 396 entering kindergartners. Results of latent profile analysis showed there to be four profiles of kindergarten readiness: global risk (16% of children), academic risk (35%), sociobehavioral risk (13%), and readiness (36%). In general, predictors of profile membership included sex, race, family income, maternal education, and pre-k classroom quality. Study results show that a non-trivial percentage of children (49%) exhibit academic readiness, and 71% exhibit socio-behavioral readiness. This work improves our understanding of profiles of children from rural, Appalachian communities at school entry, and factors that may contribute to positive kindergarten readiness.