Early Development Index
First 5 Orange County awarded Lowell Joint School District (LJSD) with a grant that provides the district an opportunity to enhance our current programs and resources to support families with children ages newborn to five. There are deliverables aligned to how the funds are measured and utilized within the district. Below are the First 5 Deliverables:
Committed Leadership
Participates in Taskforce/Collaboration
Supports Agents of Change
Engaged Neighborhoods
Seeks Community Voice
Connected Systems
Adopts Early Childhood Framework
Innovative Best Practices
Sustained Services
Financial Investments
For more than a decade, First 5 OC has worked with schools to collect data across the county through a survey called the Early Development Index (EDI). EDI data allow us to have the best picture of where the needs and successes are in our county and neighborhoods.
About the EDI:
- The Early Development Index is a research-based, population-level assessment of children’s readiness for kindergarten
- All 25 school districts, and all Orange County schools with a kindergarten population participate in the EDI (~24,000 records in 2022)
Data is provided about children’s readiness for kindergarten on five developmental domains:
- Physical Health & Well-being
- Social Competence
- Emotional Maturity
- Language & Cognitive Development
- General Knowledge & Communication
There are 16 sub-domains within the 5 overall domains.
Below you will find a matrix what outlines the domains area, sub-domain, questions on EDI that align with the domain and subdomain, along with examples of what school readiness “looks like”
EDI results are reported on groups of children as a percentage of children who are “on track,” “at risk,” and “vulnerable” by each of the five developmental areas. UCLA developed the ranges using normative population cutoffs, which helps to compare how children are doing developmentally both across and within communities and over time.
- On track: Mean score is above the 25th percentile. Children are meeting developmental milestones and are expected to be successful in later grades.
Not On track:
- At risk: Mean score is between the 10th and 25th percentile. Children are not vulnerable, but they are “at risk” for becoming vulnerable. Children at-risk are those who could use additional support.
- Vulnerable: Mean score of EDI items falls below the 10th percentile cutoff. Children are at risk for problems in later childhood and, without additional support and care, may experience future challenges in school and society.
The information below presents EDI data collected during the 2021/22 school year for participating
schools from your district as well as all districts in Orange County
The most current data below for LJSD is shown by the developmental areas. You can also find the areas we are doing well as well as the areas we can improve upon. This data will guide LJSD in determining ways to enhance our current programs and resources to support our families.
Resources:
Here are some practical ideas for families to consider when building school readiness skills:
Kid Builders - Click on the age of your child for access to First 5 OC activities linked to school readiness 
