This project looks beyond the school readiness gap in trying to understand the school readiness skills, competencies and developmental trajectories of disadvantaged children. The funding agency (ACF) requests a literature review and secondary data analysis to address three issues: Are there specific skills and competencies disadvantaged children need to attain within various school readiness domains? This project will compare the developmental learning trajectories of children who attend early childhood programs with those of children who do not attend such programs, and examine the factors that influence changes in the above mentioned trajectories.