This comparative study explored the influence of different pre-school models on
school readiness among pre-school children from different urban socio-economic status
(SES) neighbourhoods. The study sampled 207 pre-school children attending different
pre-school models in different SES neighbourhoods within the city of Nairobi in Kenya.
In the study, school readiness was conceived as the ability of children to learn and
handle primary school tasks. Assessment was done through teachers' rating of children's
level of developmental and fitnctional skills using a School Readiness Assessment
Instrument (SRAI), which was adopted and modified from the Early Development
Instrument (EDI). The study compared school readiness outcomes amongst pre-schoolers
aged five and six years. School readiness outcome was also correlated with the level of
developmentally appropriate practice of the different pre-schools, assessed through
observation and interviews.