Research shows that children who do well in school often approach school 'ready to learn'. Succinctly stated, children who have been introduced to the basics and have a positive attitude toward learning will do better in school over the long term. The test results suggest that children's school readiness increases with their parents' educational attainment. Parenting style is another important factor shaping school readiness. Positive parenting also contributes to healthy motor and social development.
Household income emerges as an important factor determining how well families function.
Lower-income parents are almost four times as likely to be depressed as parents with higher incomes. Of the children in lower-income households, 17.5 percent lived with parents who showed many symptoms of depression, the report states.