ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors discuss the scope of early childhood mathematics and how Ready to Learn resources are supporting the learning of skills and concepts. Early childhood mathematics has received significant attention due to an expanding body of research showing that it strongly affects and predicts future school success. The first study the authors describe is called the PBS KIDS Transmedia Math Study. The study addressed the central role parents and caregivers play in children's learning lives, their perceptions of transmedia use, and the contexts and ways that families jointly engage with transmedia. To assess children's mathematics outcomes, researchers administered a set of items aligned to the skills addressed in the study, but not aligned with the resources themselves. For the PBS KIDS Transmedia Math Study, the Research-Based Early Mathematics Assessment served as a valid and reliable standardized assessment of children's math skills.
