States across the country are developing pre-kindergarten standards that articulate expectations for preschooler's learning and development and define the manner in which services will be provided. There are two different types of standards: student outcome standards and program standards. Student outcome standards define the knowledge and skills children are expected to demonstrate by the end of their preschool year. Program standards describe characteristics of the preschool program, such as required teacher qualifications and student-teacher ratio. This Information Capsule provides a summary of research-based recommendations for policymakers and educators who are developing each type of standard. This paper also reviews factors that contribute to gaps in children's preschool readiness. The factor that has been found to correlate most highly with preschool learning disparities is family income level. Children's home learning environment, parents' level of educational attainment, ethnic and cultural influences, as well as parental beliefs and behaviors are also related to school readiness and school performance outcomes. However, since most of these factors are strongly tied to socioeconomic status, researchers have concluded that income level is the most powerful predictor of children's educational success. A brief discussion of the research, indicating that participation in high-quality preschool programs can significantly reduce early learning disparities by diminishing the negative effects of family and environmental risk factors, is included. Finally, a description of Miami-Dade County Public Schools' pre-K programs is provided. (Contains 1 table.)