A specific assessment for testing readiness skills is lacking for children entering kindergarten. This study investigates the influence of early education programs on school readiness and differences between male and female school readiness screening scores upon students' entrance into kindergarten. The study uses 321 school readiness screening scores of students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade from a rural school district with the population of approximately 540 students located in Southwest Missouri. A causal-comparative study was performed on the data compiled from student records. An unpaired t-test using a two-tailed P-value hypothesis test revealed there is a significant difference between the school readiness screening scores of the kindergarten students who participated in any type of early childhood education program and the kindergarten students who did not participate in any type of early childhood education program. The null hypothesis was rejected. Most research shows that high quality early childhood education promotes academic success for children. This portion of the study supported the research of previous studies regarding early childhood education. An unpaired t-test using a two tailed P-value hypothesis test revealed there was a no significant difference between the school readiness screening scores of the kindergarten female and male students upon their entrance into kindergarten. The null hypothesis was accepted. Most research in the area of gender leads to a difference in male and female achievement. This portion of the study did not reveal the same findings. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]