California State University, Long Beach, in collaboration with Long Beach Unified School District's Head Start and Child Development Centers, and the community childcare agency Young Horizons implemented an intervention and evaluation program to improve children's school readiness. The focus of Readiness and Early Activities for Children from the Heart (REACH) is the education and retention of early childhood professionals in childcare centers within the 90806 ZIP Code of Long Beach, California. The goals of REACH are to: (a) Improve children's school readiness; (b) Retain early childhood professionals in the field of early childhood education; (c) Improve professional development of Early Childhood Professionals, with particular emphasis on literacy; and (d) Support Early Childhood Professionals' professional development. Most importantly, REACH is evaluating the impact of the program strategies on the pre-school child's social-emotional and literacy development, in preparation for their transition to school.