Noting that states are expanding their spending on preschool initiatives to improve at-risk childrens chances to achieve school success, this policy brief explores three key factors that policymakers need to consider in designing school readiness initiatives. The first is the research and the need to link recent cross-disciplinary discoveries about how children learn to current preschool initiatives. Features of quality preschool programs are delineated. The second factor examined is the nationwide absence of comprehensive child care and preschool systems and how that lack compromises school readiness. The focus is on the inadequate teacher workforce and the need to develop an effective system of child care and preschool services. The third factor is policy implications. The following are recommended as actions for state policymakers to move toward a system of quality preschool education: (1) develop and enforce program standards; (2) demand well-prepared teachers and create professional development and compensation systems; (3) support interventions that bolster parent involvement and social services; (4) expand the scope of preschool program evaluation; (5) develop a seamless comprehensive, strategic plan for early care and early education; (6) target resources to increase the availability and quality of preschool programs; and (7) engage the public. The brief concludes by describing promising preschool initiatives in Georgia, New York, Texas, and New Jersey. (Contains 16 endnotes.) (KB)