​EDI stand for "Early Development Instrument" and is a questionnaire designed to measure children's school readiness. Kindergarten teachers participate by administering the EDI to current kindergarten students. The 5 domains addressed in the instrument include:

• Emotional maturity

• Communication skills/general knowledge

• Physical health/wellbeing

• Social competence

• Language/cognitive development

The EDI provides information that can be interpreted both backwards and forwards in time. The primary direction of interpretation for the purpose of early child development is backwards. That is, the results of the EDI are interpreted to represent the outcome of the cumulative early experience that children in a given geographical area have had from birth to kindergarten. The EDI can also be interpreted prospectively, in that the results frame the challenges that families, schools, communities and governments will face in supporting their children's development from kindergarten onward. In that vein, the results of the EDI act as an invaluable tool for the community and agencies in providing data to guide and support planning for children 0-6.