Medicaid's child health program, Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT), emphasizes health promotion and disease prevention as vehicles to ensure that children are ready for school and able to succeed in life. Required components of preventive care can be mapped to specific health outcomes that are important attributes of school readiness and prerequisites for educational success. The federal government and states can take specific action to assure that children receive all of the health care services, including preventive services, necessary to promote their optimal health and development and, thus, to maximize their future productivity.