Early Math Skills Predict Academic Success

What does “get off to a good start” mean in English?

Get off to a good start means to begin something well — and a good beginning often leads to good results later. In the clip, a school expert explains that children who get off to a good start with math in kindergarten are more likely to do well in later school years. The phrase treats learning like a race: the first steps matter, because they set the direction for everything after.

The idiom comes from horse racing, where a fast first few seconds often predicts the whole race. You can use it for a school year, a new job, or even one morning: “I got off to a good start today.” The opposite is “get off to a bad start.” In the clip: “If they get off to a good start in kindergarten, they’re likely to be successful in the later elementary grades.”