Colorado Early Learning & Development Guidelines

1 Colorado Early Learning & Development GuidelinesColorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines i The Colorado Early Learning & Development GuidelinesColorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements iiiIntroduction 1 guiding principles 2development of the Guidelines 3purposes 3structure of the Guidelines 3 Birth to Age 3 5physical Development & Health 7social Development 7 Emotional Development 7language & literacy Development 8 Cognitive Development 9approaches to Learning 9 Birth to 4 months 10ages 4 8 months 11ages 9 18 months 30ages 19 36 months 56 Ages 3 5 82physical Development & Health 84social & Emotional Development 87 English language Development 90language Development 92literacy Knowledge & skills 94logic & reasoning 97mathematics Knowledge & skills 98science Knowledge & skills 101social studies Knowledge & skills 103 Creative arts Expression 105approaches to Learning 108 Kindergarten through 3rd Grade 110 Comprehensive Health & physical Education 111 Colorado English language proficiency 113 World languages 113reading, Writing.

2 & Communicating 114mathematics 116science 117social studies 118music 119dance 120visual arts 121drama & theatre arts 122 References 123 Birth to 3 years 1243-5 years 128 Kindergarten-third grade (5-8 years) 128 Appendix A: Correlation to the Colorado academic standards for preschool 130 Appendix B: Concept Connections for Kindergarten grade 3 Colorado academic standards 137 Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines iii Acknowledgements the program Quality, Coordination and alignment Committee of the Early Childhood leadership Commission (EClC) of Colorado would like to acknowledge many individuals and organizations for guidance and contributions to these Early Childhood Leadership Commission ELDG Advisory Board.

3 Rosemarie AllenLori Goodwin Bowers Michelle Boyer Barry Cartwright Heather Dubiel Amy Engleman Jodi Hardin Pamela Harris, HartmanAnna Jo Haynes Jo Koehn Fernando Pineda-ReyesBryan Sevier Jennifer StedronAyelet Talmi Heather TrittenNan Vendegna drafts of the Guidelines were reviewed by members of the Colorado Early childhood community. their unique perspective and understanding of Colorado s Early childhood programs is reflected throughout the guidebook. We gratefully acknowledge them for their Bannerjee, Ellen HallJanet HumphreysOffice of Early Learning and School ReadinessOffice of Standards and Instructional SupportDr. Steve Vogler, MDJane WalshDr.

4 Toni LinderMelissa TaylorIsebel Arellanoadditionally, we d like to recognize members of the Early childhood community at the national level for their time in reviewing drafts of the Bruner, Carol Copple, Petersen, , the Birth to three portions of this document were built on the efforts of the California Department of Education and Peter Mangione. Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines 1 the Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines ( Guidelines ) describe the trajectory of children s Learning and Development from birth to 8 years old in Colorado . they include a broad description of children s growth to ensure a holistic approach to creating positive Early childhood environments.

5 For each age level, this document addresses approaches to Learning , health and physical Development , social and emotional Development , language, literacy, numeracy, logic and reasoning, and other subject-specific Learning . although the specific domains used to organize descriptions of children s Development evolve within the Guidelines to reflect the specific requirements of each age group, they maintain a broad view of the whole child and describe all aspects of children s growth. also of importance to the Guidelines is that they acknowledge and are responsive to variations in culture, languages, and abilities. For instance, child rearing practices, developmental expectations, the role of different family members, and the child s own individual versus collective identity may vary across cultures.

6 To address this, the Guidelines include examples and resources that address the particular requirements of children for whom English is a second language and children with Learning or physical challenges. the Guidelines also acknowledge the great variation in when and in what order children attain particular developmental milestones. the knowledge and skills described are designed to provide support and information to families, caregivers, and educators concerning children s Development within certain age spans, rather than dictate exactly when or how each child should progress. these Guidelines are aligned with the Colorado academic standards for preschool through third grade and with the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework.

7 They are designed to show the continuum of Development from birth through age 8, while complementing the variety of existing expectations and models being used in the state of Colorado with each age group. thus, the Guidelines were informed by a wide variety of state and national documents, including current research on Early Learning and best practices in Early education. additionally, representatives from a wide variety of Colorado agencies were involved in planning the document s design, providing input and information, and reviewing its final contents. By including the full breadth of children s Development , addressing diversity, and aligning content across all Early childhood settings and Early grades, these Guidelines are intended to effect greater collaboration and consistency across Early childhood systems in Colorado .

8 With collaboration and common reference points, we can create positive Early childhood environments that lay a critical foundation for our young children s later Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines focus on children throughout the birth through age 8 continuum; are inclusive of all areas of Development and Learning ; recognize and are responsive to variations in cultures, languages, and abilities; recognize and are responsive to variations in a child s and family s developmental trajectories and environments; are relevant to a variety of settings including, but not limited to, child care, preschool, Head start, K 3, health care, home, and other community settings; are targeted to parents, caregivers, teachers, higher education personnel, Early interventionists, health providers, home visitors, Early Learning professionals, and family educators; are based on research or promising practices; and complement and align with the preschool 3rd grade portion of Colorado s p-12 academic standards and the Head start Child Development and Early Learning Framework, as well as build from other relevant state and national initiatives.

9 Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines 2 Guiding Principlesthe guiding principles (principles) below describe what we believe to be true both about children and about the environments that best support children s growth and Development . these principles highlight aspects of children and Early Learning Development that span across the domains. they were adopted from two highly regarded resources, Neurons to Neighborhoods and The Irreducible Needs of Colorado Early Learning and developmental Guidelines are based on the following principles: 1. Nature and nurture affect children s Development ; child Development is shaped by a dynamic and continuous interaction between biology and experience.

10 2. Culture influences every aspect of human Development and is reflected in childrearing beliefs and practices designed to promote healthy adaptation. 3. the growth of self-regulation is a cornerstone of Early childhood Development that cuts across all domains of behavior. 4. Children are active participants in their own Development , reflecting the intrinsic human drive to explore and master one s own environment. 5. Human relationships are the building blocks of healthy Development . 6. the broad range of individual differences among young children often makes it difficult to distinguish normal variations and maturational delays from transient disorders and persistent impairments.