Book Description

Teachers of very young children have the awesome task of providing rich information and experiences that build skills and understanding in the context of every day routines and within intentionally-designed play opportunities that capture children's interests, wonder and curiosity so they want to know more. Pennsylvania's learning standards join hand-in-hand with the learning environment; the responsive relationships that have been built with children, families and the community; the age, cultural and linguistically-appropriate curriculum; and the practices being used to assess children, classrooms and programs to create the best possible experiences for learning success. The Department of Education and the Office of Child Development and Early Learning utilize a Standards Aligned System (SAS) that links the elements of instruction, materials and resources, curriculum framework, fair assessment and interventions, and learning standards to children's engagement in learning and their school success. Within all of Pennsylvania's Early Childhood Standards, the Key Learning Areas define the domains or areas of children's learning that assure a holistic approach to instruction. This paper presents the learning standards comprising the Pennsylvania's Early Childhood Standards for Pre-Kindergarten. Individual sections contain glossaries. (Contains a list of 76 resources.).