North Dakota Releases New Early Learning Standards

The new North Dakota Early Learning Standards: Birth to Kindergarten were released in the summer of 2018 as a result of a collaboration between the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, the North Dakota Department of Human Services and a large group of stakeholders. The standards are aligned to the North Dakota Kindergarten Standards and represent a continuum of learning and development in the following domains: Approaches to Play and Learning; Social and Emotional Development; Language, Communication, and Literacy; Mathematics and Logical Thinking; Scientific Reasoning; Social Studies; Creative Arts; and Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development.

The Standards provide a common set of expectations for young children’s learning and development in a variety of early learning settings across the state, including: homes; family, friend and neighbor; family child care; child care centers; Early Head Start/Head Start, and preschool programs. As a result of this cross systems effort, new professional development opportunities will be created and implemented for the infant toddler workforce in the spring of 2019.