6.4 Early Learning and Developmental Guidelines

Lead Agencies must develop, maintain, or implement early learning and developmental guidelines appropriate for children from birth to kindergarten entry. Early learning and developmental guidelines should describe what children should know and be able to do at different ages and cover the essential domains of early childhood development, which at a minimum includes cognition, including language arts and mathematics; social, emotional, and physical development; and approaches toward learning. 6.4.1 Early learning and developmental guidelines a. Check the boxes below to certify the Lead Agency’s early learning and developmental guidelines are: i. [x] Research-based. ii. [x] Developmentally appropriate. iii. [x] Culturally and linguistically appropriate. iv. [x] Aligned with kindergarten entry. v. [x] Appropriate for all children from birth to kindergarten entry. vi. [x] Implemented in consultation with the educational agency and the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care or similar coordinating body. vii. If any components above are not checked, describe: b. Check the boxes below to certify that the required domains are included in the Lead Agency’s early learning and developmental guidelines. i. [x] Cognition, including language arts and mathematics. ii. [x] Social development. iii. [x] Emotional development. iv. [x] Physical development. v. [x] Approaches toward learning. vi. [x] Other optional domains. Describe any optional domains: The additional domains of learning addressed in the ECIPs are: Arts (ARTS); Scientific Thinking and Exploring (ST); and Social Systems (SOSY). vii. If any components above are not checked, describe: c. When were the Lead Agency’s early learning and developmental guidelines most recently updated and for what reason? The Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPS) are undergoing revision by the Minnesota Department of Education that began in summer of 2023 and is estimated to be completed in fall of 2024 to reflect current research regarding child development through a contract with the University of Minnesota, CEED. d. Provide the Web link to the Lead Agency's early learning and developmental guidelines. ECIPS: https://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Public/DHS-7596A-ENG School-age guide: https://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Public/DHS-6398-ENG 6.4.2 Use of early learning and developmental guidelines a. Describe how the Lead Agency uses its early learning and developmental guidelines. Early educators in all early care and education program types including school-based prekindergarten programs, Head Start programs, licensed child care and licensed family child care programs in Minnesota are encouraged to use Minnesota’s early learning and developmental guidelines. Programs are encouraged to use them to inform curricular and assessment decisions. For example, programs are encouraged to choose curricula and assessments that are aligned with the Minnesota’s early learning and developmental guidelines, and to use the guidelines in their lesson planning. The guidelines are not intended to be a curriculum or assessment tool. In addition, the guidelines include the following statement: The ECIPs are not to be used to determine children’s eligibility for various programs or services or to deny children access to programs or services. Quality funds are used to help child care programs implement the early learning guidelines through training, coaching, and consultation. Minnesota’s early learning guidelines are the framework used across all quality improvement initiatives funded with CCDF funds. The guidelines are used by trainers, coaches and consultants to help early educators understand developmentally appropriate expectations for children. For example, the guidelines are used whenever training, coaching or consultation addresses one of the following topics: child development, how to choose a curriculum, how to choose an assessment tool, how to plan lessons. Parent Aware, Minnesota’s Quality Rating and Improvement System, is the statewide program for improving child care and early childhood program quality across Minnesota. It encourages and incents programs to use the early learning guidelines in lesson planning, to choose a curriculum or assessment that is aligned with the early learning guidelines, and to receive training on child development and how to use the early learning guidelines. b. Check the boxes below to certify that CCDF funds are not used to develop or implement an assessment for children that: i. [x] Will be the primary or sole basis to determine a child care provider ineligible to participate in the CCDF. ii. [x] Will be used as the primary or sole basis to provide a reward or sanction for an individual provider. iii. [x] Will be used as the primary or sole method for assessing program effectiveness. iv. [x] Will be used to deny children eligibility to participate in CCDF. v. If any components above are not checked, describe: 7 Quality Improvement Activities The quality of child care directly affects children’s safety and healthy development while in care settings, and high-quality child care can be foundational across the lifespan. Lead Agencies may use CCDF for quality improvement activities for all children in care, not just those receiving child care subsidies. OCC will collect the most detailed Lead Agency information about quality improvement activities in annual reports instead of this Plan. Lead Agencies must report on CCDF child care quality improvement investments in three ways: 1. In this Plan, Lead Agencies will describe the types of activities supported by quality investments over the 3-year period. 2. An annual expenditure report (the ACF-696). Lead Agencies will provide data on how much CCDF funding is spent on quality activities. This report will be used to determine compliance with the required quality and infant and toddler spending requirements. 3. An annual Quality Progress Report (the ACF-218). Lead Agencies will provide a description of activities funded by quality expenditures, the measures used to evaluate its progress in improving the quality of child care programs and services within the State/Territory, and progress or barriers encountered on those measures. In this section of the Plan, Lead Agencies will describe their quality activities needs assessment and identify the types of quality improvement activities where CCDF investments are being made using quality set-aside funds.