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: Social Studies and Creative Arts 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 North Dakota Early Learning Standards: Birth to Kindergarten, hereafter referred to as Standards, were developed in 2018. To assure that the Standards reflect the most current and comprehensive research on early childhood, the Lead Agency will coordinate and oversee a Standards review process estimated to begin in Fall 2024. In addition, training will be developed on the revised Standards and offered to providers in Summer 2025. d. Provide the Web link to the Lead Agency's early learning and developmental guidelines. https://www.hhs.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/early-learning-standards-2018.pdf 6.4.2 Use of early learning and developmental guidelines a. Describe how the Lead Agency uses its early learning and developmental guidelines. North Dakota’s Early Learning Standards: Birth to Kindergarten present a continuum of learning and development for children with varying abilities and for children with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The Standards promote the understanding of early learning and guide the design and implementation of curriculum, assessment, and instructional practices with young children. The Standards help adults better understand what they should be doing to provide effective learning experiences for children that support early learning outcomes. The North Dakota Early Learning Standards allow for greater collaboration and consistency across the comprehensive early childhood service delivery system in North Dakota. They provide a common set of expectation for children’s learning and development across various types of settings, including their own homes: family, friend and neighbor homes; family child care homes; child care centers; Early Head Start/Head Start; and Preschool programs. Although voluntary, technical assistance and support is available to help guide professionals working with children in planning and implementing developmentally appropriate learning activities. 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.