Early Learning Guidelines: Nebraska&apos;s Birth to Five Learning and Development Standards. Revised
Author: Nebraska Department of Education
Date: 2018-05-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Young Children,Child Development,Developmentally Appropriate Practices,Social Development,Emotional Development,Teaching Methods,Physical Development,Child Health,Language Acquisition,Literacy Education,Mathematics Education,Science Education,Art Education,Creativity,State Standards,Adults,Educational Environment,Inclusion,Student Diversity,Students with Disabilities,English Language Learners,Behavior Problems,School Readiness,Self Concept,Self Control,Interpersonal Competence,Psychomotor Skills,Safety,Nutrition,Language Skills,Listening Skills,Speech Skills,Phonological Awareness,Reading Skills,Writing Skills,Mathematics Skills,Science Process Skills,Music,Visual Arts,Dramatic Play,Motion,Infants,Toddlers,Preschool Children,Communication Skills

The Early Learning Guidelines: Nebraska's Birth to Five Learning and Development Standards (hereafter referred to as the Guidelines) is a resource to provide information about young children's learning and development. The Guidelines are intended to assist adults in planning and providing meaningful learning experiences and environments for children in their care. The Guidelines provide information about what children can typically be expected to know and do by the age of five; and what adults can do to provide experiences and environments that support learning across the following developmental and learning domains: (1) Social and Emotional Development; (2) Approaches to Learning; (3) Health and Physical Development; (4) Language and Literacy Development; (5) Mathematics; (6) Science; and (7) Creative Arts. All of these individual learning and developmental domains are considered to be equally important and should be integrated across many activities within the daily routine. Each domain can be addressed every day in the natural environment that surrounds the child, through the materials provided for the child's exploration, and the support that adults provide the child. Nearly 15 years ago, Nebraska published the first version of the Early Learning Guidelines. Since then, families, educators, and other related service professionals have used the Guidelines with many children in a variety of settings. In 2017-2018, the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE), the Head Start-State Collaboration Office, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and numerous early childhood community partners began the process to thoroughly revise the Nebraska Early Learning Guidelines. This new revision is aligned with: (1) National Education Goals Panel School Readiness Domains; (2) Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework; (3) Teaching Strategies GOLD; (4) Nebraska Department of Education K-12 Standards; (5) Nebraska Department of Education Rule 11 regulations; and (6) Nebraska Child Care Regulations. Updates to this document include more emphasis on meeting the diverse needs of children, new formatting for understanding the birth to five continuum of development, current research based recommendations, and updated strategies to support teaching with intent throughout the day. These guidelines offer ideas as early childhood educators think about the many ways to promote the growth, learning, and well-being of Nebraska's youngest children. [For the Parents' Companion Piece, see &quot;Early Learning Foundations: A Parent's Companion Piece to the Early Learning Guidelines (Birth through 5 Years Old),&quot; ED602834.]