Early Learning and Development Standards

On October 9, 2012, the State Board of Education adopted Ohio’s Entry Early Learning and Development Standards in all domains of school readiness to reflect the comprehensive development of children beginning at birth to kindergarten entry. The development of these standards represented a collaboration between state agencies serving young children including Ohio Department of Education, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Department of Mental Health, Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, and the Governor’s Office of Health Transformation. The state agencies worked with national experts and writing teams made up of Ohio-based content experts and stakeholders to revise and expand the standards in the following domains. 

• Introduction
• Social-Emotional Development
• Approaches Toward Learning
• Physical Well-Being and Motor Development
• Cognitive Development and General Knowledge (including Mathematics, Science and Social Studies)
• Language and Literacy Development

These new standards describe key concepts and skills that young children develop during the birth-to-five-year period. Their purpose is to support the development and well-being of young children and to foster their learning. The standards promote the understanding of early learning and development, provide a comprehensive and coherent set of expectations for children’s development and learning, and guide the design and implementation of curriculum, assessment and instructional practices with young children.