Understanding these “Kindergarten Readiness Standards” is an important first step in supporting your young child throughout his/her entire school experience. This guide focuses on what children, ages three to five, in preschool or prekindergarten programs should know and be able to do by the time they enter Kindergarten.

The standards or learning criteria are organized into several domains. For children ages three to five, the categories are: Approaches to Learning, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development including Health and Safety, Language and Literacy, Mathematical Thinking, Scientific Inquiry, Social Studies, and Creative Arts.

To begin, it is important to know that each child learns at a different pace. Each child also has strengths and areas that are more challenging. Knowing your child as a learner is an important way to support his/her success in school. For example, some children may start preschool interested in books or writing and drawing, while others know how to play well with another child and follow routines. Using the standards can help you and your child’s teacher figure out which skills are strengths for your child and which areas you can partner to focus on before entering Kindergarten.