Yes. Although not all standards are appropriate for all age groups, there are things adults can do to help children develop in those areas. See the "Supporting Foundational Skills" document in the resources to learn how you can help your child develop in these areas.
The Kansas Early Learning Standards is a document that provides information and guidance to early childhood providers and teachers, including early primary grade teachers, on the developmental continuum of learning for children from birth through kindergarten. It provides information regarding what young children should know and be able to do as a result of engagement with caring knowledgeable adults, evidence-based curriculum and developmentally appropriate practices.
The KELS can be used as adults plan activities, choose and implement curriculum, and engage in conversations with young children and their families around early learning.
The KELS are not to be used as an assessment tool, but rather as a cornerstone to support adults in making appropriate instructional decisions that will benefit our youngest learners.
Most of the standards themselves remain the same. Wording was updated to simplify language and make the document easier to understand and use. Repeated standards were removed, and visual aspects of the document were updated. To see a crosswalk between the previous and current versions of the document, see the 2014-2024 KELS Crosswalk under the Resources menu.
Although not all standards are appropriate for all age groups, there are things adults can do to help children develop in those areas. See the "Supporting Foundational Skills" document in the Resources menu to learn how you can help your child develop in these areas.
School Districts, Special Education Service Centers, Part C Providers, Head Start programs, and licensed child care providers will all be receiving printed copies of the updated standards sometime during the summer of 2024.
If you would like to order a copy of the printed KELS, reach out to Natalie McClane at nmcclane@ksde.org.
The Kansas Early Learning
Standards in the 2023 revision includes, where
possible, the aligned kindergarten grade standards,
clearly showing the continuum of learning from
birth through kindergarten. It is hoped that this
continuum will provide some insight into the learning
and development of young children, thus helping
adults support the learning and excitement young
children feel as they prepare to enter kindergarten. K-12 standards are updated regularly, independently of the KELS. When working with kindergarten standards it's important to verify the standards listed are the most up to date. The Kansas Early Learning Standards can help
guide best practices that support learning and
development in the early years before kindergarten
and show the connection to the kindergarten year,
promoting appropriate and best practices in the
early primary classrooms.
All children enter school with a variety of skills; some are not yet at age-level or grade-level standards. The KELS would be a great source for identifying the standard or skill and working your way backward to find the baseline of the child's level of progression of development. You can use this baseline to set goals and create meaningful learning activities to progress toward grade-level skills/standards.
The transition to kindergarten can be a difficult
event for parents and children. Knowing what
kindergarten teachers hope for and expect from the
children entering their classroom will help parents
and early learning professionals alike to prepare the
children in their care for success in kindergarten,
school and later life. The Kansas Early Learning
Standards in the 2023 revision includes, where
possible, the aligned kindergarten grade standards,
clearly showing the continuum of learning from
birth through kindergarten. It is hoped that this
continuum will provide some insight into the learning
and development of young children, thus helping
adults support the learning and excitement young
children feel as they prepare to enter kindergarten.
The Kansas Early Learning Standards can help
guide best practices that support learning and
development in the early years before kindergarten
and show the connection to the kindergarten year,
promoting appropriate and best practices in the
early primary classrooms. The KELS provide support
to kindergarten teachers as they strive to meet the
learning needs of the children in their classrooms.
The KELS Revision Team found research shows for most children, rational counting starts to show up at the end of preschool or beginning of kindergarten and that overemphasizing rote counting to high numbers before the counting principles are established for small numbers is counterproductive.
