Families, caregivers, and early educators all work together to help children grow and learn. This guidance is intended to be a resource for educators to support and enhance children’s learning and development while using the Foundations, Indiana’s Early Learning Development Framework. While this is not an exhaustive list, this guidance is meant to serve as a suggestion for practice from birth to age five including the transition into kindergarten. It can be used to support a child’s development at different levels of learning and promotes fluid movement between developmental stages. The Foundations are not intended to be a curriculum, but what children should know and be able to do throughout developmental stages. Curricula is content that children should learn and methods to teach the content whereas lesson plans are intended to demonstrate how the content is conveyed to children. This guidance is a resource for educators to use while developing an intentional lesson plan.
High quality early experiences help a child become ready for kindergarten and beyond. The Foundations show early educators the developmental progression that typically developing young children should experience as they grow toward kindergarten readiness. In 2014, Indiana’s Early Learning Advisory Committee approved the following definition of kindergarten readiness: “In Indiana, we work together so that every child can develop to his or her fullest potential socially, emotionally, physically, cognitively, and academically. Through growth in all of these domains, the child will become a healthy, capable, competent, and powerful learner.”
Research shows that family engagement is a strong predictor of children's development, wellness, educational attainment, and success later in school and life. Children develop in the context of their environments, which includes family, culture, and community. We know that families are their child’s primary and most important educator. Early educators can use the Family Engagement sections and the Powerful Practices throughout this guidance for strategies that they can encourage family members to use at home. We encourage early educators and early childhood program administrators to also be aware of local and state supports available to vulnerable populations including (but not limited to): 2-1-1 Hotline, shelters, food pantries, WIC offices, and community centers.
Additionally, with family/parental consent, we encourage educators to engage and collaborate with other professionals in closely related sectors supporting the child and family to further inform and align services. This could include professionals from education, health, and social services (e.g. First Steps/Early intervention, public schools, therapists, and physicians).
Please refer to any applicable licensing laws, rules, and related policies regulated by the Family and Social Services Administration and the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning. Additional information can be found here.
Topic | Description |
---|---|
APL1.1 | Demonstrate initiative and self-direction |
APL1.2 | Demonstrate interest and curiosity as a learner |
APL2.1 | Demonstrate development of flexible thinking skills during play |
APL3.1 | Demonstrate development of sustained attention and persistence |
APL4.1 | Demonstrate development of social interactions during play |
ELA1.1 | Demonstrate receptive communication |
ELA1.2 | Demonstrate expressive communication |
ELA1.3 | Demonstrate ability to engage in conversations |
ELA2.1 | Demonstrate awareness of alphabet |
ELA2.2 | Demonstrate phological awareness |
ELA2.3 | Demonstrate awareness and understanding of concepts of print |
ELA2.4 | Demonstrate comprehension |
ELA3.1 | Demonstrate mechanics of writing |
ELA3.2 | Demonstrate ability to communicate a story |
M1.1 | Demonstrate strong sense of counting |
M1.2 | Demonstrate understanding of written numerals |
M1.3 | Recognition of number relations |
M2.1 | Exhibit understanding of mathematical structure |
M2.2 | Demonstrate awareness of patterning |
M4.1 | Understanding of spatial relationships |
M4.2 | Exhibit ability to identify, describe, analyze, compare, and create shapes |
M5.1 | Understanding concepts of time |
M5.2 | Understanding measurement through description and comparison |
SC1.1 | Demonstrate ability to explore objects in the physical world |
SC1.2 | Demonstrate awareness of the physical properties of objects |
SC2.1 | Recognize the characteristics of Earth and sky |
SC2.2 | Recognize seasonal and weather related changes |
SC3.1 | Demonstrate awareness of life |
SC4.1 | Demonstrate engineering design skills |
SC5.1 | Demonstrate scientific curiosity |