New York’s NYS Prekindergarten Learning Standards: The official early learning standards framework
New York’s early learning standards are organized under the New York State Prekindergarten Learning Standards: A Resource for School Success, administered by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). The Standards are required under Part 100 Regulations of the Commissioner and apply to licensed childcare centers, Head Start programs, and public and non-public prekindergarten programs serving preschool-age children.
New York’s Prekindergarten Learning Standards define developmental expectations across five key domains and guide curriculum planning and program quality. Programs can view current guidance at the NYSED Early Learning page.
New York’s QRIS is called QUALITYstarsNY, a voluntary five-star system for early childhood programs. Programs are evaluated on evidence-based practices across learning environment, family engagement, staff development, and child assessment. Using a research-based curriculum aligned to New York’s Prekindergarten Learning Standards supports higher QUALITYstarsNY ratings.
Explore by developmental domain
New York’s NYS Prekindergarten Learning Standards domains and Experience Curriculum alignment
Select a developmental domain below to see how New York’s NYS Prekindergarten Learning Standards defines that domain, the key milestones by age group, and exactly how Experience Curriculum activities and skills map to each NYS Prekindergarten Learning Standards indicator.
Social-Emotional Development
Self-regulation, peer relationships, identity, empathy, and emotional expression
Explore New York Social-Emotional Development standards →Language & Literacy
Receptive and expressive language, phonological awareness, early reading and writing
Explore New York Language & Literacy standards →Mathematics & Reasoning
Number sense, patterns, measurement, spatial reasoning, and early problem-solving
Explore New York Mathematics & Reasoning standards →Science
Observation, inquiry, cause-and-effect, and exploration of the natural world
Explore New York Science standards →Social Studies
Community, family, cultural identity, roles, and civic understanding
Explore New York Social Studies standards →Creative Arts
Visual arts, music, movement, dramatic play, and creative expression
Explore New York Creative Arts standards →Physical Development
Gross and fine motor skills, body awareness, health, and self-care
Explore New York Physical Development standards →Approaches to Learning
Curiosity, persistence, initiative, flexibility, and attention
Explore New York Approaches to Learning standards →Curriculum alignment
How Experience Curriculum aligns to New York’s NYS Prekindergarten Learning Standards
Experience Curriculum is formally aligned to New York’s NYS Prekindergarten Learning Standards across all three age bands — Baby (birth to 18 months), Toddler (18 to 36 months), and Preschool (3 to 5 years) — and all 8 developmental domains. The New York Prekindergarten Learning Standards Alignment PDF documents how every Experience Curriculum activity and skill maps to a specific NYS Prekindergarten Learning Standards indicator.
For New York programs using brightwheel, developmental observations can be logged directly in the app during or after activities, automatically building each child’s portfolio and supporting QUALITYstarsNY curriculum documentation requirements.
The New York Prekindergarten Learning Standards Alignment PDF is a free resource documenting how every Experience Curriculum activity maps to New York’s NYS Prekindergarten Learning Standards indicators — suitable for QRIS review submissions and licensing documentation.
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