Illinois’s IELDS: The official early learning standards framework
Illinois’s early learning standards are organized under the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards (IELDS) for preschool-age children and the Illinois Early Learning Guidelines for Children Birth to Age Three — both administered by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). IELDS applies to all licensed childcare centers, family childcare homes, state-funded preschool programs, and Head Start programs serving children from birth through kindergarten entry.
IELDS defines developmental expectations across all 8 domains and guides curriculum planning, developmental assessment, and program quality statewide. Programs can view current guidance at the ISBE Early Learning Standards page.
Illinois’s QRIS is called ExceleRate Illinois, administered by ISBE. ExceleRate uses a four-level block rating structure (Licensed, Bronze, Silver, and Gold). All licensed programs are automatically enrolled at the Licensed level. Programs are rated on Teaching and Learning, Family and Community Engagement, Leadership and Management, and Qualifications. Using a research-based curriculum aligned to Illinois’s IELDS supports advancement through ExceleRate levels.
Explore by developmental domain
Illinois’s IELDS domains and Experience Curriculum alignment
Select a developmental domain below to see how Illinois’s IELDS defines that domain, the key milestones by age group, and exactly how Experience Curriculum activities and skills map to each IELDS indicator.
Social-Emotional Development
Self-regulation, peer relationships, identity, empathy, and emotional expression
Explore Illinois Social-Emotional Development standards →Language & Literacy
Receptive and expressive language, phonological awareness, early reading and writing
Explore Illinois Language & Literacy standards →Mathematics & Reasoning
Number sense, patterns, measurement, spatial reasoning, and early problem-solving
Explore Illinois Mathematics & Reasoning standards →Science
Observation, inquiry, cause-and-effect, and exploration of the natural world
Explore Illinois Science standards →Social Studies
Community, family, cultural identity, roles, and civic understanding
Explore Illinois Social Studies standards →Creative Arts
Visual arts, music, movement, dramatic play, and creative expression
Explore Illinois Creative Arts standards →Physical Development
Gross and fine motor skills, body awareness, health, and self-care
Explore Illinois Physical Development standards →Approaches to Learning
Curiosity, persistence, initiative, flexibility, and attention
Explore Illinois Approaches to Learning standards →Curriculum alignment
How Experience Curriculum aligns to Illinois’s IELDS
Experience Curriculum is formally aligned to Illinois’s IELDS 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 Illinois IELDS Alignment PDF documents how every Experience Curriculum activity and skill maps to a specific IELDS indicator.
For Illinois programs using brightwheel, developmental observations can be logged directly in the app during or after activities, automatically building each child’s portfolio and supporting ExceleRate Illinois curriculum documentation requirements.
The Illinois IELDS Alignment PDF is a free resource documenting how every Experience Curriculum activity maps to Illinois’s IELDS indicators — suitable for QRIS review submissions and licensing documentation.
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