Kentucky’s Kentucky Early Childhood Standards: The official early learning standards framework
Kentucky’s early learning standards are organized under Kentucky’s Early Childhood Standards: Birth Through Five, revised in 2021 and jointly administered by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood. The Standards apply to licensed childcare centers, family childcare homes, Head Start programs, and Kentucky’s Preschool programs serving children from birth through age 5.
Kentucky’s Early Childhood Standards define developmental expectations across all 8 domains and guide curriculum planning, developmental assessment, and program quality statewide. Programs can view current guidance at the Kentucky Department of Education Early Childhood page.
Kentucky’s QRIS is called Kentucky All STARS, administered by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS). Kentucky All STARS is a five-star system serving childcare centers, Head Start, and public preschool programs that receive public funding. Using a research-based curriculum aligned to Kentucky’s Early Childhood Standards supports higher All STARS ratings.
Explore by developmental domain
Kentucky’s Kentucky Early Childhood Standards domains and Experience Curriculum alignment
Select a developmental domain below to see how Kentucky’s Kentucky Early Childhood Standards defines that domain, the key milestones by age group, and exactly how Experience Curriculum activities and skills map to each Kentucky Early Childhood Standards indicator.
Social-Emotional Development
Self-regulation, peer relationships, identity, empathy, and emotional expression
Explore Kentucky Social-Emotional Development standards →Language & Literacy
Receptive and expressive language, phonological awareness, early reading and writing
Explore Kentucky Language & Literacy standards →Mathematics & Reasoning
Number sense, patterns, measurement, spatial reasoning, and early problem-solving
Explore Kentucky Mathematics & Reasoning standards →Science
Observation, inquiry, cause-and-effect, and exploration of the natural world
Explore Kentucky Science standards →Social Studies
Community, family, cultural identity, roles, and civic understanding
Explore Kentucky Social Studies standards →Creative Arts
Visual arts, music, movement, dramatic play, and creative expression
Explore Kentucky Creative Arts standards →Physical Development
Gross and fine motor skills, body awareness, health, and self-care
Explore Kentucky Physical Development standards →Approaches to Learning
Curiosity, persistence, initiative, flexibility, and attention
Explore Kentucky Approaches to Learning standards →Curriculum alignment
How Experience Curriculum aligns to Kentucky’s Kentucky Early Childhood Standards
Experience Curriculum is formally aligned to Kentucky’s Kentucky Early Childhood 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 Kentucky Early Childhood Standards Alignment PDF documents how every Experience Curriculum activity and skill maps to a specific Kentucky Early Childhood Standards indicator.
For Kentucky programs using brightwheel, developmental observations can be logged directly in the app during or after activities, automatically building each child’s portfolio and supporting Kentucky All STARS curriculum documentation requirements.
The Kentucky Early Childhood Standards Alignment PDF is a free resource documenting how every Experience Curriculum activity maps to Kentucky’s Kentucky Early Childhood Standards indicators — suitable for QRIS review submissions and licensing documentation.
Frequently asked questions