Maryland’s Maryland Early Learning Standards: The official early learning standards framework
Maryland’s early learning standards are organized under Maryland’s Early Learning Standards (Birth through Pre-K Entry), administered by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Division of Early Childhood. The Standards apply to all licensed childcare centers, family childcare homes, and state-funded preschool programs serving children from birth through pre-kindergarten entry.
Maryland’s Early Learning 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 MSDE Early Childhood Maryland Early Learning Standards page.
Maryland’s QRIS is called Maryland EXCELS (Excellence Counts in Early Learning and School-age Child Care), a five-level tiered system administered by MSDE. EXCELS evaluates programs across Licensing and Compliance, Staff Qualifications, Accreditation and Rating Scales, Developmentally Appropriate Learning and Practice, and Administrative Policies. Using a research-based curriculum aligned to Maryland’s Early Learning Standards supports higher EXCELS ratings.
Explore by developmental domain
Maryland’s Maryland Early Learning Standards domains and Experience Curriculum alignment
Select a developmental domain below to see how Maryland’s Maryland Early Learning Standards defines that domain, the key milestones by age group, and exactly how Experience Curriculum activities and skills map to each Maryland Early Learning Standards indicator.
Social-Emotional Development
Self-regulation, peer relationships, identity, empathy, and emotional expression
Explore Maryland Social-Emotional Development standards →Language & Literacy
Receptive and expressive language, phonological awareness, early reading and writing
Explore Maryland Language & Literacy standards →Mathematics & Reasoning
Number sense, patterns, measurement, spatial reasoning, and early problem-solving
Explore Maryland Mathematics & Reasoning standards →Science
Observation, inquiry, cause-and-effect, and exploration of the natural world
Explore Maryland Science standards →Social Studies
Community, family, cultural identity, roles, and civic understanding
Explore Maryland Social Studies standards →Creative Arts
Visual arts, music, movement, dramatic play, and creative expression
Explore Maryland Creative Arts standards →Physical Development
Gross and fine motor skills, body awareness, health, and self-care
Explore Maryland Physical Development standards →Approaches to Learning
Curiosity, persistence, initiative, flexibility, and attention
Explore Maryland Approaches to Learning standards →Curriculum alignment
How Experience Curriculum aligns to Maryland’s Maryland Early Learning Standards
Experience Curriculum is formally aligned to Maryland’s Maryland Early 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 Maryland Early Learning Standards Alignment PDF documents how every Experience Curriculum activity and skill maps to a specific Maryland Early Learning Standards indicator.
For Maryland programs using brightwheel, developmental observations can be logged directly in the app during or after activities, automatically building each child’s portfolio and supporting Maryland EXCELS curriculum documentation requirements.
The Maryland Early Learning Standards Alignment PDF is a free resource documenting how every Experience Curriculum activity maps to Maryland’s Maryland Early Learning Standards indicators — suitable for QRIS review submissions and licensing documentation.
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