New Hampshire’s New Hampshire Early Learning Standards: The official early learning standards framework
New Hampshire’s early learning standards are organized under the New Hampshire Early Learning Standards (Birth through Five), administered by the New Hampshire Department of Education (NHDOE). The Standards apply to licensed childcare centers, family childcare homes, Head Start programs, and state-funded preschool programs serving children from birth through age 5 statewide.
New Hampshire’s Early Learning Standards define developmental expectations across all 8 domains and guide curriculum planning, developmental assessment, and program quality. Programs can view current guidance at the New Hampshire Department of Education Early Learning page.
New Hampshire’s QRIS is called Granite Steps for Quality, revised in 2022. Licensed programs can participate via an Environment Rating Scales (ERS) pathway or a Pyramid Model pathway. Programs are evaluated on Staff Qualifications and Learning Environments within their chosen pathway. Using a research-based curriculum aligned to New Hampshire’s Early Learning Standards supports higher Granite Steps quality ratings.
Explore by developmental domain
New Hampshire’s New Hampshire Early Learning Standards domains and Experience Curriculum alignment
Select a developmental domain below to see how New Hampshire’s New Hampshire Early Learning Standards defines that domain, the key milestones by age group, and exactly how Experience Curriculum activities and skills map to each New Hampshire Early Learning Standards indicator.
Social-Emotional Development
Self-regulation, peer relationships, identity, empathy, and emotional expression
Explore New Hampshire Social-Emotional Development standards →Language & Literacy
Receptive and expressive language, phonological awareness, early reading and writing
Explore New Hampshire Language & Literacy standards →Mathematics & Reasoning
Number sense, patterns, measurement, spatial reasoning, and early problem-solving
Explore New Hampshire Mathematics & Reasoning standards →Science
Observation, inquiry, cause-and-effect, and exploration of the natural world
Explore New Hampshire Science standards →Social Studies
Community, family, cultural identity, roles, and civic understanding
Explore New Hampshire Social Studies standards →Creative Arts
Visual arts, music, movement, dramatic play, and creative expression
Explore New Hampshire Creative Arts standards →Physical Development
Gross and fine motor skills, body awareness, health, and self-care
Explore New Hampshire Physical Development standards →Approaches to Learning
Curiosity, persistence, initiative, flexibility, and attention
Explore New Hampshire Approaches to Learning standards →Curriculum alignment
How Experience Curriculum aligns to New Hampshire’s New Hampshire Early Learning Standards
Experience Curriculum is formally aligned to New Hampshire’s New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire Early Learning Standards Alignment PDF documents how every Experience Curriculum activity and skill maps to a specific New Hampshire Early Learning Standards indicator.
For New Hampshire programs using brightwheel, developmental observations can be logged directly in the app during or after activities, automatically building each child’s portfolio and supporting Granite Steps for Quality curriculum documentation requirements.
The New Hampshire Early Learning Standards Alignment PDF is a free resource documenting how every Experience Curriculum activity maps to New Hampshire’s New Hampshire Early Learning Standards indicators — suitable for QRIS review submissions and licensing documentation.
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