South Dakota’s SDELG: The official early learning standards framework
South Dakota’s early learning standards are organized under the South Dakota Early Learning Guidelines (SDELG), administered by the South Dakota Department of Education (SDDOE) Head Start Collaboration Office. SDELG applies to licensed childcare programs, Head Start programs, and other early childhood programs serving children from birth through kindergarten entry statewide.
SDELG defines developmental expectations across all 8 domains and guides curriculum planning, developmental assessment, and program quality in South Dakota’s licensed early care and education programs. Programs can view current guidance at the SDDOE SDELG page.
South Dakota is currently piloting a Quality Recognition and Information System (QRIS) led by South Dakota State University (SDSU) Quality Collaborative in partnership with the SD Early Childhood Enrichment (ECE) System and the SD Department of Social Services. The pilot emphasizes continuous quality improvement and is not yet a full statewide system. Using a research-based curriculum aligned to South Dakota’s SDELG supports quality improvement goals during this pilot phase.
Explore by developmental domain
South Dakota’s SDELG domains and Experience Curriculum alignment
Select a developmental domain below to see how South Dakota’s SDELG defines that domain, the key milestones by age group, and exactly how Experience Curriculum activities and skills map to each SDELG indicator.
Social-Emotional Development
Self-regulation, peer relationships, identity, empathy, and emotional expression
Explore South Dakota Social-Emotional Development standards →Language & Literacy
Receptive and expressive language, phonological awareness, early reading and writing
Explore South Dakota Language & Literacy standards →Mathematics & Reasoning
Number sense, patterns, measurement, spatial reasoning, and early problem-solving
Explore South Dakota Mathematics & Reasoning standards →Science
Observation, inquiry, cause-and-effect, and exploration of the natural world
Explore South Dakota Science standards →Social Studies
Community, family, cultural identity, roles, and civic understanding
Explore South Dakota Social Studies standards →Creative Arts
Visual arts, music, movement, dramatic play, and creative expression
Explore South Dakota Creative Arts standards →Physical Development
Gross and fine motor skills, body awareness, health, and self-care
Explore South Dakota Physical Development standards →Approaches to Learning
Curiosity, persistence, initiative, flexibility, and attention
Explore South Dakota Approaches to Learning standards →Curriculum alignment
How Experience Curriculum aligns to South Dakota’s SDELG
Experience Curriculum is formally aligned to South Dakota’s SDELG 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 South Dakota SDELG Alignment PDF documents how every Experience Curriculum activity and skill maps to a specific SDELG indicator.
For South Dakota programs using brightwheel, developmental observations can be logged directly in the app during or after activities, automatically building each child’s portfolio and supporting Quality Improvement curriculum documentation requirements.
The South Dakota SDELG Alignment PDF is a free resource documenting how every Experience Curriculum activity maps to South Dakota’s SDELG indicators — suitable for QRIS review submissions and licensing documentation.
Frequently asked questions