Alaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines: The official early learning standards framework
Alaska’s early learning standards are organized under the State of Alaska Early Learning Guidelines (2019), administered by the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development (DEED). The Guidelines apply to licensed childcare and development programs serving children from birth through kindergarten entry, including Head Start, state-funded preschool programs, and licensed centers statewide.
A companion document — the Alaska Early Education Program Standards (EEP Standards, revised September 2025) — governs district preschool programs under the Alaska Reads Act. Programs can view current guidance at the Alaska DEED Early Learning page.
Alaska’s QRIS is called Learn & Grow, managed by Alaska’s CCR&R network (thread). Learn & Grow is a five-level voluntary system evaluating programs across Learning Environment, Adult-Child Interactions, Child Outcomes, Family & Community Engagement, and Administration & Leadership. Using a research-based curriculum aligned to Alaska’s Early Learning Guidelines supports higher Learn & Grow ratings.
Explore by developmental domain
Alaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines domains and Experience Curriculum alignment
Select a developmental domain below to see how Alaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines defines that domain, the key milestones by age group, and exactly how Experience Curriculum activities and skills map to each Alaska Early Learning Guidelines indicator.
Social-Emotional Development
Self-regulation, peer relationships, identity, empathy, and emotional expression
Explore Alaska Social-Emotional Development standards →Language & Literacy
Receptive and expressive language, phonological awareness, early reading and writing
Explore Alaska Language & Literacy standards →Mathematics & Reasoning
Number sense, patterns, measurement, spatial reasoning, and early problem-solving
Explore Alaska Mathematics & Reasoning standards →Science
Observation, inquiry, cause-and-effect, and exploration of the natural world
Explore Alaska Science standards →Social Studies
Community, family, cultural identity, roles, and civic understanding
Explore Alaska Social Studies standards →Creative Arts
Visual arts, music, movement, dramatic play, and creative expression
Explore Alaska Creative Arts standards →Physical Development
Gross and fine motor skills, body awareness, health, and self-care
Explore Alaska Physical Development standards →Approaches to Learning
Curiosity, persistence, initiative, flexibility, and attention
Explore Alaska Approaches to Learning standards →Curriculum alignment
How Experience Curriculum aligns to Alaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines
Experience Curriculum is formally aligned to Alaska’s Early Learning Guidelines 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 Alaska Alignment PDF documents how every Experience Curriculum activity and skill maps to a specific Alaska Early Learning Guideline indicator.
For Alaska programs using brightwheel, developmental observations can be logged directly in the app during or after activities, automatically building each child’s portfolio and supporting Learn & Grow curriculum documentation requirements.
The Alaska Early Learning Guidelines Alignment PDF is a free resource documenting how every Experience Curriculum activity maps to Alaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines indicators — suitable for QRIS review submissions and licensing documentation.
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