Arizona’s Arizona Early Learning Standards: The official early learning standards framework
Arizona’s early learning standards are organized under the Arizona Early Learning Standards (4th Edition) for preschool-age children, administered by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). For children birth through age three, Arizona also publishes Arizona’s Infant and Toddler Developmental Guidelines. Together these documents apply to licensed childcare programs, Head Start, and early intervention programs serving children from birth through kindergarten entry.
Arizona’s standards define developmental expectations across all 8 domains and guide curriculum planning, developmental assessment, and program quality in licensed early care and education programs statewide. Programs can view current guidance at the ADE Early Childhood Standards page.
Arizona’s QRIS is called Quality First, administered by First Things First. Quality First is a voluntary star-rating system funded by tobacco tax revenue. Programs are evaluated across Environments (ERS) and Interactions (CLASS) standards. Using a research-based curriculum aligned to Arizona’s Early Learning Standards supports higher Quality First star ratings.
Explore by developmental domain
Arizona’s Arizona Early Learning Standards domains and Experience Curriculum alignment
Select a developmental domain below to see how Arizona’s Arizona Early Learning Standards defines that domain, the key milestones by age group, and exactly how Experience Curriculum activities and skills map to each Arizona Early Learning Standards indicator.
Social-Emotional Development
Self-regulation, peer relationships, identity, empathy, and emotional expression
Explore Arizona Social-Emotional Development standards →Language & Literacy
Receptive and expressive language, phonological awareness, early reading and writing
Explore Arizona Language & Literacy standards →Mathematics & Reasoning
Number sense, patterns, measurement, spatial reasoning, and early problem-solving
Explore Arizona Mathematics & Reasoning standards →Science
Observation, inquiry, cause-and-effect, and exploration of the natural world
Explore Arizona Science standards →Social Studies
Community, family, cultural identity, roles, and civic understanding
Explore Arizona Social Studies standards →Creative Arts
Visual arts, music, movement, dramatic play, and creative expression
Explore Arizona Creative Arts standards →Physical Development
Gross and fine motor skills, body awareness, health, and self-care
Explore Arizona Physical Development standards →Approaches to Learning
Curiosity, persistence, initiative, flexibility, and attention
Explore Arizona Approaches to Learning standards →Curriculum alignment
How Experience Curriculum aligns to Arizona’s Arizona Early Learning Standards
Experience Curriculum is formally aligned to Arizona’s 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 Arizona Alignment PDF documents how every Experience Curriculum activity and skill maps to a specific Arizona standard indicator.
For Arizona 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 First curriculum documentation requirements.
The Arizona Early Learning Standards Alignment PDF is a free resource documenting how every Experience Curriculum activity maps to Arizona’s Arizona Early Learning Standards indicators — suitable for QRIS review submissions and licensing documentation.
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