Early Childhood Standards of Quality for ... - State of Michigan

These expectations are not meant to prevent children from enrolling in ageappropriatelearning experiences or to exclude them from needed services andsupports. High quality preschool and prekindergarten settings, in centers, homes,and throughout the community, provide children experiences and opportunitiesthat allow them to meet these expectations.This section of Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Prekindergartenis meant to apply to all three- and four-year-old children in Michigan, boththose whose development is typical and those who are of differing abilities andbackgrounds. It recognizes that young children’s growth, development, andlearning are highly idiosyncratic. Young children learn at different rates in thevarious domains of their development and not all children master skills andcontent within a domain in the same order, although there are patterns to theirdevelopment. All domains of child development are important to the successof early learners; the domains and learning and development within them areinterrelated, and dissected here only to be able to discuss them.The sections that follow are organized with a brief introduction to thedomain and content area, followed by statements about children’s learning,as well as examples of experiences and strategies, and suggested questionsfor reflection. Each “early learning expectation” is illustrated by severalitems indicating how children typically exhibit their progress toward meetingthat expectation. These items are not meant to be exhaustive; children willdemonstrate their progress in many ways.56 Michigan Department of Education