Head Start Program Performance Standards
Find educator resources related to program expectations, teaching practice, family engagement, and child development.
Explore Standards Resources →Development · Progress · Preparation
School Readiness Begins With Everyday Learning
School readiness is an ongoing process that supports children's development, confidence, relationships, and growing knowledge. Explore resources that help educators connect developmental goals with meaningful experiences, observations, assessment, and partnerships with families.
A Whole-Child Approach
Understand the Child, Not Just the Checklist
School readiness is more than a test or a list of skills. It includes children's development, relationships, approaches to learning, and opportunities to participate in meaningful experiences at home and in the classroom. The Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) can guide planning and conversations; it is not a curriculum, assessment, or checklist for deciding whether an individual child is "ready."
The ELOF describes five central domains: Approaches to Learning; Social and Emotional Development; Language and Literacy; Cognition; and Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development. The framework's age-specific domains and subdomains vary across infant-toddler and preschool development.
Read the official ELOF and explore its age-specific domains → See the Practice Cycle →📑 Program Standards
📚 ELOF Domains
🎯 Developmental Goals
👀 Observation
📝 Documentation
🤝 Family Partnerships
Resource Collections
Explore the School Readiness Toolkit
Start with the framework, learn how to recognize children's development, and use what you observe to inform responsive teaching and support.
Early Learning Outcomes Framework
Explore the ELOF framework and its developmental domains to help connect children's learning with classroom experiences.
Explore ELOF Domains →School Readiness Goals
Connect program goals and developmental expectations to learning opportunities, observations, and planning.
Explore Readiness Goals →Classroom Implementation
Consider how classroom environments, routines, interactions, and intentional teaching support children's development.
Explore Classroom Practice →Observation & Documentation
Learn how to notice meaningful learning, record observations, collect work samples, and use documentation to guide next steps.
Explore Documentation →Assessment & Progress Monitoring
Find assessment-related resources to help educators understand developmental progress and plan responsive learning support. Screening is an initial check for possible concerns; ongoing assessment uses evidence over time to individualize teaching. Neither is a pass/fail test of readiness.
Open Assessment Center → Read the official screening and assessment standard →From Knowledge to Practice
A Practical School Readiness Cycle
Use this process to connect developmental expectations with real experiences and decisions that support each child.
01
Understand
Review applicable frameworks, developmental domains, program goals, and expectations.
02
Observe
Notice children's interests, strengths, emerging skills, interactions, and questions.
03
Document
Record meaningful evidence through observations, conversations, and work samples.
04
Respond
Plan appropriate experiences, collaborate with families, and identify helpful next steps.
Educator reminder: Use observations and
assessment information as part of an ongoing process.
Interpret evidence in context, consider each child's
strengths and needs, and follow your program's applicable
assessment and documentation procedures.
Connected Areas of Support
Find the Right Resource for Your Next Step
School readiness works alongside curriculum, inclusive teaching, and partnerships with families. Each area has its own place in the Learning Hub.
📘 Curriculum
Explore studies, lesson planning, learning environments, teaching strategies, and developmentally appropriate experiences.
Open Curriculum →💚 Behavior & Inclusion
Find support for positive guidance, inclusion, individualized strategies, and responsive classroom environments.
Open Behavior & Inclusion →🤝 Teacher & Family Support
Explore resources for communication, family partnerships, classroom support, and educator collaboration.
Explore Support Resources →🗂️ Resource Library
Browse the wider collection of early childhood materials and educator tools.
Browse the Library →🖨️ Printable Library
Find printable classroom materials and practical resources for teaching and planning.
Browse Printables →🔎 Search the Learning Hub
Search for a topic, activity, teaching resource, or support tool across the site.
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