The Importance of Louisiana’s Early Learning Development Standards
BESE Is Considering Updated Revisions to the Early Learning and Development Standards in June – And We Need Your Help
On Tuesday, June 13th, 2023, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) will consider the revised Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS). We need to show our support for the revised ELDS.
The standards have gone through an extended review process, with updates to the standards ready for adoption. The proposed revised standards resulting from the review process continue to be based on research and best practice. These standards help our early care and education professionals guide young children as they learn valuable life skills, like paying attention in class, being a good student, making friends, and interacting and communicating with people. Children need to learn to read and write, but they also need to share and play well with others, be able to communicate their needs, be proud of themselves, and more — all common sense, practical life skills.
How to Take Action
- Attend the BESE meeting on Tuesday, June 13th, at 9 AM to give public comment in support of the revised ELDS resulting from the extended review process. RSVP here.
- BESE meets in the Louisiana Purchase Room of the Claiborne Building, located at 1201 N. 3rd Street in Baton Rouge. Advocates will be in attendance to assist you with filling out a comment card in order to make a public comment.
- Please click here to send an email to BESE members by June 12th!
- Please reach out to BESE members to express support by phone or email by June 12th.
What are Louisiana’s Early Learning and Development Standards?
The Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) are a long-standing tool that has been used to support educators and parents by providing them with a set of common, developmentally appropriate expectations for what children typically know, understand, and are able to perform at different stages of early childhood.
Information for Business Leaders
As an industry leader and business executive, you likely already know that the link between young children’s social and emotional development and later character skills is critical for employing a productive workforce. When employees and job applicants lack the social-emotional skills necessary to succeed on the job, this has consequences for the capability of businesses to compete in the global economy. Although there is data supporting this, there has been misinformation circulating about the concept of social and emotional development and its inclusion in the revised ELDS.
Information for Providers
As a provider, you understand the importance and impact of early experiences for young children and how much they matter. The revised ELDS are rooted in current research, more easily navigable for early educators, more supportive of children with special needs and English language learners, and written with the understanding that children reach developmental milestones at different times.
In order to reach Louisiana’s vision that all children enter kindergarten ready for success in school and beyond, all children – from infants through age five – need educators and caregivers who are prepared to guide their behavior and facilitate their attention, promote their learning through engaging language and high-quality interactions, support their development with high-quality instructional tools that are inclusive of children’s individual needs. The ELDS provide age-appropriate goals for children’s learning and development that guide teachers, caregivers, and other early childhood professionals on what types of experiences and activities children should have during their earliest years.
Information for Families and Advocates
The proposed revised ELDS are the result of a year-long review process by a committee of early care and education practitioners, researchers, and parents. The Early Childhood Care & Education Advisory Council has also reviewed and approved the proposed updates to the standards. The proposed revisions streamline the standards while maintaining the same focus on key learning and developmental milestones for young children, including:
- Language and literacy
- Social skills and communication
- Problem-solving and creative thinking
- Physical coordination and healthy behavior
Information for Pediatricians
As a pediatrician, you know how important the first years of children’s lives are to their long-term development, health, and well-being. The Early Learning and Development Standards help our early care and education professionals guide young children as they learn valuable life skills during their early years.
Louisiana first developed and implemented early learning and development standards in 2013. The standards are based on years of research, focus on learning and development milestones for children birth through age 5, and support the state’s definition for kindergarten readiness. These standards, like K-12 standards, are designed to be a reference and resource for the educators of our youngest learners.
Additional Information About Early Learning Development Standards
- Slides 7 through 33 from the July Early Care and Education Advisory Council meeting
- Video excerpt from a webinar featuring professors of psychiatry at Tulane University, Angela Keyes and Allison Trigg. Dr. Keyes and Dr. Trigg
- Louisiana Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Commission ELDS
- Early Learning and Development Standards Review Process
- BESE backs new standards for young learners over objections of key leaders
- Letters: Revised early learning standards will yield long-lasting benefits
- Early learning standards spark new arguments, months after Louisiana board gave approval
- Amid new bickering, BESE to consider learning standards up to age 5