PRE K HEADSTART STABDARDS

OBJECTIVE
DESCRIPTION OBJECTIVE GUIDANCE DOMAIN

36 to 48 Months
Goal P-ATL 1. Child Manages less intense emotions, such as mild frustration,
manages emotions with independently. May require adult support to manage
increasing independence. more intense emotions. Approaches to Learning

Goal P-ATL 2. Child 36 to 48 Months

follows classroom rules Follows simple rules and routines with assistance from
and routines with adults, such as hanging up their coat or sitting at the
increasing independence. table when asked by an adult. Approaches to Learning

Goal P-ATL 3. Child

appropriately handles 36 to 48 Months
and takes care of Handles classroom materials, such as putting them
classroom materials. where they belong, with adult support. Approaches to Learning

Goal P-ATL 4. Child 36 to 48 Months

manages actions, words, Manages own actions, words and behavior with frequent
and behavior with support from adults, such as reminders to use gentle
increasing independence. touches and friendly words. Approaches to Learning

Goal P-ATL 5. Child

demonstrates an 36 to 48 Months
increasing ability to Frequently engages in impulsive behaviors, but inhibits
control impulses. them when directly supported by an adult. Approaches to Learning

Goal P-ATL 6. Child 36 to 48 Months

maintains focus and With adult support, focuses attention on tasks and
sustains attention with experiences for short periods of time, despite
minimal adult support. interruptions or distractions. Approaches to Learning

36 to 48 Months
Persists on preferred tasks when presented with small
challenges with or without adult support, such as
Goal P-ATL 7. Child continuing to try to build a tall tower with blocks, even
persists in tasks. when some pieces fall. Approaches to Learning

Goal P-ATL 8. Child holds 36 to 48 Months

information in mind and Holds small amounts of information in mind, such as
manipulates it to perform two-step directions, to successfully complete simple
tasks. tasks. Approaches to Learning

36 to 48 Months
Demonstrates flexibility, or the ability to switch gears, in
Goal P-ATL 9. Child thinking and behavior when prompted by an adult, such
demonstrates flexibility as trying a new way to climb a structure when the first
in thinking and behavior. attempt does not work. Approaches to Learning

36 to 48 Months
Goal P-ATL 10. Child Regularly shows initiative, particularly in interactions
demonstrates initiative with familiar adults. Works independently for brief
and independence. periods of time without adult prompting. Approaches to Learning
Goal P-ATL 11. Child
shows interest in and 36 to 48 Months
curiosity about the world Seeks out new information and explores new play and
around them. tasks with adult support. Approaches to Learning

Goal P-ATL 12. Child

expresses creativity in 36 to 48 Months
thinking and Responds to adults’ prompts to express creative ideas in
communication. words and/or actions. Approaches to Learning

36 to 48 Months
Goal P-ATL 13. Child uses Consistently uses imagination in play and other creative
imagination in play and works. Begins to communicate creative ideas to other
interactions with others. children and adults. Approaches to Learning

Goal P-SE 1. Child
engages in and maintains
positive relationships and
interactions with adults.
36 to 48 Months
Engages in positive interactions with adults, such as by
demonstrating affection or talking about ideas. Is able
to separate from trusted adults when in familiar settings. Social and Emotional
Uses adults as a resource to solve problems. Development

36 to 48 Months
Sometimes engages in prosocial behavior with adults,
such as greeting the teacher or saying goodbye, and
responds to adult requests and directions that may
Goal P-SE 2. Child include assistance or prompting. Sometimes
engages in prosocial and demonstrates uncooperative behavior with familiar
cooperative behavior adults, such as saying “No” to requests, but these Social and Emotional
with adults. moments are typically resolved with support from adults. Development

36 to 48 Months
Sometimes engages in and maintains interactions with
other children without support from an adult, or
Goal P-SE 3. Child demonstrates skills in doing this when prompted by an
engages in and maintains adult. May spontaneously engage in prosocial behaviors
positive interactions and with other children, such as sharing and taking turns with
relationships with other materials and in conversations, or may engage in these Social and Emotional
children. with prompting from adults. Development

36 to 48 Months
Goal P-SE 4. Child Often plays cooperatively with other children. For at
engages in cooperative least short periods during this play, works with other Social and Emotional
play with other children. children to plan and enact this play in a coordinated way. Development

Goal P-SE 5. Child uses 36 to 48 Months

basic problem-solving Begins to recognize and describe social problems.
skills to resolve conflicts Suggests solutions to conflicts with adult guidance and Social and Emotional
with other children. support. Development
Goal P-SE 6. Child 36 to 48 Months
expresses a broad range Expresses a broad range of emotions across contexts,
of emotions and such as during play and in interactions with adults.
recognizes these Notices when strong emotions are exhibited by others
emotions in self and and begins to use words to describe some of these Social and Emotional
others. emotions, such as happy, sad, or mad. Development

36 to 48 Months
Often pays attention when others are distressed, but
Goal P-SE 7. Child attention and response to this distress may be brief. May
expresses care and seek out adult support to help another child who is Social and Emotional
concern toward others. distressed. Development

36 to 48 Months
Goal P-SE 8. Child Manages less intense emotions, such as mild frustration,
manages emotions with independently. May require adult support to manage Social and Emotional
increasing independence. more intense emotions. Development

Goal P-SE 9. Child

recognizes self as a
unique individual having
own abilities, 36 to 48 Months
characteristics, emotions, Describes own physical characteristics and behaviors and Social and Emotional
and interests. indicates likes and dislikes when asked. Development

36 to 48 Months
Expresses enjoyment in accomplishing daily routines and
Goal P-SE 10. Child new skills and may draw adult attention to these
expresses confidence in accomplishments. May share own ideas or express
own skills and positive positive feelings about self, particularly when prompted Social and Emotional
feelings about self. by an adult. Development

36 to 48 Months
Communicates feeling a sense of belonging to family and
Goal P-SE 11. Child has an emerging sense of connections to other communities
sense of belonging to through words or other forms of expression, such as
family, community, and drawing a picture of their family or sharing a special Social and Emotional
other groups. object related to their cultural heritage. Development

Goal P-LC 1. Child attends 36 to 48 Months

to communication and Shows acknowledgment of comments or questions and is Language and
language from others. able to attend to conversations, either spoken or signed. Communication

Goal P-LC 2. Child

understands and
responds to increasingly 36 to 48 Months
complex communication Understands and responds (verbally and non-verbally) to
and language from increasingly longer sentences, simple questions, and Language and
others. simple stories. Communication

Goal P-LC 3. Child varies

the amount of 36 to 48 Months
information provided to Uses language, spoken or sign, for different purposes and
meet the demands of the is sometimes able to provide sufficient detail to get Language and
situation. needs met from a variety of adults. Communication
 36 to 48 Months
Goal P-LC 4. Child Engages in conversations with adults, other children, or
understands, follows, and within the group setting lasting 2–3 conversational turns,
uses appropriate social and, with support, will sometimes use appropriate tone Language and
and conversational rules. and volume for different situations. Communication

Goal P-LC 5. Child
expresses self in
increasingly long,
detailed, and
sophisticated ways.
36 to 48 Months
Communicates clearly enough to be understood by
familiar adults, but may make some pronunciation and
grammatical errors. Typically uses 3–5 word
phrases/sentences when communicating. With some
prompting, can offer multiple (2–3) pieces of information Language and
on a single topic. Communication

36 to 48 Months
Shows a rapid increase in acquisition of new vocabulary
words that describe actions, emotions, things, or ideas
Goal P-LC 6. Child that are meaningful within the everyday environment.
understands and uses a Uses new vocabulary words to describe relations among
wide variety of words for things or ideas. Shows repetition of new words offered Language and
a variety of purposes. by adults. Communication

Goal P-LC 7. Child shows 36 to 48 Months

understanding of word Typically uses known words in the correct context and,
categories and with support, shows an emerging understanding of how
relationships among words are related to broader categories, such as sorting Language and
words. things by color. Communication

Goal P-LIT 1. Child

demonstrates awareness 36 to 48 Months
that spoken language is Shows rote imitation and enjoyment of rhyme and
composed of smaller alliteration. With support, distinguishes when two words
segments of sound. rhyme and when two words begin with the same sound. Literacy

Goal P-LIT 2. Child

demonstrates an
understanding of how
print is used (functions of
print) and the rules that
govern how print works
(conventions of print).
36 to 48 Months
Distinguishes print from pictures and shows an
understanding that print is something meaningful, such
as asking an adult “What does this say?” or “Read this.” Literacy

Goal P-LIT 3. Child

identifies letters of the 36 to 48 Months
alphabet and produces Shows an awareness of alphabet letters, such as singing
correct sounds the ABC song, recognizing letters from one’s name,
associated with letters. or naming some letters that are encountered often. Literacy
Goal P-LIT 4. Child
demonstrates an
understanding of 36 to 48 Months
narrative structure With support, may be able to tell one or two key events
through storytelling/re- from a story or may act out a story with pictures or
telling. props. Literacy

36 to 48 Months
Can answer basic questions about likes or dislikes in a
Goal P-LIT 5. Child asks book or story. Asks and answers questions about main
and answers questions characters or events in a familiar story. With modeling
about a book that was and support, makes predictions about events that might
read aloud. happen next. Literacy
36 to 48 Months
Goal P-LIT 6. Child writes Engages in writing activities that consist largely of
for a variety of purposes drawing and scribbling. Begins to convey meaning. With
using increasingly modeling and support, writes some letter-like forms and
sophisticated marks. letters. Literacy

36 to 48 Months
Balances, such as on one leg or a beam, for short periods
Goal P-PMP 1. Child with some assistance. Performs some skills, such as
demonstrates control, jumping for height and hopping, but these skills may not
strength, and be consistently demonstrated. Engages in physical
coordination of large activity that requires strength and stamina for at least Perceptual, Motor, and
muscles. brief periods. Physical Development

Goal P-PMP 2. Child uses 36 to 48 Months

perceptual information Somewhat aware of own body, space, and relationship
to guide motions and to other objects. May have difficulty consistently
interactions with objects coordinating motions and interactions with objects and Perceptual, Motor, and
and other people. other people. Physical Development

Goal P-PMP 3. Child 36 to 48 Months

demonstrates increasing Performs simple hand-eye tasks, such as drawing simple
control, strength, and shapes like circles and cutting paper with scissors. May
coordination of small demonstrate limited precision and control in more Perceptual, Motor, and
muscles. complex tasks. Physical Development

36 to 48 Months
Goal P-PMP 4. Child Shows an awareness of personal hygiene and self-care
demonstrates personal skills, such as telling an adult it is important to wash
hygiene and self-care hands before eating. May not complete or exhibit these Perceptual, Motor, and
skills. skills regularly without adult guidance and supervision. Physical Development

36 to 48 Months
Goal P-PMP 5. Child Demonstrates a basic knowledge
develops knowledge and of the role of foods and nutrition in
skills that help promote healthy development. Often requires
nutritious food choices adult guidance and supervision to Perceptual, Motor, and
and eating habits. make healthy eating choices. Physical Development
Goal P-PMP 6. Child 36 to 48 Months
demonstrates knowledge Shows awareness of a growing number of personal
of personal safety safety practices and routines. Looks to adults for support Perceptual, Motor, and
practices and routines. in enacting these. Physical Development
RDS

SUB-DOMAIN YEAR TAG

EMOTIONAL AND
BEHAVIORAL SELF-
REGULATION Pre-K

EMOTIONAL AND
BEHAVIORAL SELF-
REGULATION Pre-K

EMOTIONAL AND
BEHAVIORAL SELF-
REGULATION Pre-K

EMOTIONAL AND
BEHAVIORAL SELF-
REGULATION Pre-K

COGNITIVE SELF-
REGULATION (EXECUTIVE
FUNCTIONING) Pre-K

COGNITIVE SELF-
REGULATION (EXECUTIVE
FUNCTIONING) Pre-K

COGNITIVE SELF-
REGULATION (EXECUTIVE
FUNCTIONING) Pre-K

COGNITIVE SELF-
REGULATION (EXECUTIVE
FUNCTIONING) Pre-K

COGNITIVE SELF-
REGULATION (EXECUTIVE
FUNCTIONING) Pre-K

INITIATIVE AND
CURIOSITY Pre-K
INITIATIVE AND
CURIOSITY Pre-K

CREATIVITY Pre-K

CREATIVITY Pre-K

RELATIONSHIPS WITH
ADULTS Pre-K

RELATIONSHIPS WITH
ADULTS Pre-K

RELATIONSHIPS WITH
OTHER CHILDREN Pre-K

RELATIONSHIPS WITH
OTHER CHILDREN Pre-K

RELATIONSHIPS WITH
OTHER CHILDREN Pre-K
EMOTIONAL
FUNCTIONING Pre-K

EMOTIONAL
FUNCTIONING Pre-K

EMOTIONAL
FUNCTIONING Pre-K

SENSE OF IDENTITY AND

BELONGING Pre-K

SENSE OF IDENTITY AND

BELONGING Pre-K

SENSE OF IDENTITY AND

BELONGING Pre-K

ATTENDING AND
UNDERSTANDING Pre-K

ATTENDING AND
UNDERSTANDING Pre-K

COMMUNICATING AND
SPEAKING Pre-K
COMMUNICATING AND
SPEAKING Pre-K

COMMUNICATING AND
SPEAKING Pre-K

VOCABULARY Pre-K

VOCABULARY Pre-K

PHONOLOGICAL
AWARENESS Pre-K

PRINT AND ALPHABET

KNOWLEDGE Pre-K

PRINT AND ALPHABET

KNOWLEDGE Pre-K
COMPREHENSION AND
TEXT STRUCTURE Pre-K

COMPREHENSION AND
TEXT STRUCTURE Pre-K

WRITING Pre-K

GROSS MOTOR Pre-K

GROSS MOTOR Pre-K

FINE MOTOR Pre-K

HEALTH, SAFETY, AND

NUTRITION Pre-K

HEALTH, SAFETY, AND

NUTRITION Pre-K
HEALTH, SAFETY, AND
NUTRITION Pre-K