Learning Standards
South Carolina Early Learning Standards
Approaches to Play and Learning (APL):
Subdomain: Curiosity, Information-Seeking, and Eagerness
Goal APL-1: Children show curiosity and express interest in the world around them.
APL-1m: Discover things that interest and amaze them and seek to share them with others.
APL-1n: Communicate interest to others through verbal and nonverbal means.
APL-1o: Show interest in a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.
APL-1p: Demonstrate interest in mastering new skills.
Goal APL-2: Children actively seek to understand the world around them.
APL-2l: Ask questions to find out more about the things that interest them, including questions about future events.
APL-2m: Choose among different ways to explore the environment based on experience.
APL-2n: Use what they know from experience to understand what is happening now.
Subdomain: Play and Imagination
Goal APL-3: Children engage in increasingly complex play.
APL-3r: Develop and sustain more complex pretend play themes in cooperation with peers.
APL-3s: Use more complex and varied language to share ideas and influence others during play.
APL-3t: Choose to use new knowledge and skills during play.
APL-3u: Demonstrate their cultural values and “rules” through play.
Goal APL-4: Children demonstrate creativity, imagination, and inventiveness.
APL-4l: Plan play scenarios (dramatic play, construction), and use or create a variety of props or tools to enact them.
APL-4m: Expand the variety of roles taken during dramatic play and add more actions, language, or props to enact roles.
APL-4n: Use materials or actions in increasingly varied and resourceful ways to represent experiences or ideas.
APL-4o: Make up stories, songs, or dances for fun during play.
APL-4p: Invents new games.
Subdomain: Risk-Taking, Problem-Solving, Flexibility
Goal APL-5: Children are willing to try new and challenging experiences.
APL-5o: Express a belief that they can do things that are hard.
APL-5p: Approach new experiences independently.
APL-5q: Ask to participate in new experiences that they have observed or heard about.
APL-5r: Independently seek new challenges.
Goal APL-6: Children use a variety of strategies to solve problems.
APL-6n: Seek and make use of ideas and help from adults and peers to solve problems.
APL-6o: Describe the steps they will use to solve a problem.
APL-6p: Evaluate different strategies for solving a problem and select the strategy they feel will work without having to try it.
APL- 6q: Explain how they solved a problem to another person.
Subdomain: Attentiveness, Effort and Persistence
Goal APL-7: Children demonstrate initiative
APL-7k: Show increasing independence and purpose when making choices.
APL-7l: Independently identify and seek things they need to complete activities or tasks.
APL-7m: Set simple goals that extend over time, make plans and follow through.
Goal APL-8: Children maintain attentiveness and focus.
APL-8k: Sometimes able to focus on what is relevant to a task.
APL-8l: Consistently remain engaged in self-directed activities.
APL-8m: Shift attention back to a task after having been diverted from it.
Goal APL-9: Children persist in challenging activities.
APL-9h: Seek help from others to complete a challenging activity.
APL-9i: When something does not work, try different ways to complete the task.
APL-9j: Plan and follow through on longer-term tasks (planting a seed and caring for the plant).
APL-9k: Keep trying until a challenging activity is complete despite distractions or interruptions.
Emotional and Social Development (ESD):
Subdomain: Developing a Sense of Self
Goal ESD-1: Children demonstrate a positive sense of self-identity and self-awareness.
ESD 1o: Describe themselves in concrete ways, with greater detail and accuracy.
ESD-1p: Express awareness that they are members of different groups.
ESD- 1q: Choose to spend more time on preferred activities, and express awareness of skills they are developing.
Goal ESD-2: Children express positive feelings about themselves and confidence in what they can do.
ESD-2n: Express positive feelings about themselves by showing and/or telling others about themselves, things they like, or things they have done.
ESD 2o: Express the belief that they can do many things.
ESD-2p: Stick with tasks even when they are challenging.
ESD-2q: Express opinions about their abilities in different areas.
Subdomain: Developing a Sense of Self with Others
Goal ESD-3: Children form relationships and interact positively with familiar adults who are consistent and responsive to their needs.
ESD-3t: Seek out trusted teachers and caregivers as needed.
ESD-3u: Form positive relationships with new teachers or caregivers over time.
ESD-3v: Use language effectively to continue conversations with familiar adults and to influence their behavior.
Goal ESD-4: Children form relationships and interact positively with other children.
ESD-4p: Demonstrate social skills when interacting with other children.
ESD-4q: Form and maintain friendships with other children of diverse cultural backgrounds and abilities.
ESD-4r: Seek and give support with children they identify as friends.
ESD-4s: Use language effectively to have conversations with other children and influence another child’s behavior.
ESD-4t: Play and interact cooperatively with other children.
Goal ESD-5: Children demonstrate the social and behavioral skills needed to successfully participate in groups.
ESD-5r: Follow social rules, transitions, and routines that have been explained to them.
ESD-5s: Make requests clearly and effectively most of the time.
ESD-5t: Balance their own needs with those of others in the group.
ESD-5u: Anticipate consequences and plan ways to solve problems effectively, with guidance and support.
ESD-5v: Use a variety of strategies to solve problems and conflicts with increasing independence.
ESD-5w: Express respect and caring for all people, including people with disabilities.
ESD-5x: Recognize and honor cultural differences.
Subdomain: Learning About Feelings
Goal ESD-6: Children identify, manage, and express their feelings.
ESD-6o: Express a range of emotions with their face, body, vocal sounds, and words.
ESD-6p: Independently manage and express feelings effectively most of the time.
ESD-6q: Use a larger vocabulary for talking about different feelings.
ESD-6r: Give reasons for their feelings that may include thoughts and beliefs as well as outside events.
ESD-6s: Use problem-solving strategies when feeling angry or frustrated.
Goal ESD-7: Children recognize and respond appropriately to the needs and feelings of others.
ESD-7n: Communicate understanding and empathy for others’ feelings.
ESD-7o: Show awareness that their behavior can affect the feelings of others.
ESD-7p: Choose to act in ways that show respect for others’ feelings and points of view most of the time with guidance and support.