The state standards for TK are called foundations, which are briefly explained below. If you want to do a deep dive into them, you can do so here. If you want to see an overview, click here.
Additionally, you can find iLEAD's "I Can" Statements for TK here.
There are four core academic subjects in TK, in addition to other important foundations. The main goal while learning is to develop curiosity, an excitement for discovery, and a love for learning.
Language arts consists of four developmental strands:
Listening and Speaking: These are the building blocks for all other language skills. Children learn new vocabulary, how to express themselves, their needs and feelings, speak and answer using complete sentences, describe and tell stories, and understand what others are saying.
Literacy: This strand develops foundational skills for reading and writing. It encompasses phonological awareness, alphabetic knowledge, and understanding how print works.
Reading: These skills include print awareness, comprehension of age-appropriate books, phonological awareness, and letter and word knowledge. The focus is on building excitement about reading and understanding how words work.
Writing: At this age, children are gaining the fine motor skills and confidence to start writing, beginning with their name and other letters.
Mathematics consists of four developmental strands:
Counting and Cardinality: This strand develops foundational number skills: reciting numbers, one-to-one correspondence, cardinality, subitizing, comparing quantities, and recognizing numerals.
Operations and Algebraic Thinking: This strand develops children's ability to solve simple math problems involving combining, separating, and sharing, as well as sorting and classifying objects by attributes.
Measurement and Data: For measurement, children learn to compare, order, and measure using attributes such as length, weight, height, or capacity. For data, children begin to learn the basics of collecting, representing, and interpreting data.
Geometry: This strand develops children's ability to identify, describe, and compare 2D and 3D shapes by their attributes (ex, number of sides and corners), as well as use spatial vocabulary to locate objects and mentally manipulate shapes to solve problems (ex, rotating puzzle pieces.
Science consists of five developmental strands:
Science and Engineering: This strand develops observation, investigation, communication, and problem-solving skills as they explore science phenomena and engineering challenges during play and learning.
Physical Science: This strand covers investigation and understanding of physical properties of objects and materials, changes in matter, and physical phenomena, including sound, light, shadows, motion, and energy.
Life Science: This strand covers the investigation and understanding of living things (humans, animals, plants), their characteristics, bodily processes, growth and changes over time, and habitats.
Earth & Space Science: This strand covers investigation and understanding of Earth materials, movement and apparent changes of objects in the sky, seasonal and weather changes, and awareness of human impact on the environment and how to care for it.
Engineering & Technology: This strand develops children's engineering skills (identifying problems, planning and creating solutions, testing and refining) in play, interactions with others, and the world around them. This also includes their ability to use tools and digital devices to solve everyday problems and goals.
Social science consists of six developmental strands with an emphasis on developing an understanding of self and the social world:
Social Inquiry Skills: This strand develops children's ability to ask questions about their social world (individuals, groups, institutions), use evidence, and communicate ideas about society.
Self and Social Systems: This strand develops children's understanding of personal and others' identities and how identities shape experiences, including culture, etc. Developing personal identity builds respect for others.
Civics: This strand helps children develop & demonstrate civic skills through interactions with others, participation in group norms, and collaborative problem-solving—essential skills as they engage in their first public civic space.
Time, Continuity and Change: This strand develops children's sense of time and their place within their family and community stories, both near and far, laying a foundation for understanding historical events, as well as past and present.
Sense of Place and Environment: This strand develops children's understanding of location and place, ability to understand location and place through drawings and models, and awareness of how people interact with and care for the environment.
Economic Systems: In this stand, children consider how people participate in economic systems, meet needs, and distinguish between wants and needs. They're also exposed to concepts such as exchange, opportunity cost, and supply and demand.
Physical development focuses on three strands:
Fundamental Movement Skills: This strand covers balance, locomotor or gross motor skills, such as climbing, and manipulative or fine motor skills, such as drawing with a crayon.
Perceptual–Motor Skills and Movement Concepts: This strand focuses on how the senses support movement through space, while children build body awareness, strength, and endurance for play and physical activity.
Active Physical Play: This strand covers participation in movement activities, the link between cardiovascular function and play, and the development of strength, endurance, and flexibility.
No. Children this age should engage in at least 100 minutes of physical activity per week. The possibilities are endless! Talk with your EF about what your child participates in to see if it can count.
Self: This strand develops children's self-awareness, emotional knowledge (understanding emotions and their connection to behavior), emotional regulation, and social awareness, including empathy and understanding others' feelings.
Interactions and Relationships with Adults: This strand describes children's attachment relationships with primary caregivers and other familiar adults. Secure attachment develops through sensitive, responsive care and repeated interactions that demonstrate reliability and responsiveness to children's needs.
Interactions and Relationships with Peers: This strand describes children's peer interactions, including problem-solving, negotiation, and friendships. It emphasizes equitable social interactions where children learn to value others, treat peers fairly and with respect, and respond with sensitivity to diverse needs.
No, but if you would like one, ask your EF for options.