ABSTRACT
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) begin with kindergarten. But the kindergarten the CCSS for English Language Arts (CCSS-ELA) and the CCSS Mathematics (CCSS-M) present the knowledge and skills expected of kindergartners at the end of their kindergarten year. This leaves teachers of children in prekindergarten and transitional/junior kindergarten to make curricular decisions without "official" guidance regarding the knowledge and skills to be taught. The most effective way to teach young children is through the use of developmentally appropriate practices. The CCSS-M standards include a second type of standards, the Standards for Mathematical Practice that are readily applicable to the mathematics teaching and learning that occur in prekindergarten settings. Virtually all of the U.S. states have adopted early learning standards. These standards typically lay out young children's developmental trajectories in all domains and establish target knowledge, skills, approaches to learning, and experiences that prepare students to enter kindergarten ready to succeed.
