Washington Early Learning Benchmarks
Did you know…
- Nationally, teachers report that more than 40% of new kindergartners are not fully prepared or “ready” for school?
- In Washington State, kindergarten teachers report that only 44% of children are adequately prepared for school. This means that over half of entering kindergartners are not ready.*
The achievement gap begins before kindergarten. There is a preparation or “readiness” gap among our preschool-age population.
Why is this so critical?
Children who start behind too often stay behind.
Washington State has developed benchmarks that help guide children’s development and learning. The benchmarks are a set of standards that reflect expectations for children’s knowledge and behavior. Look, Listen and Learn incorporates the following Washington State Benchmarks in our program segments:
- Physical well being
- Health and motor skills
- Social and emotional development
- Approaches toward learning
- Language, communication and literacy
The Community connection
Not all parents-caregivers have the resources or understand how to successfully prepare their children for school. Look, Listen and Learn will offer safe, age appropriate activities that parents and caregivers can engage in with their children to foster school readiness.
Look, Listen and Learn also connects parents and children to resources in their own local communities that foster early learning.
The program will model ways parents can interact and play with children and will provide age-appropriate lessons. In addition, the show will model positive social and emotional skills for children who may not be getting that type of attention in their day-to-day lives.
Washington State Benchmarks
| WA State Benchmark Domains | LLL Segments | Skills Taught |
| I. Physical well being, health and motor development | Cooking, health, safety, arts & crafts | Developing imagination and creativity, eye-hand coordination, colors, shapes, relationship with space and size, math skills, noticing details, following directions and self-expression |
| II. Social & emotional development | Story time, laugh lines, field trips | Vocabulary, language development, writing, social skills, and cooperation |
| III. Approaches toward learning | Field trips, story time, creative time | Social skills, relationships with space and size, self expression |
| IV. Language, communication and literacy | Story time, word of the day, cooking, laugh lines | Language, decision making, cooperation vocabulary, thinking skills, listening skills |
*Source: David Pavelchek, “Teacher Perceptions of Preparedness for Kindergarten”, Social & Economic Sciences Research Center-Puget Sound Division, Washington State University, April 2005.
