Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework

United States · US Administration for Children & Families, Office of Head Start · 2015

The US federal early-learning framework: 118 goals with age-banded developmental progressions from birth to five.

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ELOF · 295 sub-milestone windows · sorted by entry month, earliest at bottom

ELOF goals (118)

Grouped by domain · each goal expands to its age-banded progression

Approaches to Learning (Infant/Toddler) (9)

Cognition (Infant/Toddler) (13)

Language and Communication (Infant/Toddler) (13)

Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development (Infant/Toddler) (11)

Social and Emotional Development (Infant/Toddler) (13)

Approaches to Learning (Preschool) (13)

Language and Communication (Preschool) (7)

Literacy (Preschool) (6)

Mathematics Development (Preschool) (10)

Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development (Preschool) (6)

Scientific Reasoning (Preschool) (6)

Social and Emotional Development (Preschool) (11)

What is the ELOF?

The Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework is the US federal government’s description of what young children should know and be able to do from birth to age five. Published in 2015 by the Office of Head Start, it guides the curriculum and teaching of the Head Start programme, which serves nearly a million children across the United States each year.

How it is structured

The framework covers five broad areas — Approaches to Learning, Social and Emotional Development, Language and Literacy, Cognition, and Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development. Inside these sit 118 learning goals: 59 for infants and toddlers and 59 for preschoolers. What makes the ELOF distinctive is that every goal comes with a developmental progression — a short description of how the skill typically looks from birth to 9 months, 8 to 18 months, and 16 to 36 months (or 36–48 and 48–60 months for preschoolers) — plus indicator checklists of what to expect by 36 and by 60 months. The age bands deliberately overlap, because real development does too.

How Learning Curve represents it

The ELOF is US Government public domain. Each row on this page is one step of one goal’s developmental progression, shown against the exact age band the framework publishes — nothing is sharpened or invented beyond what the source states. Learning Curve uses the ELOF as one independent reference point alongside other national frameworks and research datasets. It is a description of typical learning, not a test, and nothing here is medical advice.

Methodology & sources

Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five (2015, PDF) — US HHS / ACF Office of Head Start, 2015
Interactive ELOF (headstart.gov) — US HHS / ACF Office of Head Start, 2015

Citation

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start. Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five. 2015. US Government public domain.

The shape of Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework

Alternate visualizations

ELOF goals (118)

Approaches to Learning (Infant/Toddler) (9)

Child manages feelings and emotions with support of familiar adults.

Child manages actions and behavior with support of familiar adults.

Child maintains focus and sustains attention with support.

Child develops the ability to show persistence in actions and behavior.

Child demonstrates the ability to be flexible in actions and behavior.

Child demonstrates emerging initiative in interactions, experiences, and explorations.

Child shows interest in and curiosity about objects, materials, or events.

Child uses creativity to increase understanding and learning.

Child shows imagination in play and interactions with others.

Cognition (Infant/Toddler) (13)

Child actively explores people and objects to understand self, others, and objects.

Child uses matching and sorting of objects or people to understand similar and different characteristics.

Child observes and imitates sounds, words, gestures, actions, and behaviors.

Child uses objects or symbols to represent something else.

Child uses pretend play to increase understanding of culture, environment, and experiences.

Child uses understanding of causal relationships to act on social and physical environments.

Child recognizes differences between familiar and unfamiliar people, objects, actions, or events.

Child recognizes the stability of people and objects in the environment.

Child uses memories as a foundation for more complex actions and thoughts.

Child learns to use a variety of strategies in solving problems.

Child uses reasoning and planning ahead to solve problems.

Child develops sense of number and quantity.

Child uses spatial awareness to understand objects and their movement in space.

Language and Communication (Infant/Toddler) (13)

Child attends to, understands, and responds to communication and language from others.

Child handles books and relates them to their stories or information.

Child recognizes pictures and some symbols, signs, or words.

Child comprehends meaning from pictures and stories.

Child makes marks and uses them to represent objects or actions.

Child learns from communication and language experiences with others.

Child communicates needs and wants non-verbally and by using language.

Child uses non-verbal communication and language to engage others in interaction.

Child uses increasingly complex language in conversation with others.

Child initiates non-verbal communication and language to learn and gain information.

Child understands an increasing number of words used in communication with others.

Child uses an increasing number of words in communication and conversation with others.

Child attends to, repeats, and uses some rhymes, phrases, or refrains from stories or songs.

Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development (Infant/Toddler) (11)

Child uses perceptual information to understand objects, experiences, and interactions.

Child uses safe behaviors with support from adults.

Child demonstrates increasing interest in engaging in healthy eating habits and making nutritious food choices.

Child uses perceptual information in directing own actions, experiences, and interactions.

Child demonstrates effective and efficient use of large muscles for movement and position.

Child demonstrates effective and efficient use of large muscles to explore the environment.

Child uses sensory information and body awareness to understand how their body relates to the environment.

Child coordinates hand and eye movements to perform actions.

Child uses hands for exploration, play, and daily routines.

Child adjusts reach and grasp to use tools.

Child demonstrates healthy behaviors with increasing independence as part of everyday routines.

Social and Emotional Development (Infant/Toddler) (13)

Child develops expectations of consistent, positive interactions through secure relationships with familiar adults.

Child shows awareness about self and how to connect with others.

Child understands some characteristics of self and others.

Child shows confidence in own abilities through relationships with others.

Child develops a sense of belonging through relationships with others.

Child uses expectations learned through repeated experiences in primary relationships to develop relationships with other adults.

Child learns to use adults as a resource to meet needs.

Child shows interest in, interacts with, and develops personal relationships with other children.

Child imitates and engages in play with other children.

Child learns to express a range of emotions.

Child recognizes and interprets emotions of others with the support of familiar adults.

Child expresses care and concern towards others.

Child manages emotions with the support of familiar adults.

Approaches to Learning (Preschool) (13)

Child manages emotions with increasing independence.*

Child demonstrates initiative and independence.

Child shows interest in and curiosity about the world around them.

Child expresses creativity in thinking and communication.

Child uses imagination in play and interactions with others.

Child follows classroom rules and routines with increasing independence.

Child appropriately handles and takes care of classroom materials.

Child manages actions, words, and behavior with increasing independence.

Child demonstrates an increasing ability to control impulses.

Child maintains focus and sustains attention with minimal adult support.

Child persists in tasks.

Child holds information in mind and manipulates it to perform tasks.