Early Childhood Services In North Dakota
The Early Childhood Service program of the North Dakota Department of Human Services establishes standards and provides training to providers of early care and education for children. This site contains information for both parents and child care providers.
Disaster Preparedness Information
- Child Care Disaster Plan – March 2013 (159kb pdf)
- Flooding: Coping, Sheltering, and Recovery Information
Information on Early Learning Guidelines
- Early Learning Guidelines for Ages Birth to Three (April 2010) (408kb pdf)
- These voluntary guidelines are intended for parents, child care providers, Early Head Start teachers, health professionals, and others who work with infants or toddlers. The Guidelines will be useful in understanding typical infant-toddler development and learning in three age categories:
- Young infants birth to 8 months
- Older Infants to 18 months
- Toddlers 18 to 36 months
- Development varies for each child
- These voluntary guidelines are intended for parents, child care providers, Early Head Start teachers, health professionals, and others who work with infants or toddlers. The Guidelines will be useful in understanding typical infant-toddler development and learning in three age categories:
- Early Learning Guidelines for Ages 3-5 Years (April 2010) (701kb pdf)
- These voluntary guidelines are intended as a resource for parents, child care providers, pre-kindergarten and Head Start teachers, and others. They outline the skills, knowledge, and dispositions young children need prior to entering first grade.
- Development differs for every child.
- Each indicator/guideline needs to be understood as a developmental continuum.
- It is expected that adults will create natural/play situations in which three-year-olds who are ready can demonstrate emergence of the skill, knowledge, or disposition of indicators, and six-year-olds that are ready can demonstrate competence in the skill, knowledge, or disposition of indicators.
- Slides: An Overview of North Dakota Early Learning Guidelines for Ages Three through Five (83kb pdf)
Information For Parents
- Answers To Questions That Parents Ask
- 10 Things Every Child Needs: Video segments about how parents can promote healthy child development
- Early Childhood Services Fact Sheet (May 2010) (66kb pdf)
Information For Prospective And Current Child Care Providers
- NEW Child Care Orientation Video
- Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
- Contact County Social Services: handle applications and licensing
- Core Competencies for Early Education and Care Practitioners (3.11MB pdf) Defines what adults who work with children need to know, understand, and be able to do to support children in reaching desired outcomes.
- Licensing Information and Regulations
- Links
- Quality Initiatives
- Staff Directory
- Starting, Remodeling, and/or Building a Child Care Center
- Training
Related Services
- Child Care Assistance Program: Financial help for qualifying low-income families with child care needs
- Child Care Resource and Referral: Resource for parents seeking child care and for providers seeking professional development resources
Children and Family Services Division
North Dakota Department of Human Services
Early Childhood Services Administrator
600 East Boulevard Avenue Department 325
Bismarck ND 58505-0250
Phone: (701) 328-2316
Toll Free: (800) 245-3736
Fax: (701) 328-3538
dhscfs@nd.gov
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