Updating the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress

The update of the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress ensures they remain relevant, research-based, and inclusive for all Minnesota children. These updates help ensure that the ECIPs continue to support high-quality early learning experiences for all children. 

The key goals of the process include:

• Incorporating the latest research on child development to reflect current best practices
• Enhancing inclusivity by updating standards to better represent the diversity of Minnesota’s evolving communities, including cultural and linguistic backgrounds and varying developmental abilities
• Aligning with Minnesota State Kindergarten Standards to create a seamless transition from early childhood education to kindergarten

Many individuals participated in the revision process, including:

• Associate Director of Inclusion
• Child Care Educators
• Child Care Owners/Directors
• Community Impact Program Officer
• Director of Assessment Innovation
• Doula
• Early Childhood Coordinators/Community Child Care Coordinators
• Early Childhood Department Program Facilitator/Coach
• Early Childhood Family Education Teacher
• Early Childhood Special Education Teacher
• Early Identification and Intervention Coordinator
• Early Learning Scholarship Administrator
• Family Child Care Provider
• Family Educator
• Head Start Collaboration Director
• Head Start Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance and Family Service Coordinator
• Higher Education Instructors/Professors/Researchers
• Kindergarten Classroom Teacher
• Licensing Care Manager
• Occupational Therapist
• Parent Aware Coordinators and Quality Coach
• Pre-Kindergarten Primary Years Programme and Targeted Services Coordinator
• Program Administrator (Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children)
• Project Supervisor
• Speech Pathologist
• Training and Curriculum Specialists
• Workforce Development Instructor (YWCA)

The updated ECIPs reflect a more inclusive, research-aligned and user-friendly framework for observing and supporting early childhood development. These updates make the ECIPs more accessible and relevant for families, caregivers and educators supporting the growth and learning of all young children.  

Key changes include:  

• Clearer indicators: Examples of skills being observed are now more objective, focused on what children are doing and learning.  
• Cultural inclusivity: Indicators now better represent diverse cultural variations in language, communication and child development.  
• Supportive language: "With caregiver support" has been added where appropriate to recognize the role of adults in fostering development. 
• Streamlined indicators: Duplicative subcomponents have been removed to ensure each observed skill best aligns with its subcomponent. 
• Updated categories: Subcomponents have been reorganized to reflect current research and are described in plain language for easier understanding.  
• Kindergarten alignment: Indicators are aligned with Minnesota’s new Kindergarten Academic Standards to ensure a smooth transition to early elementary education.  

The ECIPs revision is based on the following guiding principles. 

The ECIPs: 

Recognize that ALL young children are:

• Competent and capable of positive developmental outcomes and are best supported with high expectations
• Best understood and supported within the context of their family, culture, and community
• Individuals who develop at different rates and will vary in their progress within learning domains
• In a period of rapid brain development and deserve nurturing environments with trusted adults who provide appropriate interaction and encouragement to take full advantage of this growth period
• Active learners who learn best in environments where they can construct their knowledge and practice their skills in a variety of ways, with caregivers and professionals who respect and respond to their individual needs. 

It’s important that early childhood professionals "recognize each child’s unique strengths and support the full inclusion of all children—given differences in culture, family structure, language, racial identity, gender, abilities and disabilities, religious beliefs, or economic class.”14 

Support equity and excellence for all children in the state of Minnesota. 

Quality early childhood education supports the optimal development of every child regardless of income, ability, race, culture, or disability. The ECIPs promote equity and excellence so that every child has access to professionals and caregivers whose expectations are rigorous and achievable for every child. These expectations are the foundation on which teachers and providers build the support for individual children while working toward evidence-based expectations for all. The ECIPs are written in a way so that professionals and caregivers can plan experiences that reflect families’ cultures, interests, experiences, and perspectives. This version of the ECIPs pays special attention to the influences of race, ethnicity, culture, and ability so that all of Minnesota’s children benefit from high-quality care and programming. 

Describe observable behaviors. 

The ECIPs are written in language that allows for consistent understanding and implementation by professionals and caregivers. Because the indicators are formatted across a continuum of age groups, the standards make it possible for children to demonstrate an outcome through a variety of culturally appropriate ways and with a variety of materials. This helps early childhood professionals use authentic assessment practices based on ongoing observation and documentation. In addition, the language of the ECIPs allows for flexibility as early childhood professionals work closely with a child’s caregivers to learn more about how the child is developing in their family, neighborhood, religion, or ethnic group. 

Demonstrate an integrated continuum of learning from birth to kindergarten.  

Development is variable and children may demonstrate behaviors identified for younger children or demonstrate skills or knowledge beyond their present age. The ECIPs continuum across different age ranges allows users to identify where each child is functioning, easily see what the next expectation is, and see the indicator(s) in a previous age range, which can guide professionals and caregivers to plan for missed or needed experiences and adapt curricula and learning accordingly. 

While young children’s development follows a predictable, evidence-based sequence, development varies from child to child. Each child’s pattern and pace of development varies. Every child has strengths in certain domains and needs for greater support in others. Sometimes children have an identified delay or disability that requires adaptations and accommodations. The continuum provided is intended to be a developmental progression of skills rather than a list of strict or “fixed” milestones that every child must demonstrate. The continuum in the ECIPs is intended to help professionals and caregivers address individual differences among children in their care.  

Learning is strongest when integrated across domains or broad areas of growth and development. Development in one domain influences development in other domains. For example, children with a strong self-concept and expanding oral language skills may engage in more successful social interactions with peers and adults. The ECIPs address this interrelatedness in the inclusion of some similar indicators across different domains. As professionals and caregivers observe children’s performance using the ECIPs, they should recognize children’s strengths, build upon them, and maximize connections across domains. 

Establishing the revision process: November 2024 to March 2025

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) partners with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Early Education and Development (UMN CEED) to facilitate the revision process. UMN CEED developed a structured approach to gathering and incorporating feedback from various sources, including:  

• Surveys of current ECIP users  
• Input from University of Minnesota faculty  
• Contributions from dedicated workgroups  
• A literature review of the latest research  

Revising the ECIPs: March 2025–July 2025

• Incorporation of collected feedback into updated ECIP content  
• Formatting adjustments to enhance accessibility  
• Translation into Hmong, Somali and Spanish  

Finalization and public release: July 2025–ongoing

• Posting finalized documents on the Minnesota Department of Education and Department of Children, Youth, and Families websites for public access
• English and Spanish versions posted in July, with additional translations and supporting documents published as they are completed

Adoption of updated ECIPs: School year 2028–29

• Agencies and organizations review and align their documents and processes with the revised ECIPs  
• Full implementation of the updated ECIPs Fall 2028