California Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume 1
(California Department of Education, 2009)

The preschool learning foundations describe research-based competencies, or knowledge and skills, that can be expected for most children to exhibit at around 48 and 60 months of age when participating in a quality preschool program. The foundations apply to all preschool children, including children whose home language is not English and children with disabilities.

The California Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume 1 includes four developmental domains considered to be at the core of early learning, including: Social-Emotional Development; Language and Literacy; English-Language Development; and Mathematics. The upcoming release of the California Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume 2 will include Visual and Performing Arts, Physical Development, and Health foundations, followed by History/Social Science and Science in Volume 3.

Key sections of the foundations have been translated to support parents' understanding of the preschool learning foundations. The translations include traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, Hmong, Korean, Pilipino (Tagalog), Spanish, and Vietnamese and are available on the Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume 1 CDE Web page.

Download a copy of the California Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume 1 (PLF, V1) here. To order a hard copy of the publication, download the PLF, V1 order form.

Further information about and clarifications related to the Preschool Learning Foundations can be found in Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the CDE website.

To download the Faculty Initiative Project's Instructional Guide for the California Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume 1, and companion PowerPoint presentations to be used in the college classroom, go to the Instructional Guides page.