ECE Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Resources to help Arizona families choose the right early childhood education program.
Arizona Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R)
- Arizona Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) provides referrals to child care centers, faith-based centers, part-time care programs, family child care homes, and registered homes that are regulated by the Arizona Department of Health Services, Arizona Department of Economic Security and other regulated, but legally operating, early childhood programs may be included.
Explore AZ Schools
- Explore AZ Schools is an interactive tool developed by Read On Arizona to help families learn more about the education options in their community. The tool allows individuals to search for public and charter schools offering Pre-K programs utilizing several filters and search criteria important to individuals and families.
The tuition rates for early childhood education programs are determined by individual centers/locations. Some families may qualify for financial assistance to help offset tuition costs.
DES (Department of Economic Security) Subsidy
- The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) Child Care Administration assists eligible families with child care costs, enabling parents to participate in employment and specific education and training activities related to employment or in certain other circumstances when parents are unable to provide care. Funding is limited.
- For more information, visit the DES Child Care Administration’s website at www.azdes.gov/childcare.
Head Start & Early Head Start
- Children who are 3 to 5 years old are eligible for Head Start services. Pregnant women and children from birth to 3 years of age are eligible for Early Head Start services. Children and families who are homeless, in foster care, or receive TANF or SSI are also eligible for services. Head Start program staff determine eligibility. Some families may qualify for services if they are determined to be at or below the federal poverty level. Some grantees enroll a percentage of children from families with incomes above the poverty guidelines as well. Families are encouraged to apply.
- Contact the Head Start or Early Head Start program serving your community. Your local program will provide the required forms, answer your questions, and explain the paperwork you should provide to apply. Use the
Military Families
- If you are a member of the United States military, you may be eligible for Department of Defense child care fee assistance. Members of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corp may receive help paying for child care providers in the community where they live if they are unable to access care on their installation.
- Please visit the Military Child Care Fee Assistance Programs website for additional information.
Quality First Scholarships
- Quality First Scholarships help low-income families afford quality early care and education for their young children. Funded by First Things First, a limited number of these scholarships are available for children birth through age 5 through child care and preschool programs that are enrolled in Quality First.
- Programs distribute available scholarships to eligible families on a first-come, first-serve basis. Scholarships are tied to family income levels and are available for parents who may be working, looking for work or improving their work skills through training or education. Other eligibility requirements apply.
There are key components in a high quality early childhood education (ECE) program.
Key Components of a High Quality ECE Program
- High quality early education programs utilize a comprehensive approach of meeting the needs of both the children and their families. Key components of a comprehensive program include:
- High quality environments
- Developmentally appropriate, standards-based instructional strategies
- Ongoing assessment
- Support for health and nutritional issues and related services
- Providing opportunities for and promoting active family involvement in their child's early education program
Standards and Guidelines
- High quality early childhood education programs use curriculum based on Arizona's standards and guidelines.
NAEYC Resources
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Tracking a child's development is important to ensure healthy growth and to act early if there are concerns. Here are some local and national resources to help track early childhood development.
Arizona Resources
- Bright by Text
- Free Parenting Tips for AZ Families sent directly to your phone.
- Equips families with essential information to promote their child's healthy development through the most pivotal early stages of life (o-8 years old).
- Available in English and Spanish.
National Resources
- CDC Learn the Signs. Act Early.
- Zero to Three Early Development & Well-Being Resources
- NAEYC Child Development Resources
Arizona Early Intervention Program (AzEIP)
If your child is under the age of 3, you can contact the Arizona Early Intervention Program (AzEIP), which is Arizona's statewide interagency system of services and supports for families of infants and toddlers, birth to 3 years of age, with disabilities or delays. AzEIP is established by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides eligible children and their families access to services to enhance the capacity of families and caregivers to support the child's development.
- Information for Families about AzEIP
- Find your local Early Intervention Program or call 602-532-9960
- For referral inquires in regions that have more than one agency, please contact the AzEIP Central Referral Line: 888-592-0140
- Email: [email protected]
Early Childhood Special Education
If your child is already 3 years old (or close to turning 3), you can contact your local school district or charter to schedule an evaluation. The evaluation is conducted to determine eligibility for special education preschool services. Each district provides a special education preschool program for children and families who qualify. They conduct these evaluations throughout the year as part of the Child Find requirements throughout the state.
We have an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) team here at the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) who can assist with answering questions and provide helpful information.
- ADE Early Childhood Special Education Email: [email protected].
- ECSE Website: Early Childhood Special Education - ADE
Raising Special Kids
Another great resource that may be helpful to you is Raising Special Kids. They provide many resources to parents and families in Arizona. All of their employees are parents of children with special needs themselves, so they are very knowledgeable and understanding of the entire process.
- Raising Special Kids: 602-242-4366 or 800-237-3007
- Email: [email protected]
To be eligible to enroll in Kindergarten, a child must be 5 years old before September 1st of the school year for which the child will be attending.
Arizona Legislation
Arizona Education Code 15-821 (C):
A child is eligible for admission to kindergarten if the child is five years of age. A child is deemed five years of age if the child reaches the age of five before September 1 of the current school year. A child is eligible for admission to first grade if the child is six years of age. A child is deemed six years of age if the child reaches the age of six before September 1 of the current school year. The governing board may admit children who have not reached the required age as prescribed by this subsection if it is determined to be in the best interest of the children. For children entering the first grade, such determination shall be based upon one or more consultations with the parent, parents, guardian or guardians, the children, the teacher and the school principal. Such children must reach the required age of five for kindergarten and six for first grade by January 1 of the current school year.
Many districts/charters adhere strictly to the Arizona legislation regarding Kindergarten eligibility and do not offer exceptions to the September 1st age requirement. However, some Arizona districts/charters choose to offer early Kindergarten entry for children whose birthday falls between September 1st - December 31st.
Please contact your local school district or charter for specific information about their admission policy and enrollment process.
No, the state of Arizona does not offer a standardized placement exam for early Kindergarten entry. If a school district or charter chooses to offer early kindergarten entry for children who turn 5 years old between September 1st - December 31st, the district or charter will establish their own policies and procedures to determine early Kindergarten enrollment eligibility.
No, a child is not eligible for Kindergarten entry if their 5th birthday falls after December 31st during the school year for which the child would be attending. Therefore, early Kindergarten entry options do not apply to children turning 5 on January 1 or later.
Yes, a child is eligible to enroll in Kindergarten if he/she will be 6 years old by September 1st.
Yes, Arizona Senate Bill SB1572 adopted a statewide Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA) as part of the state's early literacy initiatives. KEA is completed within the first quarter of school as teachers use observational and authentic evidence of learning - gathered during instruction - to identify where children are on construct progressions, or a sequenced set of understandings and skills.
The KEA provides a snapshot of a child’s development and is used to assess the five essential domains of school readiness:
- Language and Literacy Development
- Cognitive Development
- Approaches to Learning
- Physical Well-being and Motor Development
- Social and Emotional Development.
The KEA is administered at the classroom level; aligned to Arizona’s standards; and is reliable, valid and appropriate for use with all children. The goal is to provide teachers a better understanding of each child’s progress toward meeting the standards and using the information gathered to impact children’s success.
Licensing is a requirement for most early childhood programs and is conducted by the Arizona Department of Health Services
- Child Care Facilities Licensing
- Child Care Provider Applications
- Starting a Child Care Center
- New Facility Readiness Checklist Guide
| Age Group | High Quality Program Guidelines | Licensing Requirements |
| Infants | 1:4 No more than 8 per group | 1:5 or 2:11 |
| 1-year-old children | 1:5 No more than 10 per group | 1:6 or 2:13 |
| 2-year-old children | 1:6 No more than 12 per group | 1:8 |
| 3-year-old children | 1:9 No more than 18 per group | 1:13 |
| 4-year-old children | 1:10 No more than 18 per group | 1:13 |
5-year-old children (not school-age) | 1:10 No more than 20 per group | 1:20 |
| School-age children | No more than 20 per group | 1:20 |
| Source: | Program Guidelines for High Quality Early Education: Birth through Kindergarten Program Guidelines 1.3.a (pg. 10) | Arizona Administrative Code & Arizona Revised Statutes for Child Care Facilities R9-5-404 (pg. 29) |
Arizona ECE Funding Manual:
- Supporting & Sustaining Early Learning: Funding Options for Early Childhood Education in Arizona
- Provides an overview of Federal, State & Local funding sources for early childhood education programs in Arizona.
- Allowable/disallowable costs are highlighted for each funding source
The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) oversees certification of familiy child care providers to care for up to four children in their home.
The Arizona Department of Education does not endorse or recommend a specific curriculum or program philosophy as those decisions are solely determined by districts and/or program administrators. It is recommended that programs focus on choosing a research-based curriculum for early education programs and implementing approved standards.
- Arizona ECE Standards:
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) meal reimbursement program helping Child Care Centers and Family Day Care Homes (FDCHs) provide well balanced, healthy and nutritious meals and snacks served to eligible enrolled children.
A variety of public or private nonprofit child care centers and Head Start programs which are licensed or approved to provide child care services participate in CACFP. For-profie centers that serve lower income children may also be eligible to participate.
- Getting Started with CACFP
- CACFP for Child Care Centers
- CACFP for Family Day Care Homes
- Program Forms and Resources for CACFP
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) Early Childhood Education (ECE) team offers a comprehensive list of professional learning opportunities. To best meet the needs of the field, the professional learning courses range from 30 minutes to 4 hours and are available in both synchronous (live) and asynchronous (on-demand) sessions.
ADE ECE Comprehensive Professional Learning Opportunities
You will need to log into your ADEConnect account or create a new account. Please use the same email address to sign up for ALL registered events. This will help you keep track of all training certificates in one place.
To register for an ADE-ECE course, visit the ECE Professional Learning webpage. Click on the course name/title to go to the registration link for the ADE Professional Learning and Development (APLD) system. Select the green "Register" button.
Select Proceed to Checkout in the top right corner and complete the checkout process.
A full guide on APLD can be found here: APLD Learner Guide
The ADE Professional Learning and Development (APLD) is the platform utilized for all Arizona Department of Education (ADE) professional learning opportunities. These opportunities include in-person trainings, virtual trainings, webinars, online courses, and conferences. Anyone wishing to participate in ADE professional learning opportunities must register for an ADEConnect account that will be associated with their registered events in APLD.
Log into your APLD account via ADE Connect. Once you are logged in, select Dashboard from the menu on the left of the screen to view your Active Courses section.
Select the Course Title in your list of Active Courses on your Dashboard. This will take you directly to the meeting in Zoom or Teams.
Live training (synchronous) sessions are presented by ADE Early Childhood Education (ECE) staff and are scheduled for specific dates/times. Participation in the entire live training session is required for full credit.
Currently, all live training sessions are offered in a virtual platform. Participants are strongly encouraged to join training sessions via computer/laptop and to download Microsoft Teams or Zoom depending on the training delivery method. This allows participants to have access to the chat, video presentations, and training activities. Joining training sessions via cell phone is NOT recommended as it significantly limits access and participation.
The Live Training schedule (including training topics, dates, and times) is carefully planned based on annual survey data from the field and ECE staff capacity. Trainings are scheduled months in advance to allow sufficient time for registration and planning.
Participants are required to attend an entire live training session and are expected to participate during the session to get full credit. At the end of a live training session, participants are asked to complete a short survey. This survey functions as attendance validation and provides valuable feedback regarding the trainings. The training facilitator will use the survey attendance to mark participants completed in APLD. Please allow approximately three business days to be marked completed. After being marked completed for the course, you will receive a confirmation email from ADE.
Log into your APLD account via ADE Connect. Look for the course in the Completed Courses section on the right side of the page. Select the course name and a pop up will appear to download your certificate.
It is highly recommended that you download and save ALL certificates for your personal records.
Do not worry if a live training session you attended is showing as not completed. Please allow approximately 3 business days after attending a live training session for the facilitators to mark your course "Completed." If your session is still not showing as Completed after 3 days please contact the ECE Inbox or your training facilitator(s). You can find contact information on the ECE Team webpage.
Online courses are available on-demand (asynchronously) and can be completed at any time. Registration is completed in the same manner as live sessions.
Log into your APLD account via ADE Connect. Select the Online Course in your list of Active Courses on your Dashboard. This will take you directly to BlackBoard Ultra and all content for the Online Course
After launching the online course URL, if you receive an error message or do not have access to Blackboard, please email the Course Contact (found in the registration email) and include the following information:
- Online Course Title (Ex: Intro to ITDG, AZELS Social Emotional 2-hr, etc.)
- Request to "Synchronize Participants" to Blackboard
Occasionally when automatic updates occur, the APLD and Blackboard systems need to be manually "synchronized" for certain courses. Please provide accurate information in the email and allow for a short processing time for this synchronization to occur.
After watching the Online Course presentation video and studying course materials, you will need to complete a short course assessment with a passing score of 80% or above. You will have three attempts to successfully pass the assessment. Please open and utilize the course materials (i.e. AZELS, ITDG, Program Guidelines) during the assessment. After successfully passing the assessment, a completion confirmation email will be sent from ADE within approximately 24 hours.
Log into your APLD account via ADE Connect. Look for the course in the Completed Courses section on the right side of the page. Select the course name and a pop up will appear to download your certificate.
It is highly recommended that you download and save ALL certificates for your personal records.
This process is currently under development. This section will be updated when the systems are linked to automatically provide credit from APLD to the Registry.
While the Registry is an ideal place to help users manage their career profile with the goal of keeping a record of trainings and credentials all in one place, it is highly recommended that you download and save all certificates in your own personal files to access later if necessary.
If you have multiple ADEConnect accounts (more than one email address), please call our ADE Help Desk at 602-542-2222 to transfer and/or merge your ADE Connect account(s).
Information from ADE Educator Certification:
- Requirements for Early Childhood Education Certificate, Birth-Grade 3 or Age 8
- Requirements for Early Childhood Special Education, Birth-Grade 3 or Age 8
- ADE Certificates & Requirements
ADE Career & Technical Education (CTE)
