The Department of Early Learning (DEL), in partnership with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and Thrive Washington, has published the Early Learning and Development Guidelines (guidelines) for children from birth through third grade. The guidelines replace the Early Learning and Development Benchmarks, which were first created in 2005 to outline what children know and are able to do at different stages of their development. The state Department of Early Learning, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and Thrive Washington led the recent revision of the guidelines in close partnership with a 51-member workgroup that included statewide representatives from Head Start, the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), parents, Tribes, child care providers, special needs experts, K-12 staff and the state's ethnic commissions. These Guidelines are a statewide resource for everyone who loves, cares for and educates young children. The Guidelines provide essential information to support and enhance children's development and learning. Several key resources were considered in creating these Guidelines: 1) Washington's 2005 Early Learning and Development Benchmarks; 2) Early learning standards from other states; 3) Head Start and Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) program standards; 4) The state's academic learning standards (Grade Level Expectations, or GLEs) for grades K-3 in all subjects, including the newly adopted Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and for Mathematics. (The state's academic learning standards focus solely on what students should know and be able to do throughout grades K-12. They do not include social/emotional development, an important component of healthy development. These Guidelines include information about social/emotional development for parents, teachers, and other adults that support children in grades K-3.)