EdReports Pre-K Reviews: Frequently Asked Questions

This resource provides answers to common questions about EdReports' new pre-kindergarten (pre-K) curriculum reviews. It will be updated to reflect the latest information over the course of 2025 and into 2026 as we conduct inaugural reviews and prepare to release the first pre-K reports.

Related resources:

• Explore our pre-K review criteria and learn more about why we’re launching pre-K curriculum reviews.
• For general questions about EdReports, see our main FAQs page.

Last updated: June 2025

Q: When do pre-K reviews start? When will the first reports and the review tools be published?

A: Our pre-K review criteria are available here. Reviews begin in summer 2025, with the first reports expected in early 2026. The pre-K evidence guide will be published at the same time as the first reports.

Q: Which materials are you reviewing? Can I suggest a curriculum for review?

A: Products to be reviewed as part of EdReports’ inaugural process include:

• The Creative Curriculum (Teaching Strategies)
• Frog Street (Frog Street Press)
• Every Child Ready (AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation)

You can also suggest materials for review via this form.

Q: Why is EdReports launching pre-K reviews?

A: EdReports is launching pre-K reviews to fill a critical gap in independent, trusted information about early childhood instructional materials. With preschool enrollment and spending on the rise—over $250 million annually—states and educators need guidance to choose high-quality curricula that support all learners.

Building on a decade of K-12 reviews, EdReports aims to bring transparency and expert insight to the pre-K marketplace, helping ensure every child starts school with a strong foundation for learning.

Q: What domains do EdReports pre-K reviews address? How do you review pre-K materials that only cover one or a few domains?

A: EdReports pre-K review tools are designed to evaluate instructional materials across the following domains: mathematics, language and literacy, science and engineering, social studies, social and emotional development, fine arts, and physical and motor development.

Some pre-K materials may cover all of these domains, while others may focus on just one or a few. Our educator reviewers evaluate materials based on the domains the publisher identifies—or “claims”—that the materials are intended to address, using the relevant elements of the review tools.

Q: What research and standards underpin EdReports pre-K review tools? 

A: Our review tools are grounded in foundational research from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) report, A New Vision for High-Quality Preschool Curriculum, the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF), and other well-established studies in early childhood education. 

Currently, there’s no single set of national early learning standards. However, individual states have developed early learning standards that encompass multiple areas of child growth and development. In drafting their standards, states often align to the Head Start ELOF. Generally, there is a high degree of similarity in the core developmental domains in states’ early learning standards.

Q: How are the pre-K review tools being developed?

A: EdReports pre-K review tools are being developed through a collaborative, educator-centered process. A multidisciplinary team—including early childhood educators, researchers, and system leaders—has shaped the tools with insights from a national Listening and Learning Tour, advisory panels, and an educator working group. The tools undergo multiple rounds of testing and refinement to ensure they reflect the diverse needs of early learning communities and support informed decision-making about high-quality instructional materials.

Q: What does EdReports mean by "pre-kindergarten"? 

A: EdReports uses the term pre-kindergarten to describe the year of student learning before kindergarten, spanning ages 4-5. While many publishers of early childhood instructional materials provide products across the 0-5 age range, EdReports will focus on materials designed for ages 4-5 in our inaugural reviews.

Q: What are "review tools"?

A: Each set of EdReports review tools comprises two documents:

• A review criteria document identifying the “indicators,” or specific items, against which our educator reviewers evaluate the quality of instructional materials. 
• An evidence guide elaborating details for each indicator including its purpose, information on how to collect evidence, guiding questions and discussion prompts for reviewers, and scoring criteria.

EdReports pre-K review criteria are available here. We expect to publish the pre-K evidence guide in early 2026, at the same time as the first pre-K reports.