Preparing for the 2026-2027 Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot

Schools should review the 2026-2027 Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot for key dates, action items and resources for schools to successfully prepare for the Snapshot. 

Why Kindergarten Readiness?

The first five years of a child’s life are an incredible opportunity to set a positive direction. Strong relationships between families and teachers lay the foundation for a successful school year. In Kansas, all elementary schools must partner with families to complete the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot. Collecting information about each child’s development prepares schools, families and children for kindergarten.

What is the Kansas Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot? 

The Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ-3) and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2) provide a snapshot of children’s developmental milestones. As caregivers know their children best, they complete both versions of the questionnaires.

The ASQ-3 addresses five developmental areas: communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving and personal-social. The ASQ: SE-2 addresses seven social-emotional areas: self-regulation, compliance, communication, adaptive behaviors, autonomy, affect and interaction with people.

How Can ASQ Data Be Used? 
 

All children are ready to enter kindergarten when they meet the age requirement – 5 years old on or before Aug. 31 of their kindergarten year. Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot data helps teachers build relationships with families and ensure their kindergarten classrooms are ready to support the social, emotional and academic success of each student. Data can be used to help schools:

• Design environment and instruction to meet the needs of incoming kindergartners.
• Support aligned teaching practice and program planning.
• Support personalized instruction.
• Promote positive teacher-parent relationships.

At the state level, this data provides a snapshot of Kansas kindergartners’ development and helps inform opportunities to improve kindergarten readiness statewide.  If families and schools determine that screening is inappropriate for a particular child, if families choose to opt out, or if a child is older than the ASQ age cutoff (77 months and 30 days old), then schools will document that information in the ASQ Online system.

Schools may use the ASQ Online system to screen any child they serve, birth through kindergarten entry, at any point during the school year.

When is the 2026 Snapshot? 

Schools may begin the 2026-2027 Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot March 1, 2026. Consider the following expectations:

• ASQ data will not prevent 5-year-old children from entering kindergarten.
• The district will follow up with families within 2 weeks of receiving completed screenings. If a district would like to begin screening in the springtime, ensure that staff are available to review completed screenings and follow up with families in a timely manner. Timely follow-up ensures information shared by families is relevant and demonstrates to families that their time is valuable.
• The district will contact families who complete the ASQ but do not enroll so that screenings can be transferred. KSDE staff can assist in transferring screenings between school buildings.
• A child’s kindergarten teacher will receive ASQ data prior to the first day of school.

All schools must administer both the ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 to incoming kindergarten students by Sept. 21, 2026. All data (including paper screenings and pending Family Access screenings) must be entered into ASQ Online by Sept. 25, 2026. See the tip sheet “Finalizing Screening Data” for instructions.

Who do you contact for questions?

For simple questions related to the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot (for example, looking up a username or resetting a password to ASQ Online), contact Brookes Publishing Technical Support, or call 1-866-404-9853.

For more specific questions (for example, setting up ASQ Online Family Access links), contact the Brookes Implementation Team: implementation@brookespublishing.com.

Contact KSDE Director of Early Childhood Amanda Petersen (amanda.petersen@ksde.gov), KSDE State Interagency Coordinating Council Coordinator Stacy Clarke (stacy.clarke@ksde.gov), and KSDE Preschool Programs Coordinator Natalie McClane (Natalie.McClane@ksde.gov) with ASQ questions.