By Amanda Petersen, director, KSDE Early Childhood 

The first five years of a child’s life are an incredible opportunity to set a positive direction. Engaging with families to better understand children’s development prepares children, families and schools for a successful start to the kindergarten year.  

To advance kindergarten readiness, all Kansas elementary schools are partnering with families of incoming kindergarten students to collect kindergarten-entry data. Families complete the Ages & Stages Questionnaires^® (ASQ) to provide a snapshot of children’s developmental milestones. 

The Kansas State Department of Education has updated the Kansas Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot fact sheet with key dates, action items and resources for schools. Visit agesandstages.com/ks to access the fact sheet.  

Schools may begin the 2025-26 Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot on March 1. Consider the following expectations: 

• ASQ data will not prevent 5-year-old children from entering kindergarten. 
• The district will follow up with families within two weeks of receiving completed screenings. 
• The district will contact families who complete the ASQ but do not enroll so that screenings can be transferred. 
• A child’s kindergarten teacher will receive ASQ data prior to the first day of school. 

All schools must administer the ASQ to incoming kindergarten students by Sept. 22, 2025. All data (including paper screenings and pending Family Access screenings) must be entered into ASQ Online by Sept. 26, 2025. 

Teachers and administrators have several upcoming opportunities to strengthen their ability to successfully partner with families to complete the ASQ: 

• KSDE will offer a half-hour “Preparing for the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot” webinar at four different times to review the timely resources and action items listed in the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot fact sheet. Seasoned ASQ users and those new to the ASQ can join these sessions to get ready for the 2025-26 school year and ask questions. KSDE will offer the same content at four different times to reach a wide range of teachers and administrators on Tuesday, March 25, at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.; Monday, Aug. 4, at 3:30 p.m.; and Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 10 a.m. Register at ksdetasn.org/events.  
• KSDE staff will join the Greenbush Early Childhood Forum on Monday, March 31, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m., to share these resources and answer questions. Click here to register for the March 31 Greenbush Early Childhood Forum.  

Contact KSDE early childhood director Amanda Petersen, amanda.petersen@ksde.gov, and KSDE State Interagency Coordinating Council Coordinator Stacy Clarke, stacy.clarke@ksde.gov, with ASQ questions.