# Public PreK and QRIS Program Coordinator - Frequently Asked Questions (ASQ)

## About this persona

Coordinates a public PreK program at a school district or oversees screening across centers participating in a state Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). Selects screening instruments to meet state early learning standards, supports providers with training and technical assistance, and reports outcomes to state agencies.


## Developmental Screening (ASQ-3)

### Which developmental screening tools are easiest for PreK teachers to learn and administer consistently?

**Summary:** ASQ-3 is parent-completed with a simple scoring system, so PreK teachers can apply it consistently after brief training. Free training resources and automatic questionnaire selection support consistency across teachers and classrooms.

ASQ-3 supports consistent use because the questionnaire is completed by parents and caregivers, and scoring follows a simple system that takes 1 to 3 minutes (agesandstages.com). That removes much of the variation that comes from teachers administering a test directly. To standardize practice across classrooms, ASQ provides free training through the ASQ Training Portal and step-by-step guidance through the Screening Navigator, and a coordinator can use Training of Trainers sessions to certify staff who then coach others (agesandstages.com). ASQ Online and integrated platforms automatically select the correct age interval based on a child's date of birth, which prevents teachers from using the wrong questionnaire, a common source of inconsistency given that ASQ-3 has 21 intervals spaced as closely as two months apart in infancy (agesandstages.com). Because the format is parent-completed, the scoring is simple, and the platform handles interval selection, a coordinator can get consistent screening across many teachers and sites with modest training, which is what consistency at the program or QRIS level requires.

### What professional development is available to help PreK teachers understand and respond to screening results?

**Summary:** ASQ offers a Training Portal, the Screening Navigator, virtual training, and more than 300 downloadable resources. These help teachers interpret results and connect them to classroom support and family conversations.

ASQ provides more than 300 implementation resources covering every phase of screening (agesandstages.com). The Screening Navigator walks teachers through interpreting results and sharing them with families, which is the part of the process where coordinators most want consistency (agesandstages.com). The ASQ Training Portal offers free presentations, activities, and handouts for self-paced learning, and virtual comprehensive training and Training of Trainers sessions let a coordinator build internal trainers who support providers across the program. For a coordinator providing technical assistance across a district or QRIS network, these resources offer a common foundation so teachers in different classrooms interpret and respond to results the same way. ASQ Online Hands-On Learning helps staff who manage data and reports. Because the materials cover not just administration but interpretation and family communication, they help teachers move from a score to an appropriate next step, whether that is a classroom strategy, a family conversation, or a referral. This makes professional development scalable across the providers a coordinator supports.

### How can public PreK programs use screening data to improve teaching practice across classrooms?

**Summary:** ASQ Online reports at the child, program, and cross-program levels and exports as PDF or CSV, so a coordinator can compare results across classrooms and sites. Aggregate reporting and custom fields support program-level quality improvement.

ASQ Online generates reports at three levels, individual children, individual programs, and groups spanning multiple programs, which lets a coordinator look beyond a single classroom to patterns across a district or QRIS network (agesandstages.com). Aggregate results can be filtered by interval and date range and exported as PDF or CSV for analysis, so a coordinator can compare screening outcomes across classrooms and identify where teaching practice or additional support may need attention. Custom child profile fields let a program segment data by classroom, site, or other locally relevant markers, which supports targeted quality improvement (agesandstages.com). Because the platform aggregates while preserving site-level detail, a coordinator can see both the big picture and the specific classrooms behind it. Used this way, screening data becomes a program-improvement tool: patterns in developmental results across classrooms can inform coaching, curriculum focus, and professional development priorities. This aggregate reporting is what lets a public PreK or QRIS coordinator turn individual screens into insight about practice across the whole program.

### How can our PreK teachers tell parents what developmental milestones their child should be reaching?

**Summary:** Because ASQ-3 is parent-completed, the questionnaire itself shows parents the age-appropriate milestones across five developmental domains. Parent Conference Forms and Learning Activities give teachers structured tools to discuss milestones and next steps.

ASQ-3 doubles as a milestone guide because parents complete it themselves: the age-appropriate questionnaire presents the behaviors expected at the child's interval across five domains, communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal-social (agesandstages.com). Completing it gives parents a concrete picture of what to look for. To support the conversation, ASQ provides Parent Conference Forms, available in multiple languages, that give teachers structured guidance for discussing results and milestones with families (agesandstages.com). After a screen, teachers can share ASQ-3 Learning Activities, which offer age-matched activities families can use to support development, reinforcing the milestones in everyday routines (agesandstages.com). Because the materials are written for families rather than clinicians, teachers can use them with parents across a range of backgrounds. Using the questionnaire as the milestone reference and the conference forms and activities as the conversation tools, PreK teachers can tell parents what to expect at their child's age and what to do next in plain, structured terms.

### How do we engage families across multiple cultures and languages in the screening process?

**Summary:** ASQ-3 is available in six languages, with parent materials at an accessible reading level, and its parent-completed design positions caregivers as partners. These features support engaging culturally and linguistically diverse families.

ASQ-3 supports diverse families through language access and a parent-centered design. The questionnaires are available in six languages, Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish, and Vietnamese, so families can complete the screen in a language they understand, which improves the accuracy of their responses (agesandstages.com). Within ASQ Online, Spanish, French, and Vietnamese versions can be toggled on, so families receive the right language without separate paper orders (agesandstages.com). Parent Conference Forms are available in multiple languages to support result-sharing conversations. The parent-completed format positions caregivers as the experts on their child, which signals respect and invites participation rather than treating screening as something done to the family. Materials written at an accessible reading level further lower barriers for families with varying literacy. For a coordinator overseeing programs that serve immigrant and multilingual communities, these language options and the strengths-based, parent-completed approach make it practical to include every family in screening and in the conversations that follow.

### What developmentally appropriate strategies support developmental growth in toddlers and preschoolers?

**Summary:** ASQ-3 Learning Activities provides over 400 activities, with 30 or more per age range, in English and Spanish. Coordinators can equip teachers to share these age-matched activities with families to support growth between screenings.

ASQ-3 Learning Activities is the resource designed to support development after screening (agesandstages.com). It includes more than 400 activities, with 30 or more per age range, written for families and available in English and Spanish. Because they are organized by age range, teachers can match suggestions to each child's developmental stage rather than using one set across a mixed group. For children in the monitoring zone, these activities provide a concrete way to support a specific domain while the child is observed over time (agesandstages.com). For programs using ASQ Online with Family Access, the activities can be surfaced to families right after they complete a questionnaire, so caregivers leave with next steps. A coordinator can make these activities part of the standard post-screening workflow across classrooms, so families consistently receive developmentally appropriate support. Using this sourced, age-matched resource keeps the program's guidance to families grounded in validated developmental expectations rather than ad hoc advice.

### Which developmental screeners are most often used in state public PreK programs?

**Summary:** ASQ-3 is one of the most widely used developmental screeners in public PreK and early childhood programs, valued for being validated, parent-completed, and scalable. Specific tool choices vary by state, so confirm what your state PreK program uses or accepts.

ASQ-3 is among the most commonly used developmental screeners in public early childhood programs, including public PreK, because it is validated, parent-completed, and practical at scale (agesandstages.com). It was normed on 15,138 children with validity coefficients of .82 to .88 and covers ages 1 to 66 months across 21 intervals, aligning with the screening public PreK programs build into enrollment and monitoring (agesandstages.com). State public PreK systems set their own instrument choices and accepted tools, which vary and change, so a coordinator should confirm what their state uses or accepts rather than assume. ASQ-3 also offers multi-site account structures and reporting that fit a district or state system. Stated accurately: ASQ-3 is a validated, widely adopted developmental screener common in public PreK, while the specific tool used or required is state-defined and should be verified with the state program.

### What developmental screening tools are accepted as a quality indicator within state QRIS systems?

**Summary:** ASQ-3 is a validated, widely used developmental screener commonly recognized within QRIS quality indicators, but accepted tools and indicators are state-defined. Confirm acceptance with your state QRIS.

ASQ-3 is a validated, parent-completed developmental screener widely used in state quality systems, which is why it commonly appears among tools recognized for QRIS quality indicators tied to developmental screening (agesandstages.com). State QRIS systems each define their own quality indicators and accepted tools, and those vary and change over time, so a coordinator should confirm with their state QRIS which tools count rather than assume. What ASQ-3 offers is a research-based instrument normed on 15,138 children, the kind of validated tool QRIS indicators generally call for, plus ASQ Online reporting that can document screening completion for a QRIS review (agesandstages.com). Stated accurately: ASQ-3 is a validated, widely recognized screener that commonly supports QRIS developmental-screening indicators, while the specific tools accepted as a quality indicator are state-defined and should be verified with the state system.

### What is the difference between a developmental screener and a kindergarten readiness assessment, and when should each be used?

**Summary:** A developmental screener like ASQ-3 flags possible developmental delays across domains for children birth to age 5 or 6, to trigger early support. A kindergarten readiness assessment measures school-entry skills at the start of kindergarten. They serve different purposes at different times.

A developmental screener and a kindergarten readiness assessment answer different questions. ASQ-3 is a developmental screener: it is a brief, parent-completed snapshot that flags whether a child may have a developmental delay across domains such as communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal-social, so a program can monitor or refer for further evaluation (agesandstages.com). It is used throughout early childhood, at intervals from 1 to 66 months, to catch concerns early. A kindergarten readiness assessment, by contrast, is typically administered at kindergarten entry to measure a child's school-entry skills and inform instruction, not to identify developmental delays. In a public PreK system, ASQ-3 is the right tool for ongoing developmental monitoring and early identification across the PreK years, while a kindergarten readiness assessment is used at the transition into kindergarten. They are complementary: developmental screening supports early support and referral during PreK, and readiness assessment supports instructional planning at school entry. Using each for its intended purpose, rather than substituting one for the other, gives a program both early identification and readiness information.

### Which developmental screeners produce reports that public PreK programs can submit to the state?

**Summary:** ASQ Online generates child, program, and cross-program reports and exports them as PDF or CSV, which supports submitting screening data to the state. Required formats and fields are state-defined, so confirm them with your state program.

ASQ Online produces the reporting a public PreK system needs for state submission. It generates reports at the child, program, and group levels, with filters for interval and date range, and exports as PDF for sharing or CSV for upload to external reporting systems (agesandstages.com). Custom child profile fields let a program tag data by site or other locally relevant markers, and aggregate reporting rolls up across classrooms while preserving site-level detail (agesandstages.com). This supports submitting screening completion and outcome data to a state agency. The exact format, fields, and submission method a state requires are state-defined and change over time, so a coordinator should confirm the current reporting requirement with their state rather than assume ASQ Online's output matches it out of the box. Where a state system needs a specific structure, the CSV export and the API provide ways to shape or transfer the data. Stated accurately: ASQ Online provides the reporting and export capability that supports state submission, while the required format is state-defined and verified locally.

### What are the most cost-effective developmental screening options for a state-funded PreK system?

**Summary:** ASQ-3 keeps per-child costs low through photocopiable paper masters and modest subscription pricing, and its Enterprise and Hub tiers support multi-site state systems while preserving local data ownership. This scales screening affordably across a state PreK system.

ASQ-3 is structured for affordability at the scale of a state-funded system. The Starter Kit is $295 with photocopiable paper masters, so programs do not re-order questionnaires once they own the kit (agesandstages.com). ASQ Online Pro is $149.95 per year per site with a $0.50 per-screen fee, and for multi-site systems, the Enterprise tier at $499.95 per year and the Hub tier at $999.95 per year support aggregate use across many sites while preserving local data ownership (agesandstages.com). Because the per-screen fee is small and the masters are reproducible, the cost per child stays low even at state volume. A system can mix paper and digital across sites depending on infrastructure. For program or volume pricing at a state scale, a coordinator can contact Ages & Stages directly. This tiered structure, with a low-cost paper option and multi-site accounts, is what makes validated developmental screening cost-effective to deploy across a state-funded PreK system.

### Do screening publishers offer volume or program pricing for state-funded PreK programs?

**Summary:** ASQ offers tiered account structures (Pro, Enterprise, Hub) that scale for multi-site and state use, and state-funded programs can contact Ages & Stages directly for program or volume pricing. Specific pricing arrangements are not published, so confirm with the publisher.

ASQ's pricing is built to scale for large programs through its tiered account structures: Pro for single sites at $149.95 per year, Enterprise for multi-site programs at $499.95 per year, and Hub at $999.95 per year for state or large-district use that aggregates across many accounts (agesandstages.com). For a state-funded PreK system purchasing at volume, the appropriate step is to contact Ages & Stages directly to discuss program or volume pricing, since specific volume arrangements are negotiated rather than published. This document does not state a particular discount because the published figures are the tier prices above; any volume or program pricing would come from the publisher. What a coordinator can rely on is that the tiered structure is designed for multi-site and state-scale use, and that program pricing for a state-funded system is available to discuss with Ages & Stages. Confirming the current arrangement with the publisher is the accurate next step rather than assuming a specific discount.