Measuring Child Development with ASQ®

What is ASQ?

Every child is unique, so let’s approach them that way. Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ®-3) and Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ®:SE-2) are developmental screening tools used at Primrose schools to help teachers provide more personalized support to children through:

  • Collaboration between teachers and families
  • A focus on both general skill development and social-emotional development
  • And greater insight into a child’s strengths and opportunities for improvement

Primrose is the first national provider of early childhood education and care to implement these resources across all of our schools.

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The Gold Standard


ASQ® is commonly used by pediatricians and is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics for the developmental screening of young children’s skills. Evidence shows that the earlier development is assessed, the greater the chance that children will reach their potential. The questionnaires explore a variety of areas, from communication and motor skills to social-emotional development and more, and they are updated regularly to track progress.

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ASQ®-3

ASQ®-3 helps teachers and families provide more personalized support to every child by looking at the development of skills in children from age two months to 55 months across communication, fine motor, gross motor, personal-social and problem-solving skills.

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ASQ®:SE-2

Balanced Learning® goes beyond academics to a child’s social and emotional development. ASQ®:SE-2 helps teachers get an even clearer picture of a child's development so they can offer more personalized support.

Applying ASQ® at Primrose


One of the greatest strengths of ASQ® is the collaboration it offers between teachers and families. This leads to more accurate results, which can then help teachers better meet the individual needs of their students through personalized support. These developmental screenings are completed every fall by parents to monitor a child’s progress, and teachers adjust their support as needed to help ensure children are set up for success beyond preschool. During spring teachers will finish the school year by giving the screeners to each student. This will help guide and support parents with a clearer understanding of their child's development through the school year.

Diving Deeper into ASQ®

  • Is there a cost associated with ASQ®-3 and ASQ®:SE-2 for the families?

    There is no additional cost associated with ASQ®-3 and ASQ®:SE-2 for families.

  • How will my child’s results be benchmarked? Will it be among peers in their classroom or against national averages?

    Your child’s results will be benchmarked against national averages of the ages when children most typically meet developmental milestones. However, all children do progress in their own unique paths and any developmental concerns should be discussed with your child’s pediatrician.

  • If my child’s skills are not meeting expectations, what does the support plan look like? Will the school provide resources?

    The school will provide documentation on how you can continue to support your child’s developmental progress across the assessed developmental domains. These are all supported, as well, within our Balanced Learning® curriculum, but any concern about the timing of certain developmental milestones should be discussed with your child’s pediatrician.

  • Isn’t my child a little young to start standardized assessments?

    The ASQ®-3 and ASQ®:SE-2 are not standardized assessments. These are developmental screeners that allow collaboration between teachers and families to help get a clearer picture of a child's development. Teachers can then offer additional support of challenge to meet a child's individual needs.

  • How does a 10-minute screening tool really give a good look into a child’s development?

    The ASQ®-3 and ASQ®:SE-2 are part of our comprehensive assessment strategy, and these questionnaires are completed by both a family member in the fall and a child’s teacher in the spring. This allows families and teachers to work together and combine their observations so they can provide better, more personalized support. 

Ages & Stages Questionnaires® and ASQ® are registered trademarks of Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc.