Teaching Strategies' The Creative Curriculum® Earns Louisiana's Highest Quality Rating for Preschool and Pre-K

The Creative Curriculum is the only curriculum designed to work with the GOLD® assessment

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Teaching Strategies, the leading provider of early childhood curriculum, assessment, professional development and family engagement solutions, today announced two state-specific versions of its flagship curriculum have earned a "Tier 1" quality designation—the highest rating available—from the Louisiana Department of Education. The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool and The Creative Curriculum® for Pre-K are approved and available for use in Louisiana early childhood classrooms. The Creative Curriculum is the only curriculum designed to work with the GOLD® assessment.

The Tier 1 designation recognizes strong alignment with Louisiana's Birth to Five Early Learning and Development Standards and reflects the state's rigorous expectations for high-quality instructional materials.

"Louisiana has long set one of the nation's highest bars for early childhood quality, and we're honored that The Creative Curriculum has earned the state's highest rating in its instructional materials review process," said Mike Derezin, CEO of Teaching Strategies. "This recognition reflects our commitment to equipping educators with research-based, practical resources that support joyful, engaging learning while helping every child build the skills they need to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. We look forward to continuing to partner with educators across Louisiana as they create exceptional learning experiences for young children."

Teaching Strategies is a longtime partner to providers across Louisiana. Stacey Milton, early childhood supervisor for Livingston Parish Public Schools, said her schools have used the preschool and pre-K curricula for more than a decade and also recently invested in Kickstart Literacy.

"The results have been outstanding. Teachers across our district, including our special education pre-K teachers, have reported significant growth in student achievement and literacy development," Milton said. "We look forward to many more years of collaboration and success together."

For more than 45 years, The Creative Curriculum has helped educators create engaging, developmentally appropriate learning experiences grounded in research on how young children learn best. The latest editions strengthen that foundation with updated guidance, enhanced support for inclusive classrooms, stronger connections between assessment and instruction, and embedded professional learning.

The curriculum is part of Teaching Strategies' integrated early childhood ecosystem, which combines curriculum, ongoing formative assessment through GOLD®, professional learning, and family engagement tools to help educators individualize instruction and better understand each child's progress.

The Louisiana approval adds to a growing body of evidence supporting Teaching Strategies' comprehensive early childhood ecosystem. Recent independent research found preschool teachers who participated in professional development aligned to Teaching Strategies' curriculum and assessment experienced significantly higher retention than their peers, while children in their classrooms demonstrated stronger growth across multiple domains of learning and development, as measured by GOLD®.
Teaching Strategies has also submitted Louisiana-specific versions of The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers & Twos for review by the Louisiana Department of Education.

About Teaching Strategies
Teaching Strategies® is the most widely used provider of early childhood curriculum, assessment, professional development, and family engagement solutions. Teaching Strategies has the only evidence-based early childhood comprehensive system of curriculum, assessment, professional development and family engagement. Its flagship products, The Creative Curriculum® and GOLD®, reach about 4.5 million children each year in more than 80 countries. A trusted partner and advocate for the early education community for 45 years, today Teaching Strategies connects teachers, children and families to inspired teaching and learning experiences, insightful data, stronger family partnerships, and robust professional learning through SmartTeach™, the leading early learning platform. Learn more at www.teachingstrategies.com.

SOURCE Teaching Strategies