Developmentally Appropriate Practice

What are DAPs?

DAPs are grounded in the three dynamic areas of (1) human development and learning, (2) individual characteristics and experiences, and (3) social and cultural contexts. DAPs apply to children ages birth through 8 years. All early childhood educators and elementary school educators should have a working knowledge of typical developmental stages of children ages birth through 8 and how to best support children through these developmental stages. In addition, working knowledge of these stages should allow for variation in development as well as provide indicators as to when a child is not developing typically. The NAEYC provides guidelines that should facilitate the use of DAPs in early childhood settings. Those guidelines are the following:

• 1.
  Creating a caring community of learners. Educators should strive to create an inclusive community of learning that promotes appropriate relationships among students with adults, peers, and families. That community includes (a) an acknowledgment that all children are valuable contributors to the learning and well-being of others; (b) relationships with others who assist children in learning about themselves as well as to value others; (c) social relationships that facilitate the construction of learning; (d) a learning environment that supports children's emotional and [Page 269]physical needs; and (e) a learning community that is dynamic yet organized, providing a variety of materials, opportunities, and experiences.
• 2.
  Teaching to enhance development and learning. Educators should (a) accept, respect, and value all children; (b) know each child and the child's family well; (c) create engaging, developmentally appropriate educational environments; (d) embed educational goals across curricula areas; (e) foster collaboration; (f) use a variety of teaching strategies; and (g) facilitate the development of self-regulation and responsibility in children.
• 3.
  Constructing appropriate curriculum. Educators should (a) construct curriculum that provides for all areas of a child's development; (b) create curriculum that includes a broad range of content and that is engaging and meaningful to children; (c) ensure that curriculum is sequential in that it builds on what children know and expands to challenge them to learn new skills; (d) ensure that curriculum goals are embedded across content areas; (e) ensure that curriculum promotes acquisition, as well as application, of skills; (f) ensure that curriculum includes authentic experiences by allowing children to apply the key concepts and tools of inquiry in each field experienced; (g) design curriculum to include children's individual culture while promoting the attainment of a shared culture; (h) ensure that curriculum goals can be achieved; and (i) ensure that technology is integrated into the curriculum.
• 4.
  Assessing children's learning and development. Educators should ensure that (a) assessment is meaningful and is used to improve services to children; (b) assessments reflect meaningful progress toward identified goals; (c) assessments are conducted in methods that are appropriate for young children; (d) assessments are used only for the purpose in which they were intended; (e) multiple assessments and sources of information are used when making major decisions regarding students' educational programs; (f) developmental assessments and observations are used to identify students with special learning needs; (g) assessments recognize individual variation; and (h) assessments not only measure independence but also what things students can do with support from other adults or peers.
• 5.
  Establishing reciprocal relationships with families. Educators should ensure that (a) relationships include collaboration, mutual respect, cooperation, shared responsibility, and conflict resolution; (b) two-way communication is established by the educator, (c) educators facilitate parental participation in the educational decision making of their child's program, (d) educators value parents' goals and choices for their children, (e) educators and families share information and knowledge of the child, (f) families are involved in assessments, (g) information on resources are provided to families, and (h) all team members share information as appropriate with the child's next educational setting.

Although these guidelines do not seem divisive by their construction, differing interpretation of these guidelines and their application to practice has led to heated discussions in some areas.

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