NAEYC defines “developmentally appropriate practice” as methods that promote each child’s optimal development and learning through a strengths-based, play-based approach to joyful, engaged learning.
Developmentally appropriate practice requires early childhood educators to seek out and gain knowledge and understanding using three core considerations: commonality in children’s development and learning, individuality reflecting each child’s unique characteristics and experiences, and the context in which development and learning occur.
The fourth edition of the developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) position statement and book reflect new research that underscores the importance of social, cultural, and historical contexts of development and elevates the need for active engagement through play, exploration, and inquiry in ways that support the whole child. Find information about all of NAEYC’s DAP resources here.
Developmentally appropriate practice is the foundation on which quality early learning is built. The fourth edition of this classic, influential text addresses developmentally appropriate practice within the context of the ever-changing and evolving world of early childhood education. With a strong focus on equity and teaching and supporting all children, it underscores the importance of ...
NAEYC’s guidelines and recommendations for developmentally appropriate practice are based on the following nine principles and their implications for early childhood education professional practice.
Developmentally appropriate teaching practices encompass a wide range of skills and strategies that are adapted to the age, development, individual characteristics, and the family and social and cultural contexts of each child served.
Nursery World: Giants in the Nursery: a biographical history of developmentally appropriate practice
This book explores the evolution of developmentally appropriate practice from its beginnings in 16th and 17th century philosophy, its experimental implementation in the 18th and 19th centuries and its ...