This position statement, one of five foundational documents developed by 51ɬɬÎÝapp in collaboration with the early childhood profession to advance high-quality early learning for all young children, defines DAP.
Educators who engage in developmentally appropriate practice foster young children’s joyful learning and maximize the opportunities for each and every child to achieve their full potential.
The extent to which educators can fully implement developmentally appropriate practice depends, as efforts to advance equity also do, on decisions at many levels, including program administration, professional development, policy, and more.
Developmentally appropriate practice requires early childhood educators to seek out and gain knowledge and understanding using three core considerations: commonality, individuality, and experiences.
51ɬɬÎÝapp’s guidelines and recommendations for developmentally appropriate practice are based on the following nine principles and their implications for early childhood education professional practice.
Throughout the pandemic, I have been reading articles and blogs about families and how they are coping. I decided to survey Black families (a group underrepresented in most of the accounts I read) and find out how they were doing and what they would find
While many of the recommendations have changed considerably over the years, the primary focus of DAP remains the same: 51ɬɬÎÝapp emphasizes the importance of the relationships between children and well-prepared early childhood educators.
Discover engaging, effective ways to explore real-life, thorny ethical issues with early childhood professionals in the context of the 51ɬɬÎÝapp Code of Ethical Conduct.
Through our virtual programming for both teachers and parents, our relationship-based approach that is already key to our programming was ramped up to identify, acknowledge, and attend to children’s emotions.Ìý
Young children find a goodbye ritual very comforting.Ìý Families can make up a love ritual such as a secret handshake and a kiss. Reading books about separation such as The Kissing Hand can also provide comfort to children
When schools abruptly transitioned to distance learning back in March, I found myself communicating with families more regularly than ever before. And it wasn’t long before I learned many parents and family members were struggling with fears, anxiety, los
Social- emotional learning (SEL) is the foundation and heartbeat of the classroom. Students need to feel connected, safe, and secure, before we even begin to address academics. T
Our bi-weekly all staff virtual meetings included personal check-ins. During these moments of truth-telling and tears, teachers expressed loneliness and fears.
Our commitment to partnering with families has not changed. We are providing remote services that prioritize relationships and we are connecting with families using social media, sending weekly text messages to all, and reaching out to each family.
This module provides teachers with classroom examples and practical strategies to enhance their awareness of how cultural practices are deeply embedded in children and families behavior.