NAEYCNAEYCDevelopmentally Appropriate Developmentally Appropriate

Practice in Early Childhood Practice in Early Childhood Programs Programs

Key Messages and ImplicationKey Messages and Implication

What is developmentally

appropriate practice?

• Requires both meeting children where they _______ (which means teachers must _________) AND enable them to reach _________ that are both ______ and _____________.

What is developmentally appropriate practice?

All teaching practices should be _____________ to children's _______ and __________________, attuned to them as _____________, and responsive to the ____________ and ____________ contexts in which they live.

What is developmentally appropriate practice?

Developmentally appropriate practice does not mean making things __________ for children. Rather it means ensuring that _________ and _________ are suited to their learning and development and _______________ enough to promote their progress and interest.

What is developmentally appropriate practice?

Best practice is based on ___________ - not on _________ - of how children _________ and ____________. Research base yields major principles in human development and learning. Those principles, along with evidence about _____________ and teaching ___________, form a solid basis for ___________ in early care and education.

A call to reduce the achievement gap

• In the US children's learning opportunities often differ sharply with family __________ and _____________, ___________ and ______________ background.

• These disparities have serious consequences for _____________ and for ____________ as a whole. Narrowing the gaps must be a ______________ for ______________ and for _____________.

A call to reduce the achievement gap

• When young children have not had the learning opportunities they require in order to succeed in _____________, early childhood programs need to provide even more extended, enriched and intensive ___________ experiences than they do for children who have a wealth of such experiences outside of the program or school.

• The ________ in life those experiences are provided, the better the _________ for children.

• ___________engagement strategies, ________ services, and ________________ supports are also critical.

ComprehensiveEffective Curriculum

All the domains of children's development and learning ________________. For example, because social factors strongly influence cognitive development and academic competence – and the cognitive domain influences the social domain, - teachers must foster learning and development in _______, as well as in the emotional and physical domains.

ComprehensiveEffective Curriculum

Effective, developmentally appropriate curriculum is based on what is known about the ________________ and __________________ of ideas, so that children's later abilities and understandings can be ________ on those already acquired.

The __________ and __________________ of each child's learning is unique.

An effective teacher must account for all these factors, maintaining high ________ while setting ________ , _________ goals and providing the right _______ and ______ of scaffolding for each child.

ComprehensiveEffective Curriculum

Children's learning experiences across the early childhood years (0-8) need to be far better integrated and aligned, particularly between prekindergarten and K-3.

Education quality and outcomes would improve substantially if elementary teachers incorporated the best of _______________ emphases and practices (attention to the ________ child, integrated, __________ learning, ________ parent engagement)

And if preschool teachers made more use of those _______________ practices that are valuable for younger children (robust ______, attention to learning ____________ in curriculum and teaching).

Improving Teaching and Learning

• A teacher's moment by moment ________ and __________ are the most powerful determinant of learning __________ and _____________. Curriculum is very important, but what the teacher does is paramount.

Improving Teaching and Learning

• Both ________________ and _______________________ experiences are vital to children's development and learning. Developmentally appropriate programs provide substantial ________________ when children may ___________ activities to pursue from among the __________ teachers have prepared in various __________ in the room. In addition, children benefit from planned ___________, interactive ______________ and __________________ experiences.

Improving Teaching and Learning

• Rather than diminishing children's learning by reducing time devoted to academic activities, _________ promotes key abilities that enable children to learn __________. In high level dramatic play, the _______ planning of roles and scenarios and the _________ control required to stay within the play;s constraints develop children's ____________, ___________ thinking, __________, and ________. - capacities critical to later learning, social competence and school success.

Improving Teaching and Learning

• Because of how they spend their time outside of school, many young children now lack the ability to play at the high level of __________ and __________ that affords so many cognitive, social and emotional benefits. As a result it is vital for each childhood setting to provide opportunities for sustained ______________ and for teachers to actively __________ children's ___________ toward such play.

Improving Teaching and Learning

• Effective teachers are ____________ in their use of a ____________ of approaches and strategies to support children's _________ and ability in each learning _______________. Besides embedding significant learning in ________, _________ and ____________, strong programs also provide carefully planned _________ that focuses on children's attention on a particular _________ or ________. Skilled teachers adapt curriculum to the _______ they are teaching and to each ____________ child to promote optimal learning and development.

Improving Teaching and Learning

• To ensure that teachers are able to provide care and education of ______ quality, they must be ______________________, participate in ongoing professional ______________ and receive sufficient ________________ and _____________.

Principle #1Principle #1All __________of All __________of

development and development and learning are learning are

important and they important and they are closely ________are closely ________

Principle #2Principle #2Aspects of children’s Aspects of children’s learning follow well learning follow well

documented _________.documented _________.

Principle #3 Principle #3 Development and Development and

learning proceed at learning proceed at ____________________________

Principle #4 Principle #4 Development and Development and

learning result from learning result from interaction of interaction of

______________ and ______________ and _________________._________________.

Principle #5Principle #5__________experiences have a __________experiences have a

profound effects on profound effects on development and learning AND development and learning AND

_________periods exist for _________periods exist for certain types of development certain types of development

and learning.and learning.

Principle #6Principle #6Development proceeds Development proceeds toward greater ________, toward greater ________,

___________, and ___________, and ________________capacities________________capacities

Principle #7 Principle #7 Children develop best when they Children develop best when they have secure, consistent __________ have secure, consistent __________

with ________________ and with ________________ and opportunities for positive _________ opportunities for positive _________

with ________.with ________.

Principle #8Principle #8Development and learning Development and learning occur in and are influenced occur in and are influenced

by multiple _________ and by multiple _________ and ________ contexts.________ contexts.

Principle #9Principle #9Children learn in a variety of Children learn in a variety of

ways: a wide range of ways: a wide range of teaching ________ and ________ teaching ________ and ________

are effectiveare effective

Principle #10 Principle #10 _______is an important _______is an important vehicle for developing vehicle for developing

___________ as well as for ___________ as well as for promoting language, promoting language, cognition, and social cognition, and social

competence.competence.

Principle #11 Principle #11 Development and learning advance Development and learning advance

when children are __________ to when children are __________ to achieve at a level just beyond their achieve at a level just beyond their

current ________, and also when current ________, and also when they have opportunities to practice they have opportunities to practice

________________________.________________________.

Principle # 12Principle # 12Children’s experiences shape their Children’s experiences shape their

__________ and __________ to learning, such __________ and __________ to learning, such as persistence, initiative, and flexibility; as persistence, initiative, and flexibility;

in turn, these dispositions and in turn, these dispositions and behaviors affect their learning and behaviors affect their learning and

development.development.