Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP)

Developmentally Appropriate Practices Social and cultural Age Individual

Guidelines for Practice Creating a caring community of learners Teaching to enhance development and learning Constructing appropriate curriculum Assessing children’s learning and development Establishing reciprocal relationships with families

Teaching to Enhance Development and Learning Teachers respect, value and accept children Teachers get to know each child and establish positive relationships with families Teachers create intellectually challenging, responsive environment Teachers make plans to enable children to attain key curriculum goals across disciplines

Teaching to Enhance Development and Learning Teachers foster children’s collaboration with peers Teachers develop, refine and use wide repertoire of teaching strategies Teachers facilitate development of responsibility and self-regulation

Constructing Appropriate Curriculum Provides for all areas of development Includes broad range of content areas Builds on what children already know Curriculum integrated across subject matter divisions to make connections

Constructing Appropriate Curriculum Promotes development of knowledge and understanding, processes and skills Supports children’s home culture and language Curriculum goals are realistic and attainable

Assessing Children’s Learning and Development Assessment is ongoing, strategic, and purposeful Assessment content reflects progress toward learning and developmental goals Assessments are appropriate to age and experience Decisions are based on multiple sources of information

Assessing Children’s Learning and Development Developmental assessments and observations used to identify children who have special learning or developmental needs Assessment recognize individual variation Assessment address what children can do independently and with assistance

Establishing reciprocal relationships with families Relationships require mutual respect, cooperation, shared responsibility, negotiation Teachers work in collaboration with families Parents welcome in program, participate in decisions Teachers acknowledge parents’ choices and goals, are respectful of parent preferences and concerns

Establishing reciprocal relationships with families Teachers and parents share knowledge of child and continue to communicate Teachers involve families for assessing and planning Teachers link families to social services Teachers share information as children move from one program to another

Activity List concrete activities that you do in your programs to address your star point (guideline for practice).

Activity Individually or with a partner, please complete the DAP quiz!