NAEYC Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Key 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.

Comprehensive Effective 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.

Comprehensive Effective 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.

Comprehensive Effective 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 #1 All __________of development and learning are important and they are closely ________

Principle #2 Aspects of children’s learning follow well documented _________.

Principle #3 Development and learning proceed at ______________

Principle #4 Development and learning result from interaction of ______________ and _________________.

Principle #5 __________experiences have a profound effects on development and learning AND _________periods exist for certain types of development and learning.

Principle #6 Development proceeds toward greater ________, ___________, and ________________capacities

Principle #7 Children develop best when they have secure, consistent __________ with ________________ and opportunities for positive _________ with ________.

Principle #8 Development and learning occur in and are influenced by multiple _________ and ________ contexts.

Principle #9 Children learn in a variety of ways: a wide range of teaching ________ and ________ are effective

Principle #10 _______is an important vehicle for developing ___________ as well as for promoting language, cognition, and social competence.

Principle #11 Development and learning advance when children are __________ to achieve at a level just beyond their current ________, and also when they have opportunities to practice ________________________.

Principle # 12 Children’s experiences shape their __________ and __________ to learning, such as persistence, initiative, and flexibility; in turn, these dispositions and behaviors affect their learning and development.