What is it? What does it mean for my
classroom and my school?
Knowledge Must Inform Decision
Making
Goals Must Be Challenging And
Achievable
Teaching Must Be Intentional To Be
Effective
◦ What is known about child
development and learning
 Age related characteristics
 Predict what experiences will promote
learning and development
What is known about each child as an
individual has implications for:
 How best to adapt curriculum
 How to be responsive to each child.

What is known about the social and
cultural contexts in which children
live:
 Understand values, expectations,
behavior and languages of children
 Ensures their learning experiences are
meaningful, relevant , and respectful for
each child and their family.
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Meet children where they are but don’t
leave them there
Scaffold learning
Reflect on student learning and
advancing learning in a
developmentally appropriate way
Intentional in everything you do
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Setting up the classroom
Planning curriculum
Making use of various teaching strategies
Assessing children
Interacting with children
Working with their families
Direct your teaching toward the goals of the
program (i.e. standards)
Creating a Caring
Community of
Learners
Teaching to Enhance
Development and
Learning
Assessing
Children’s
Development and
Learning
Planning Curriculum
to Achieve
Important Goals
Establishing
Reciprocal
Relationships with
Families

DAP is not a curriculum
◦ Provides guidelines for what makes a curriculum
developmentally appropriate
◦ Teachers use this set of guidelines to help them
make sound decisions
Teachers make decisions with the
following key points in mind:

Age Appropriateness

Individual Appropriateness

Social and Cultural Appropriateness
1. View the DVD included in Developmentally
Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood
Programs
◦ Video Examples #2
 What Does Developmentally Appropriate Practice Look
Like?
2. Read the handout “Key Messages of the
Position Statement”
3. Use the 3,2,1 protocol to share with your
co-workers