Developmentally Appropriate Practice Summary

Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) involves educators making informed decisions grounded in research to challenge and motivate children to meet attainable goals (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009). In the video, Morning Circle at Preschool, children appear eager to participate in the morning routine. DAP was noted, as well as some actions that are in contrast to DAP.

1. A developmentally appropriate practice to help and 18 month old to understand be safe rule is presenting a puppet show. For example I would present 3 puppets, One teacher puppet and two toddler puppets. One of the toddler puppets would demonstrate running back and forth in the classroom. The teacher puppet would then explain to the two children the basic ground rules of being safe. Teacher puppet would also mention to the toddler puppets that running in the classroom can give us ouchies. And now the toddler puppets would have a better understanding of being safe.

In order to respond this question, we must first review the history of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) and Early Childhood Education (ECE). Although ECE has been around since the creation of kindergarten in the 1800’s, the decade of the 1980’s was an important period for ECE. “By the 1980’s, meta-analysis of the well-designed US projects offered compelling evidence on the positive outcomes of [early childhood education and intervention]” (Woodhead, 2007). Therefore, there was much pressure to improve the state of education, including ECE. “The decade of the 1980’s saw numerous calls for widespread school reform, with changes recommended in teacher education, graduation requirements, school structure, and accountability measures” (S. Bredekamp, R.A. Knuth, L.G. Kunesh, and D.D. Shulman, 1992). At this time, there was an increasing concern about the quality of early childhood education for the influx number of families that needed it. This led the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to “begin planning a national voluntary accreditation system for early childhood programs”(NAEYC, 2014). With this planning came a need for a more specific description with regards to accreditation guidelines. Therefore, NAEYC issued a formal statement defining DAP.

For many poor, minorities, and other disadvantaged groups, the country has not made significant progress toward quality education for at-risk youth consistent with specific provisions outlined in the No Child Left Behind Act, failing the hopes of students and their families. When the NCLB Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002, it was supposed to represent a new beginning in providing quality school education to young people who come from low-income families and who have special needs. Its purpose was to close the achievement gap between groups of students in elementary and high schools. However, many school districts across the country are still having difficulties in meeting the

The Bush administration, as well as others, hoped to close achievement gaps and bring all children up to a higher standard. In order to do this, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was enacted with the hope of an extreme education reform. It requires strict accountability and assessments for schools. This was done without proper funding and expectations that are difficult for schools and students to reach. This act caused many problems in schools rather than fixing the problems that already existed.

The NCLB Act of 2001 required schools to develop reform efforts so that all children would meet state academic content and achievement standards (NCLB, 2002). The federally mandated reforms that were included in NCLB forced all school districts to continually evaluate current educational programs and determine how to meet the federal guidelines, most notably the elimination of the achievement gap between all student subgroups. However, there are multiple factors that can contribute to the achievement gap among student groups, including student mobility which is not measured through standardized tests.

Developmentally appropriate practice means that teachers need to take the decision based on the children’s need. Also, it is guidelines about what it is appropriate to teach the young children. The teacher who practices developmentally appropriate practice take into consideration all the developmental areas of the whole child (cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical development). According to the author of the Administration of Programs for Young Children” (Click, Karkos, & Robertson, 2014, p. 134) the developmentally appropriate practice is when the teachers understand that the children have different background, experiences, and interest. Each child is unique in what his capacities are, how he/she learns, and what she/he needs to help him

16). Developmentally Appropriate Practice is the framework of the National Association for the Education of Young Children(NAEYC). I believe that DAP is the base in which all early childhood programs should stand upon. If all programs, follow the example that is being set today then there would be quality childhood programs and centers throughout the country for all children. Developmentally Appropriate Practice is the future in which all early childhood educators and practitioners work collectively for, and for the future of, all

On January 8, 2002, President George Bush signed into law The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which was a reauthorization of Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was designed to help disadvantaged students achieve success in school (Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, 2011) The components of The No Child Left Behind included annual testing, academic progress, report cards, teacher qualifications, and funding changes. These measures were “designed to drive broad gains in student achievement and to hold states and schools more accountable for student progress” (Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, 2011, para. 3). NCLB also promised to close the achievement gap and increase student learning (Hursh 2007).

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was a US Act of Congress. This law took effect in 2002. This had an impact on US public school classrooms. Through this law there were several effects in the way schools teaching their students. this also affected what tests the students had to take and the teachers training. This also addressed the way schools and their districts were going to spend their monetary funds. The goal of this act was to provide educators assistance in planning and implementing programs that were designed to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their peers. Accountability, choice, flexibility, and methodology were the four pillars of reform in NCLB (Evesham, 2017).

"Developmentally-appropriate practice, often shortened to DAP, is an approach to teaching grounded both in the research on how young children develop and learn and in what is known about effective early education" (DAP, 2013, NAEYC).The NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) makes the principles of developmentally-appropriate practice one of its cornerstones. Developmentally-appropriate practice ensures that children do not become frustrated or bored with what they learn. It enables students to successively build upon past knowledge without any gaps. It ensures that learning remains fun and engaging: very young children are not forced to memorize facts, sit in their desks for too long, or otherwise taxed beyond the emotional and intellectual limits of their present capacities. All children can learn, but depending on the developmental stage of the child, the ways in which the learning process takes place must often be altered. It must also be remembered that not all children are functioning at their chronological age: some may need additional support while others may be more advanced. It is necessary for the teacher to understand each student's limits and strengths, developmentally.

Most educators and parents desire an educational system where all students receive a balanced education that will afford all students the ability to compete in our ever changing society. Students who live in low-income environments and attend poor school are at the highest risk of not being properly educated. This is partly due to lack of funding for schools in economically challenged environments, and the inability for those poor schools to afford highly qualified teachers. Much controversy stems from poor schools not being able to afford highly trained teachers, from students not having access to improved curriculums to extraordinary dropout rates. In an effort to combat these issues, the Bush administration implemented an act that purported to help schools obtain necessary funding for qualified teacher and to close the racial ethnic gap, known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA). However, the NCLBA failed to deliver on its promises and left already struggling schools and children in disarray attempting to reach government mandates rather than ensuring a balanced education for every student.

Bredekamp, S., & Copple, C.(Eds) (1997). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs.(NAEYC) Washington: DC.

Originally known as Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the No Child Left Behind Act is a policy believed to improve achievement from K-12 students with aid from government funding within high poverty schools. The NCLB has been a great initiative to promote performance for all students, especially those from minorities, special education and English Language Learners (Chen, G.) As stated in ‘Examining the Assumptions of Underlying the NCLB Federal Accountability Policy on School Improvement,’ this policy has received a great amount of recognition as well as many flawed assumptions that make us question if the good really out-ways the bad. The NCLB Act has created a multitude of presuppositions and this article is a start to explain

DAP stands for developmentally appropriate practices (Kostelnik). This means that the activities exposed to the children in the classroom are not overwhelming, or too difficult, for their skill level, but they are achievable, interesting, meaningful, and worth knowing for each individual child (Olsen). The resources I will use will be relevant to the children and appropriate according to the different families they come from and the community they live in (Olsen). My future DAP classroom will be safe for all children, look desirable, and have a stimulating atmosphere (Kostelnik). I seek to build wholesome relationships with the children and their families, so they are able to feel cared for and comfortable in the classroom, helping them progress as best they can (Olsen). The children will learn through self-directed play, centers, hands-on involvement, large/small groups, and routine (Olsen). Different activities are provided for the children on a daily basis where they can make choices, use their creativity, and have opportunities that help them understand the world around them (Olsen). It is my job as the teacher to provide diverse activities, strategies and teaching layouts that focus on the development of the whole child to help each individual learn in a plethora of ways (Olsen).