Developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) describes an approach to
education that focuses on the child as a developing human being and
life long learner. This approach recognized the child as an active
participant in the learning process; a participant who constructs
meaning and knowledge through interaction with others, friends and
family, materials and environment. The teacher is an active
facilitator who helps the child make meaning of the various
activities and interactions encountered throughout the day.
Developmentally appropriate practices require teachers to make decisions in the classroom by combining their knowledge of child development with an understanding of the individual child to achieve desired and meaningful outcomes. The term developmentally appropriate practices was popularized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) with the 1987 publication of its Position Statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Programs. NAEYC developed the position statement to support its early childhood program accreditation system, which acknowledges and endorses programs offering appropriate early childhood practices.
With this system, early childhood educators can have a clear sense of appropriate early childhood practices. This way they might not use inappropriate developmental and academic expectations to prepare children for public school kindergarten programs.
At the same time NAEYC addressed the issue of appropriate
practices in early childhood education, landmark decisions were made
in education and civil rights legislation. The federal Individuals
with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and the Pennsylvania Early Intervention
Services Systems Act (Act 212) entitle eligible young children (birth
through the age of beginners) and their families to early
intervention services and programs. A key component of this
legislation calls for the inclusion of children who have disabilities
in natural environments; that is, in community activities and
programs with their peers who are not disabled. The Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA, P.L. 101-336) requires all early childhood
programs be prepared to serve all children. This trend toward
inclusion of children who have disabilities into all early childhood
settings, including home-and center-based child care programs,
nursery schools, play groups, Head Start, preschools and
kindergartens, requires partnerships between early childhood
education and early childhood special education.
Focus On Individualization
Although each discipline has its own unique philosophical base,
shared quality practices that are good for all children can be
identified. Both early childhood education and early childhood
special education believe in the importance of individualization.
This is a key principle of special education in providing specific
intervention strategies appropriate for each child and for the
development of the Individualized Education Program (IEP). NAEYC has
identified "individually appropriate" as part of its larger
definition of "developmentally appropriate." NAEYC defines
"developmentally appropriate" as both "individually appropriate and
age appropriate."
All children benefit from the use of naturalistic and
multidimensional assessment strategies. The use of a single test
score to determine eligibility for special education or to retain a
child at a grade level is not endorsed by either discipline.
Assessment must become more naturalistic and multidimensional to help
educators understand and meet the developmental needs of very young
children. This can be achieved through the use of integrated
curriculum and assessment materials and strategies. This approach
provides developmental information and ideas for program development.
The use of authentic assessment techniques in early childhood
programs uses a longitudinal look at children's work in the context
of the curriculum to evaluate individuals progress. This may be done
by documenting children's work in portfolios.
Meaningful Learning
All children learn best when they have real materials they can
manipulate. Another principle shared by early childhood education and
early childhood special education is the importance of meaningful
learning experiences. Through direct sensory involvement with their
environment, children learn about topics that are personally
meaningful and interesting. Teaching children who have or do not have
disabilities requires the use of real and relevant materials and
experiences. Discovering what works best for all children requires
knowledge of each child, knowledge of how children learn and clear
learning outcomes.
With these core components in place, other program areas can be
planned, such as physical environment, teaching strategies, classroom
management, materials, curriculum, evaluation, family education,
staffing and staff development. The developmentally appropriate
practices approach to early childhood education uses this framework.
When all early childhood programs begin to respond to the individual
needs of the learner, work within the context of realistic
developmental expectations and use meaningful learning experiences,
all children will benefit.
References
Bredekamp, Sue (Ed.). (1987). Developmentally appropriate practices
in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age
8. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Bredekamp, Sue. "The Relationship Between Early Childhood Education
and Early Childhood Special Education: Healthy Marriage or Family
Feud?" Topics in Early Childhood Special Education (Fall 1993):
258-274.
Carta, Judith J., Atwater, Jane B., Schwartz, Ilene S., McConnell,
Scott R. "A Reaction to Johnson and McChesney Johnson." Topics in
Early Childhood Special Education (Fall 1993): 243-255.
Griffin, Eileen. Developmentally Appropriate Practices Training
Materials for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The Griffin
Center For Human Development, Guilford, CT.
