During the early childhood years, children start to develop their self-identity, a sense of who they are based on their roles and relationships in their family, early care settings or school and their community.
Durante los años de la primera infancia, los niños empiezan a desarrollar su identidad, una percepción de quiénes son según sus roles y relaciones dentro de la familia, el programa de cuidado infantil o la escuela y su comunidad.
Promoting justice and knowledge in our youngest learners (and ourselves) could lead to lasting and deep community engagement, empowerment, and evolution.
Authored by
Authored by:
Veronica Benavides, Roxanne Ledda, Maimuna Mohammed
This Young Children cluster advocates a curriculum that is knowledge-rich, that is authentically connected to children’s social and cultural contexts, and that promotes positive perceptions of social identities.
Knowledge-Rich Curriculum: Supporting Identity Development & Advancing Equity
The December issue of Young Children includes a cluster of articles with perspectives on enriching curriculum by connecting lessons to children's social and cultural contexts.
Much remains to be learned about how to maximize each child’s development and learning. Important areas for further research include the following topics.
Policymakers must ensure that those working directly with children in early childhood settings have equitable, affordable access to high-quality professional preparation required to meet DAP standards.
Higher education practitioners must prepare early childhood educators to understand and implement all components of developmentally appropriate practice and provide equitable learning opportunities for all young children.
Fully achieving DAP guidelines and effectively promoting all young children’s development and learning depends on the establishment of a strong profession with which all early childhood educators, working across all settings, identify.
Developmentally appropriate teaching practices encompass a wide range of skills and strategies that are adapted to the age, development, individual characteristics, and the family and social and cultural contexts of each child served.
Observing, documenting, and assessing each child’s development and learning are essential processes for educators and programs to plan, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of the experiences they provide to children.
Because early childhood education settings are often among children’s first communities outside the home, the character of these communities is very influential in children’s development.
NAEYC defines “developmentally appropriate practice” as methods that promote each child’s optimal development and learning through a strengths-based, play-based approach to joyful, engaged learning.
