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.
Each and every child, birth through age 8, has the right to equitable learning opportunities—in centers, family child care homes, or schools—that fully support their optimal development and learning across all domains and content areas.
This position statement, one of five foundational documents developed by NAEYC in collaboration with the early childhood profession to advance high-quality early learning for all young children, defines DAP.
Educators who engage in developmentally appropriate practice foster young children’s joyful learning and maximize the opportunities for each and every child to achieve their full potential.
The extent to which educators can fully implement developmentally appropriate practice depends, as efforts to advance equity also do, on decisions at many levels, including program administration, professional development, policy, and more.
NAEYC’s guidelines and recommendations for developmentally appropriate practice are based on the following nine principles and their implications for early childhood education professional practice.
NAEYC congratulates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on being declared the 46th President and 49th Vice President of the United States of America, respectively.
Just as we lay the foundations for print literacy starting at birth, early childhood educators have a vital role to play in laying the foundations for the more sophisticated media literacy skills we expect of adolescents and adults.
While many of the recommendations have changed considerably over the years, the primary focus of DAP remains the same: NAEYC emphasizes the importance of the relationships between children and well-prepared early childhood educators.
This blog post features four educators (pre-K, kindergarten, ESL, migrant education) in culturally diverse programs who focused their intentional teaching with guidance from the NAEYC & Fred Rogers Center Position Statement on Technology and Interactive M
We gathered insights from individuals with various perspectives and roles in early childhood. Here, you will read excerpts of what some of them would share with families about supporting children during this period of rapid change.
NAEYC's Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs is pleased to announce that it has granted renewed accreditation to early childhood degree programs at three institutions of higher education during its summer meeting.
Young children find a goodbye ritual very comforting. Families can make up a love ritual such as a secret handshake and a kiss. Reading books about separation such as The Kissing Hand can also provide comfort to children