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.
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.
All participants, including, but not limited to attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, sponsors, NAEYC staff, service providers and others are expected to comply with this Virtual Event Code of Conduct.
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.
Promoting equity in your classroom is within your reach, and this course will give you some of the tools you need. It focuses on what equity work can look like for teachers working with children ages 3 through 5 on a day-to-day basis in the classroom.
This module provides teachers with classroom examples and practical strategies to enhance their awareness of how cultural practices are deeply embedded in children and families behavior.
Fostering Content Knowledge: Meaningful Integration in the Primary Grades
The September 2020 issue of Young Children includes a cluster of articles that showcase the power of integrating science, math, technology, literacy, and social studies to make learning meaningful and content-rich across the primary grades.