Developmentally appropriate practices (DAP)

 Developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) have been referred to throughout this text and chapter. Please research and discuss how appropriate and inappropriate practices affect the development of preschoolers. Include examples of how you have used and/or will use DAP in your program. This is what the teacher told us about DAP: Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is grounded both in the research on how young children develop and learn, and in what is known about effective early education. It’s a teaching approach that is designed to promote optimal learning and development in young children. The concept and term were created in response to the trend of “pushing down” academic approaches to early childhood programs, that is, expecting young children to use programs that were designed for older children and therefore are not developmentally appropriate. What do we mean by culture and diversity? Culture defines our beliefs about what children should be like, so families socialize their children according to their cultural values. Diversity includes differences in family makeup, culture, income, race, religion, abilities, resources, and school involvement. Families may have different cultural beliefs than teachers, but these values and beliefs are no less valid. The vignette about the uninformed teacher at the chapter’s start is an example of developmentally inappropriate practices. The teacher did not plan a program appropriate for the children’s age or individual needs. It is impossible to be developmentally appropriate without a firm grasp of development itself. The NAEYC DAP position statement includes a list of twelve developmental principles upon which it is based. These principles, some of which are combined, provide the framework for discussing developmental basics in more detail. The principles are listed in the handout. HERE IS A HELPFUL LINK THAT INCLUDES THE 12 PRINCIPLES MENTIONED ABOVE: https://www.virtualeduc.com/v7/resources/data/TAD.3/TwelvePrinciples.htm