What Does Developmentally Appropriate Practice Look Like in a Preschool Classroom?

If you've ever wondered how effective teachers actually do DAP, this is the book for you. Here, you can peek into classrooms to see teachers making intentional decisions in the six key areas of practice that form the six guidelines for DAP in action:

1. Building a community of learners where everyone is welcomed and supported to grow
2. Facilitating respectful partnerships with families
3. Observing, assessing, and documenting children's development and learning
4. Using teaching strategies that enhance learning for each child
5. Implementing curriculum tied to meaningful learning goals
6. Demonstrating professionalism

You'll discover

• More about what each guideline means for preschool teaching
• Chapters that showcase articles from Young Children and Teaching Young Children-plus brand-new content-illustrating excellent teaching strategies related to each guideline
• Examples you can model, adapt, and implement in your own practice

Your teaching will be richer and deeper, and children's learning will flourish!

This book will be promoted via various NAEYC marketing efforts, including social media pages promotions (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest with a reach of over 200K followers); promotional emails; advertisements in Young Children, Teaching Young Children, and Exchange magazines; and NAEYC's seasonal resource catalogs. Select authors of the publication will also present a webinar on a topic covered in the book soon after its publication. Finally, the publication will be advertised and sold at various early childhood conferences and trade shows (NAEYC's Annual Conferences, NAEYC's Professional Learning Institutes, Zero to Three, etc.).

About the Author

Volume editors:

Iliana Alanis, PhD, a native of South Texas, is professor of early childhood and elementary education in the Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching at the University of Texas at San Antonio. With over 20 years in the early childhood field, her work focuses on teaching practices in culturally and linguistically diverse early childhood contexts with an emphasis on the effect of schooling for language minority children in Spanish/English dual language programs. She is especially interested in forms of teaching that promote native language development and its correlation to second language acquisition. With more than 48 refereed publications related to dual language education, her recent research focuses on higher- order cognitive and linguistic interaction found in student-student exchanges. Dr. Alanis is former president of the Texas Association for Bilingual Education and former board member for the National Latino Children's Institute. She has served as a NAEYC Governing Board member and an Early Childhood Advisory Board member for Scholastic Education. As a member of the Dual Language Training Institute, she facilitates professional development for teachers in dual language classrooms across the country. Dr. Alanis is coauthor of The Essentials: Supporting Dual Language Learners in Diverse Environments in Preschool and Kindergarten.

Toni Sturdivant, PhD, is the vice president of early education at Camp Fire First Texas. She earned a PhD in interdisciplinary learning and teaching with a cognate in early childhood education. In addition, she has a master's degree in early childhood and elementary education with a specialization in child development. She earned a BA in linguistics with a minor in African and African American studies. Dr. Sturdivant has taught prekindergarten in both an urban school district and a center- based setting, as well as kindergarten. She has served as a trainer for practicing early childhood teachers and taught preservice teachers in various institutions of higher education. Her research, which focuses on issues of racial learning and racial identity with young children and culturally relevant teaching practices, has been published in several scholarly journals, such as Early Childhood Education Journal, The Journal for Multicultural Education, International Journal of Early Childhood, and Young Children.

Series editor

Susan Friedman is senior director of publishing and content development at NAEYC. In this role, she leads the content development work of NAEYC's books and periodicals teams. Ms. Friedman is coeditor of Each and Every Child: Teaching Preschool with an Equity Lens. She has extensive prior experience creating content on play, developmentally appropriate uses of media, and other topics for educators and families. She has presented at numerous educational conferences, including NAEYC's Professional Learning Institute and Annual Conference, the South by Southwest Education (SXSW EDU) Conference & Festival, and the School Superintendents Association's Early Learning Cohort. She began her career as a preschool teacher at City and Country School in New York City. She holds degrees from Vassar College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Reviews

For early childhood educators, there are very few concepts as profound and far reaching as DAP. For me, it has long served as a north star and a measuring stick for program quality. But educators are always eager to have more insight into what it really looks like in day-to-day decisions, curriculum experiences, and teaching practices. That's why I was so excited to read this new book! There is a great need for resources that translate research into practice in accessible ways, and this book does just that. Teachers will see themselves in these pages as they read about the real-life application of DAP through stories told by other teachers doing the same important work, examples that highlight challenges and opportunities, and ideas that spark new thinking. This book is a must-have addition to any early educator library!

-Rachel Robertson, Vice President, Learning and Development, Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Focus on Developmentally Appropriate Practice brings together a diverse collection of articles to highlight the many ways early childhood teachers can engage with the six guidelines of DAP. Voices from practitioners, researchers, and administrators weave together powerful narratives that expand our understanding of the role of DAP in teaching, curriculum, assessment, and work with families.

-Denisha Jones, Executive Director, Defending the Early Years, and Guest Faculty, Sarah Lawrence College

This book is a perfect introduction to what it means to work proactively to support young children through an equity-based lens. Children come to learning experiences with their own languages, identities, and approaches to learning. As educators, it is important to embrace these. This book provides tangible supports to assist teachers in doing so.

-Cecilia Scott-Croff, Executive Director, Early Childhood Center, Borough of Manhattan Community College

The trust that children and their families put in us is enormous. This book ensures each teacher's success by supporting educators to use their understanding of how each child is developing, model developmentally appropriate expectations, and provide intentionally designed experiences and interactions to create joyful learning environments. Children deserve nothing less.

-Sherry Cleary, Retired University Dean, City University of New York

The guiding principles and best practices shared throughout the book deepened my understanding of effective teaching in preschool and inspired me to be more intentional in creating a classroom community where everyone is valued, heard, and seen. I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to create a harmonious community using DAP.

-Ashley Harrell, Accreditation Facilitation Project Coordinator, 4C For Children

Book Information
ISBN 9781952331107
Author Iliana Alans
Format Paperback
Page Count 196
Imprint National Association for the Education of Young Children
Publisher National Association for the Education of Young Children