Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is a perspective within early childhood education that emphasizes nurturing a childs social/emotional, physical, and cognitive development. It is a philosophy in child education that is based on child development knowledge, where professionals base their instruction and care on research, standards, and recognized theory. DAP recognizes that children's needs and abilities change over time and depend on universal laws governing these to determine the propriety of practice. Key principles of DAP include:
- Meeting children where they are: Teachers must get to know children well and enable them to reach goals that are both challenging and achievable.
- Age and developmentally appropriate practices: All teaching practices should be appropriate to children's age and developmental status, attuned to them as unique individuals, and responsive to the social and cultural contexts in which they live.
- Continuity and change: DAP embraces both continuity and change; continuity because it guides a tradition of quality early learning and change as it incorporates new research, knowledge, and science.
- Building on strengths: Educators design and implement learning environments to help all children achieve their full potential across all domains of development and across all content areas, building on each child's strengths and taking care not to harm any aspect of each child's physical, cognitive, social, or emotional well-being.
DAP is based on knowledge of how children learn and develop, and the research base yields major principles in human development and learning. These principles, along with evidence about curriculum and teaching effectiveness, form a solid basis for decision-making in early care and education.
