Revisiting the NAEYC Position Statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practice

At the 2006 National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development in June, NAEYC held two open forums to launch discussion in the field about revisiting the 1996 position statement on developmentally appropriate practice. Institute participants responded in person during the sessions and in writing. At the 2006 Annual Conference in Atlanta, the discussion continued in sessions and informally as well.

We offer the following questions for consideration by those who wish to comment on them. We invite your thoughts on any issues related to the position statement you would like to have considered as NAEYC begins this process. Details on how to send your responses appear below.

• Do you think the concept and the language of developmentally appropriate practice are still useful in the field? Are there any changes to the language that you would suggest for consideration?
  
  
• Developing a position statement implies that there is a problem or controversial issue to be addressed. Is that the case here? If so, how should we define the problem or issue?
  
  
• How is the context (including the knowledge base) different today than it was when the 1996 position statement was adopted?
  
  
• How do you use the position statement and DAP books (Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, 1997 revision, and Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice, 2006) in your work? Are there features of the current resources that you suggest changing to make them more useful for your purposes (teacher education, staff development, advocacy, etc.)?
  
  
• Would you suggest alterations to the basic framework established in the 1996 position statement, or do you think it is effective as is? Specifically, should there be any modifications to:
  • the three dimensions that define what is developmentally appropriate: age appropriate, individually appropriate, and appropriate to the social/cultural context?
  • the five areas of the guidelines: create a caring community of learners; teach to enhance development and learning; plan appropriate curriculum; assess children’s development and learning; and develop reciprocal relationships with families?
    
• Is there any concept or aspect of practice that should get more prominence than it did in the 1996 position statement or the 1997 book?

Please send us your thoughts by e-mail to Melissa Edwards at MEdwards@naeyc.org. Along with your comments, please include your position or role in the field.