Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children From Birth Through Age 8, Third Edition
Bestseller! Since the first edition in 1987, NAEYC's book Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs has been an essential resource for the early child care field. Fully revised and expanded, the 2009 version comes with a supplementary CD containing readings on key topics, plus video examples showing developmentally appropriate practice in action.
Based on what the research says about development, learning, and effective practices, as well as what experience tells us about teaching intentionally, DAP articulates the principles that should guide our decision making. Chapters describe children from birth through age 8 in detail, with extensive examples of appropriate practice for infant/toddler, preschool, kindergarten, and primary levels.
New Resource
Download the DAP Crosswalk, a new resource for using Developmentally Appropriate Practice (3rd ed.) with NAEYC’s 2020 DAP Position Statement. This crosswalk aligns NAEYC’s fourth edition of the DAP Position Statement with the third edition of Developmentally Appropriate Practice.
Carol E. Copple, PhD, is an early childhood consultant in Nashville, Tennessee. In her career, she has held numerous academic, research, and policy positions. From 1976–1980, Carol directed the early education program at the Educational Testing Service, where she worked with Carolyn Edwards. She was the director of publications and initiatives in educational practice at NAEYC from 1993–2010. copple202@gmail.com
Sue Bredekamp is an early childhood education consultant in Washington, DC. She has consulted for NAEYC, the Council for Professional Recognition, the Head Start Bureau, and state and local departments of education, and served on the Committee on Early Childhood Mathematics of the National Research Council. She developed a satellite television course on early literacy, HeadsUp! Reading. While director of Accreditation and Professional Development at NAEYC (1981–1998), she was responsible for a number of major NAEYC position statements and publications including those on developmentally appropriate practice, curriculum and assessment, literacy, and accreditation.
