Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8

The book Developmentally Appropriate Practice has been an essential resource for the early childhood field since its first edition in 1987. This third edition is the most extensive yet, fully revised to align with the latest research on development, learning, and teaching effectiveness.

In this book, early childhood practitioners and students will find a wealth of information:

• • NAEYC’s official Position Statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practice


• • A chapter by Carol Copple and Sue Bredekamp that makes clear the connection between DAP and excellent teaching, and challenges the field to think about developmentally appropriate practice with more openness and precision


• • Overviews of children’s development and learning in four periods of life: the infant and toddler years, the preschool years, the kindergarten year, and the primary grades


• • Pages of specific examples for each age period describing key practices seen in high-quality early childhood settings (centers and school classrooms as well as family child care)―and, by contrast, practices that are less likely to serve children well

A CD of additional resource material will further support learning:

• • More than 60 readings (pdf format) taken from Young Children articles and NAEYC’s books and position statements that relate to, expand on, and explain DAP concepts mentioned in the book

• Two dozen video examples from real early childhood classrooms, plus commentary text, that highlight significant elements of developmentally appropriate practice in action