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(UDAP) Understanding Developmentally
Appropriate Practices Questions and
Answers 2024/
What affect does quality early care have on children? academic benefits lasting into high school What age group is considered early childhood? birth to 8 years old Age appropriateness considering what is typical for a child within a given age group Individual appropriateness considering the needs of each child as a unique individual Social/Cultural appropriateness considering the social and cultural contexts in which children grow and live Intentionality having clearly defined goals for children and thoughtfully prepared environments, experiences and activities to meet those goals Three critical challenges impacting early childhood practices are:
- Addressing differences in school success and achievement
- Integrating and aligning preschool and elementary school programming
- Improving teacher preparation, professional development and ongoing support Structural indicators are things that are "regulable," meaning they can be monitored and are important for providing consistent care. EX: Licensure Lower ratios Smaller group size Caregiver qualifications Professional development for staff
Health and safety regulations Inclusive environment Process indicators are what programs "do" to help promote development through specific activities and intentional practices. Process indicators are observable interactions. EX: Curriculum and established routines Language and reasoning activities Sensitive, responsive interactions Collaboration and provisions for parents and families Parent, teacher, and child interactions Child-sized furnishings Well defined and equipped space that meets the needs of all children Quality experiences early in life lead to better outcomes for children. These experiences lead to: Lower delinquency rates Increased graduation rates Adults who earn higher salaries Increased home ownership Better cognitive and language skills Adults who spend less time participating in social programs or on welfare Quality Preschool Developmentally appropriate curriculum Developmentally appropriate assessment procedures Continuous staff training Administrative support Low teacher/student ratio Systematic effort to involve parents Quality Early Care + Quality Education = Quality Outcomes for Children High Quality Child Care A safe, nurturing environment where children learn and grow, staff are properly trained and supported. Parents have access to the program at all times. Program is well organized to promote optimal skill development. Motivational theories focus on the belief that humans are controlled by many factors. They place more emphasis on personal motivation and desires. Based on these theories, you might consider what motivates children to act the way they do.
knowledge and understanding through their physical development and through their interactions with the environment. Piaget's 4 Stages Sensorimotor (birth to approximately 2 years) - Children learn through sensory perception and motor activity. Preoperational (2 years to 7 years) - Children are bound by what they experience directly and not by what they think. Children begin to use symbols (one thing that represents another). For example, using sand to make a cake. Children are egocentric; their thinking centers on themselves. They can't see things from another point of view or from another perspective. For example, they do not realize that when they stand in front of the TV, no one else can see it. Concrete-Operational (7 years to 11 years) - Children become more rational in their thinking. For example, realizing that Santa Claus probably doesn't exist. Formal Operations (11 years and beyond) - The final stage of cognitive development, in which thinking becomes very abstract. Children think beyond the present and think about ideal situations. Vygotsky children create knowledge by interacting with their environment AND through social interactions, their culture and the use of language. Two developmental levels of ability: The ability to do something with help or assistance The ability to do something without help or assistance The distance between these two levels is called the "Zone of Proximal Development." Structure of a Neuron Neuron - specialized nerve cells that make up the central nervous system. Axon - Each neuron has one axon. An axon is a fiber that sends messages "away" to other neurons. Dendrites - Each neuron has many dendrites. Dendrites accept incoming messages from the axons. How many neurons are in a brain at birth? already nearly 100 billion neurons in the child's brain Physical Development Physical development refers to the development of large and small muscles as they gradually develop. It involves typical growth patterns, changes in weight and height, and general health and safety. Art Progression Children will typically progress from drawing free radicals into drawing basic shapes, such as circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles, then eventually drawing representations of people, places and ideas.
By the age of three, children should begin to draw their first representations of the human form using basic shapes. free radical is a jumble of straight or curved lines that is freely floating on the paper. Writing Progression Writing begins to emerge as random scribbling and progresses to invented spelling in the kindergarten years. With enough opportunities to practice scribbling and writing, and with enough encouragement and enthusiasm from caregivers, children learn to write with increasing effectiveness and also understand the importance of written communication. Mildred Parten Four types of play Solitary play - playing alone Parallel play - playing beside other children, but not interacting with them Associative play - children play together with materials and some talking (3-5 years old) Cooperative play - children play together by planning and working toward a common goal (5 years old through adolescence) Stages of Development Stages of development for young children are commonly clustered into domains related to physical development, language and communication, social and emotional, cognitive development and general knowledge, and approaches to learning. Classroom Structure Children are better able to adapt to the demands of formal schooling when they have been provided opportunities to explore and practice within an environment that is consistent and predictable, yet flexible and inviting. Classroom Structure should include
- Furniture for routine care and play should be child sized.
- open shelves, baskets and cubbies should be placed on the child's level so they can easily reach them.
- printed words that are meaningful and at a level where children can easily see them.
- Children's art and writing samples should be displayed around the classroom at the children's eye level. Interactive Learning Centers
- Dramatic Play/Home Living: kitchen furniture, mirrors, dress-up clothes, baby dolls, tables/chairs
- Library: books, cozy area/ listening center, rugs, puppets, soft pillows/furniture, natural lighting
- Discovery/Sensory/Science: items found in nature (pine cones, shells, rocks), water/sand table, sensory items (shakers, smelling jars)
- Blocks/Construction: wooden/plastic/cardboard blocks, trucks/cars, doll house
- Art/Creative Expression: paper, paints, pencils, markers, pens, collage materials, brushes, easels
- written and posted in class
- structure and sequences
- balanced (loud and quiet, physical and non physical, active and passive) Transitions
- Transitions take place all day long, whenever one activity stops and another starts
- Some transitions are more difficult because of the number of steps involved (lunch to nap)
- It is easier to move from quiet to loud/active than from loud/active to quiet activities The following ideas will help you ease chaos during transition times:
- Encourage children to clean up after play so you can supervise rather than clean
- Plan your daily schedule so there are as few transitions as possible
- Have materials ready so one activity can end and another can begin without having the children wait
- Use methods like music or a movement activity to hold children's attention during the transition
- Offer choices to the children. For example, "You can sit at the table until we finish or you can listen to the story."
- Help children become familiar with the routine, so they know what to expect
- Give children a warning just before the transition to help them prepare and get ready for what is coming next Scaffolding assistance a teacher or more skilled peer provides Three components of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: age appropriateness, individual appropriateness, social/cultural appropriateness Prohibited disciplinary practices severe, humiliating, frightening, or associated with food, rest, or toileting or spanking or any other form of physical punishment Three critical challenges
- reduce the achievement gap
- align and integrate learning experiences from birth to age 8
- teachers are often inadequately prepared and minimally supported Developmentally Appropriate Practice is a concept developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). DAP focuses on children birth through 8 years old and is made up of three principle components: age appropriateness, individual appropriateness and social/cultural appropriateness. DAP helps teachers improve the effectiveness of their work with children because they make decisions based on what they know about children.
Teachers who are grounded in Developmentally Appropriate Practice are able to make critical decisions when selecting materials, supporting interactions, implementing curriculum and adjusting instruction.
