Developmentally Appropriate Practices

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The example organizations, people, places, and events depicted herein are fictitious. No association with any real organization, person, places, or events is intended or should be inferred.

_{Compiled by Carla Heintz, M.E. and David P. Lindeman, Ph.D.}

_{January 2012}

_{Kansas Inservice Training System}

_{Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities}

_{Adapted for accessibility and transferred to new website October 2022}

_{Kansas Inservice Training System is supported though Part C, IDEA Funds from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.}

_{The University of Kansas is and Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate in its programs and activities. Federal and state legislation prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, disability, and veteran status. In addition, University policies prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, marital status, and parental status.}

Table of Contents

Letter from the Director

Creating a Caring Community of Learners

Teaching to Enhance Development and Learning

Planning Appropriate Curriculum

Assessment

Developing Reciprocal Relationships with Families

Play

References and Resources

Packet Evaluation

Letter from the Director

January 2012

Dear Colleague,

Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) has been associated with early childhood education for many years.  As the field of early childhood education shifts its orientation to standards based outcomes it is important to revisit DAP in light of that movement.   Educators should not consider these two frameworks as separate and opposing entities, but rather complimentary foundations to build on while focusing on what a child already knows and move them forward in acquiring skills and knowledge.   The standards help to guide the educator regarding what a child should know and DAP provides the structure and method for teaching to those standards. The best early childhood practitioners know that it is not only what you teach, but how you teach it that creates a high quality program for children and families a like.

This packet will describe the foundations of DAP, identify intentional, engaging strategies to help the educator meet the needs of all students, take the reader through the steps of adapting activities to create individually appropriate activities in their classroom and discuss the important role families play in developmentally appropriate practice.   It will inform you of the current research regarding DAP, and through the practical examples, assist you in reflecting on your individual practice as it relates to DAP.  Please feel free to share this information with your colleagues and disseminate as appropriate.

We hope that you will find that the packet contains helpful information. After you have examined the packet, please complete the evaluation found at the end of this packet. Thank you for your interest and your efforts toward the development of quality services and programs for young children and their families.

Sincerely,

David P. Lindeman, Ph.D.

KITS Director

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Introduction to Developmentally Appropriate Practices

Developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) are those strategies that promote young children’s learning and development to optimum levels.  These practices are based on:

• Research on human development and learning
  • Children think and interact with their world very differently than adults.  Educators must understand that children are not mini adults and remain current regarding the latest research on how children learn. This knowledge can then be used to design environments that support children’s interactive, inquisitive style.  Sustained, high level play remains at the heart of evidence-based practice.
• View each child as a unique individual
  • Effective teachers observe individual students in their class and take note of what they can and cannot do to create specific lesson plans and accommodations to support each child’s learning within their class.
• Know age, developmental stage, as well as social and cultural contexts
  • Educators who know age-referenced characteristics and skills can make general predictions about children based on what the age group they are working with might do and in what they are interested.  In addition, children grow and learn as members of families and social communities, which also impact their decision-making, social interactions, values and skills.  Teachers must take into account the children’s social and cultural experiences when planning the learning experiences for their students.
• Intentional teaching guided by program outcomes
  • The core of developmentally appropriate practice lies in the intentionality of the early childhood teacher.  Each day he/she is required to make a multitude of choices regarding room arrangement, curriculum planning, teaching strategies, assessment and ways to interact with both children and families.  As early childhood teachers make these decisions they must keep in mind the identified goals and what is appropriate for the child’s age and development, what is appropriate for each child individually and what is culturally appropriate. Teachers must purposefully and thoughtfully take action to direct learning toward the outcomes the instructional program is trying to help children reach.

What we know from research and theory about how children learn and develop:

1. All domains of development and learning are important and closely interrelated.
   • The importance of a comprehensive curriculum cannot be understated.  The physical, social, emotional and cognitive domains are fundamental to learning.  In order to teach young children well, each domain must be addressed.  In addition, the early childhood practitioner must also understand that changes in one domain will impact development in another domain.  As a child learns to talk, their ability to participate in social interactions increases which in turn can lead to further language development.   There is also a relationship between a child’s social and emotional well-being and their ability to acquire new skills.
2. Much of children’s learning and development is sequential.
   • Growth and change occur in children in a relatively predictable sequence.  Because of this it is important for educators to know how children typically develop and the sequences in which children gain specific concepts, skills and abilities.  Teachers can then use this information as a framework to guide their decisions regarding setting up the learning environment, curriculum, specific learning experiences, and interacting with the children.
3. Development and learning rates vary from child to child and vary across areas for individual children.
   • All children are unique and, while much of development is sequential, the rate at which individual children acquire new skills can be very different. A wide range of individual variation is normal and to be expected. Developmental rates are dependent on individual children’s temperament, personality and aptitude as well as what children learn and experience in their families and environments. Recognition that individual variation is not only normal but valuable also requires that decisions about curriculum and assessment be as individualized as possible.
4. Development and learning result from a dynamic and continuous interaction between biological maturation and experience.
   • Teachers need to be aware of the role that natural growth and experience play in the development of a child in order to support each child in reaching their full potential.  For example, a child may be born with a delay or disability that impacts their learning but through intentional, systematic intervention the effects of that condition can be minimized.
5. Early experiences are cumulative and there are periods for optimal learning to occur.
   • Young children who grow up in environments rich with positive experiences, which stimulate the brain, are able to build on those experiences and optimize learning opportunities and increase his/her learning.  Conversely, a child who does not have the same type of stimulation is less likely to benefit.  Ensuring that children receive the needed environmental stimulus and support at the critical times is important.
6. Development and learning become increasingly complex.
   • Young children navigate the transition from being totally dependent on others at birth, to being competent and independent.  Their thinking begins as concrete and moves to more abstract thoughts as they move from sensory responses to representational knowledge.
7. Children develop best when they have secure relationships with adults and positive relationships with peers.
   • The first and most important relationships are those that the child forms with parents or other primary caregivers. The ability to form attachments and establish trust sets the stage for future relationships and social interactions.    Nurturing relationships are vital for developing a strong sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy as well as for teaching a child how to socially connect with another child and form a friendship. Positive teacher-child relationships promote learning and achievement by providing a safe environment to explore and attempt new skills.
8. Development and learning occur in social and cultural contexts.
   • A child’s development is impacted by the contexts of the child’s family, learning environment and community.  It is also impacted by the biases and beliefs that are held by broader society as well.   Educators must teach from multiple perspectives, keeping in mind the influence that sociocultural contexts and family circumstances have on children’s development, as well as their personal experiences and the ways in which those experiences influenced their perspective.  Children need opportunities to learn in an increasing global community and move comfortably among people with both similar and dissimilar backgrounds.
9. Children learn in a variety of ways.
   • Children construct their knowledge through repeated interactions with their physical world and the people around them.  They learn using concrete materials but are also interested in abstract ideas.  Children take input from the world around them and form a premise to guide an understanding about their world.  Once a premise is formed, they try it out through play, physical manipulation of objects, asking questions, interacting with others, and reflecting on their own thoughts.  Because of this, it is important for teachers to have at their disposal a variety of strategies to best support individual children in their learning at any particular moment.  Special consideration must also be given to supporting those who have not developed skills in which to try out their hypothesis in order to further their learning.
10. Play is an important vehicle for promoting skill development across all domains.
    • Play supports pre-academic learning and the skills that are necessary for later school success.  Children’s spontaneous play provides opportunities for exploration, experimentation, and manipulation that are essential for construction of knowledge.  Play contributes to the development of representational thought and provides children with opportunities to practice newly acquired skills or knowledge.  This self-initiated practice is part of the process of inquiry.  During play, children examine and refine their learning in light of the feedback they receive from the environment and other people.  Play also gives children a place to learn how to express and control emotions, to resolve conflicts and gain a sense of self-competence.  Sophisticated play is needed in early childhood settings if children are to develop the skills  for mature  dramatic play that contribute to their self-regulation, cognitive, linguistic, and social emotional growth.
11. Development and learning advance when children are challenged just beyond their current level of mastery and given ample opportunities to practice new skills.
    • Children have an inherent need or “inner push” to exercise their emerging abilities and to make sense of their experiences.  Creating rich learning environments that tap into that motivation to learn promotes mastery of new concepts in children and the desire to take on more advanced challenges.  Once children make that stretch to a new level with the support of adults and peers within the classroom, they can then use the skill independently and the foundation is laid for the next new challenge. However, when confronted by repeated failure, children tend to stop trying, because there is also a need for success.  Providing the right amount of support and repeated opportunities for practice are essential for children to reach mastery in new skills.  Play and other child directed activities allow children to obtain the type of practice necessary to obtain success.  Familiarity with the sequences children follow to obtain new skills combined with what the teacher knows about individual learners in his/her classroom is critical to match curriculum to the child’s emerging skills so that they are challenged, but not frustrated.
12. Development and learning are affected by children’s motivation and approaches to learning.
    • In the early years, children differ in their approaches to learning and these differences can impact school success.  For instance, a student eager to learn shows more success in reading and math than one who is less motivated.  However, parents, caregivers and early childhood providers can have a positive impact on a child’s motivation and their approach to learning through the provision of experiences through evidence-based strategies that promote positive approaches to learning.  Some of those strategies include positive adult-child interaction, encouraging family involvement, and the selection of effective teaching strategies, assessment and curriculum.

The remaining sections of this packet provide a description of the NAEYC’s five key practical applications for DAP within an early childhood classroom.  These applications provide hints and tips for putting what we know about how children learn and develop into daily practice within the classroom or child-care setting.  Included are:

1. Creating a Caring Community of Learners
2. Teaching to Enhance Development and Learning
3. Planning Appropriate Curriculum
4. Assessing Children’s Learning and Development
5. Developing Reciprocal Relationships with Families

True/False Questions About Developmentally Appropriate Practice

1. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?  Answer True or False then check it against the following answer key. 
2. To be developmentally appropriate, an early childhood program must be structured.
3. It is developmentally inappropriate to put an alphabet on a preschool class wall.
4. Teachers should never join in children’s play.
5. Academics should be a part of a DAP early childhood program.
6. DAP does not apply to children with special needs or developmental disabilities.
7. DAP classrooms will enable children living in poverty and children who speak little English to catch up and succeed in school.
8. My classroom already has a prescribed curriculum so I cannot use DAP.
9. DAP is about not hurrying children.  It is about giving them the gift of time.
10. Curriculum is the most important determinant of learning outcomes and development for young children.
11. Child initiated and teacher guided experience is vital to child learning and development.
12. Individually administered assessments are not developmentally appropriate for use in preschool programs.
13. Teacher directed instruction and experiences are not appropriate for children in preschool.
14. Teacher directed instruction and experiences are not appropriate for children in preschool.

Answers

1. True: The notion that there is little to no structure in a DAP classrooms is a misconception. In reality, the opposite is true. To be developmentally appropriate a program must be thoughtfully structured, well organized in its schedule and physical environment, and use a planned curriculum to guide teaching to address the needs of all children. 
2. False: Letters should be where children can see them, touch them, and manipulate them in their work and play. Because learning the alphabet is such a strong predictor of reading, a DAP classroom will certainly have an alphabet on the wall at children’s eye level.
3. False: Effective teachers can take action to enhance children’s play and the learning that goes on in play contexts.  They can engage children in one-to-one conversations, encourage pretend play with themes, roles, rules, and props, and introduce vocabulary and math talk throughout the children’s play experiences.
4. True: If by academics, we mean those important foundational skills and knowledge in language and literacy, math, science, and other subjects then academic learning is an essential part of a DAP program.  Those foundational skills must be taught in ways that meet the individual learner’s needs within the early childhood classroom.  They cannot be taught as finite skills pushed down from higher levels through worksheets and other “drill and kill” methods.
5. False: Children with special needs are children first—they share the same developmental and learning needs and have many of the same strengths as typically developing peers.  Because of this they should be included in settings with typically developing peers and have a plan developed by special educators to ensure they are making progress toward the goals of the family and the program.
6. True but:  Teachers in such classrooms need to make intentional decisions on how and what they teach to help close the gap.  Programs serving low-income children and English language learners need to give special attention to building children’s oral language and vocabulary. Teachers should be knowledgeable about the learning needs of the children they teach and teaching strategies with proven success in helping those children learn.
7. False: DAP is not a curriculum.  It is a set of guidelines designed to help teachers develop strategies to meet the needs of all learners.  DAP principles should be able to be incorporated into any classroom regardless of the curriculum used with minor adaptations.
8. False: The expression “gift of time” comes from a valid concern of not expecting too much too soon. But just giving time is a disservice—it isn’t time that promotes development. It is what happens in the life of that child as that time passes.  It is the experiences that a child is having with objects and people that assist them in the development and learning that are important.
9. False: A teacher’s moment-by-moment actions and interactions with children are the most powerful determinant of learning outcomes and child development. A formal curriculum is very important but what the teacher interacts with children and supports learning is paramount.
10. True: Children benefit from self-initiated, spontaneous play, and teacher planned and structured activities and experiences. DAP provides substantial periods of time during which children can choose from a variety of choices that teachers have prepared in various centers. In addition to these rich, self-initiated play activities, children from ages 3 – 8 also benefit from planned and teacher guided interactive small and large group experiences.
11. False: There are many useful sources of information that teachers can use including observation, examination of children’s work, talking with children to identify children’s concepts or strategies, individually administered assessment, and talking with families. Information about children should be gathered in multiple settings or contexts and with multiple types of measures that answer different questions.
12. False: Children both construct their own understanding of concepts and benefit from instruction by more competent adults.
13. False:  Early childhood educators make important decisions everyday regarding the appropriateness of the environment, the curriculum and the best strategies for supporting individual learners to meet the goals of the program. It is a very complex job, which requires the teacher to know their students and families well, as well as a vast knowledge regarding how children learn and develop in order for them to intentionally set up the best learning experiences they can for the children in their classroom.   

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Creating a Caring Community of Learners

Children learn best when they are active members of a community of learners.  This community is inclusive of all individuals.  It is a place where warm caring relationships are fostered between the adults and the children as well as among the children.   Teachers can foster both an enjoyment of and engagement in learning by all children.

Educators create this community by:

• Planning ways for students to collaborate in work and play and providing the support each child needs to feel a part of the group and interact successfully
• Prioritizing warm, caring relationships with each child and providing an emotionally safe climate
• Setting clear and reasonable limits, with the help of the children if they are old enough, and applying them consistently
• Listening to and acknowledging children’s feeling and giving them feedback that guides them in resolving their own conflicts
• Valuing mistakes and misbehavior as an opportunity for learning and providing appropriate feedback and guidance to help the child make a better choice next time.
• Providing a physically safe and inviting environment that is organized and full of engaging materials that are easily accessible to children.
• Creating a daily schedule that follows a routine, includes a balance of rest and activity, and is somewhat predictable but not rigid.
• Including each child’s home culture into the culture of the class as a whole
• Providing specific positive feedback regarding their accomplishments

Classroom Strategies that Support Friendship:

1. Have discussions about making friends.
   • For ideas on how to use books as a discussion starter, see the book nook for The Rainbow Fish by Marcuse Pfister on the CSEFEL website.
2. Coach children.  
   • Often children have trouble entering groups, taking turns and maintaining positive relationships.  In order to support them as they acquire these skills teachers can provide some direct instruction, modeling, practicing ways to with make requests with the child, and offering positive specific feedback when they have navigated a social situation successfully.
3. Pair children to work on a task.  
   • Pairing children together to complete a task can provide opportunities for children to establish new friendships.  It also helps them learn the skills of communication, negotiation, turn taking, and cooperation causing the children to be more likely to initiate partnerships independently.
4. Interpret children’s actions.  
   • Some children are unaware of things they do that might alienate others.   When you describe their actions and help them come up with positive alternatives to that behavior, you help them to become more conscious of the behaviors that cause them trouble and better able to make changes in the future.
5. Point out the benefits.  
   • Children who are aware of the positive consequences of behaviors such as sharing, turn taking, showing empathy, helping, and encouraging others are more likely to do it in the future.  When a teacher points the positive feelings their actions had on a fellow classmate, they desire to do it more paving the way to create a caring community among the children.
6. Minimize Rejection.  
   • Look for ways to stop rejection of individual students before it starts in your classroom.   Establish the expectation that your classroom is a friendly classroom where everyone has a friend and respects one another

Some Starters for Giving Positive Feedback and Encouragement

• "You do a dynamite job of..."
• "You have really learned how to..."
• "You must feel proud of yourself for..."
• "Excellent idea for..."
• "You've done a wonderful job at ..."
• "See how _____ has improved in...."
• "You have worked so hard..."
• "Look how well s/he did at...."
• "That's a resourceful way of..."
• "Wow! What a fabulous job you've done of..."
• "That's a cool way to..."
• "I'm so appreciative that you..."
• "It really pleases me when you..."
• "You've really groun up because you..."
• "You are a real problem solver for...."
• "Brilliant thinking for..."
• "Give me an extra huge high five for..."
• "Class, I have an announcement! Let's all give a hip, hip hooray to ____ for ____"
• "I really appreciate the way all of you have your eye on the story and are listening so carefully. It's like you have eye-ball clue!"

Rev. 11/03  The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign  csefel.uiuc.edu   H1.3

Practical Strategies for Teachers

Materials listed here can be found at the CSEFEL website.

• Scripted Stories for Social Situations
  • Short Power-point presentations consisting of a mixture of words and pictures that provide specific information to a child about social situations such as going to preschool, sitting in circle time, staying safe and using words. When children are given information that helps them understand expectations, their problem behavior within that situation is reduced or minimized. These stories can help children to understand social cues, the script of unfamiliar activities, and social rules. Parents, teachers and caregivers can use these simple stories as a tool to prepare the child for a new situations, to address challenging behavior within a setting or situation, or to teach new skills. 
• Children's Book List : Using Books to Support Social Emotional Development
  • This extensive compilation of books that can help young children understand their emotions is organized under multiple topics such as "Being a Friend" or "Sad Feelings. 
• Teaching Social Emotional Skills
  • These tools include a variety of activities and materials to help children promote self-regulation or problem-solving. Examples are handouts that feature emotion faces, the "turtle technique" and feeling charts as well as solution kits to help children come up with solutions around problems such as learning how to share, trade, and ask nicely. 
• Book Nooks
  • These easy-to-use guides were created especially for teachers to provide hands-on ways to embed social emotional skill building activities into everyday routines such as art, singing and circle time. Each Book Nook is comprised of ideas and activities designed around a popular children's book such as 'Big Al', 'Glad Monster Sad Monster', 'Hands Are Not for Hitting', and 'On Monday When it Rained'. Examples of suggested activities include using rhymes to talk about being friends, making masks to help children talk about and identify different feelings, playing a game of what to do with hands instead of hitting, and creating art and music using a concept of the day such as sharing. 
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Teaching to Enhance Development and Learning

There is no magic formula for actively supporting children’s learning and development.  However, good teachers know that development and learning are impacted by children’s motivation and approaches to learning.  They must use a multitude of tools to get the job done and be able to select what will be the most effective tool at any time based on the children’s needs, the learning goals, and the specific situation.   Consider the following as you begin to plan ways you can enhance the learning in your classroom.

• Plan the Environment
  • Invite exploration and investigation that will sustain a child’s interest and engagement by providing a rich variety of materials and meaningful experiences that challenge and stimulate.
  • Provide children with opportunities to make choices, and engage in child-choice activities.  Give support to those children who are not yet able to make choices during activity periods.
  • Organize the daily schedule to include extended blocks of time in which children can engage in sustained play. See the sample schedules attached to this section of the packet.
  • Provide clearly defined learning areas for large group and movement activities, small group work, and places where children can work independently.
  • Provide areas for both active and quiet learning experiences.
  • Ensure the children and teachers have easy access to each other and an obstructed view.

Use Both Child-Initiated and Teacher-Directed Instruction

As the stakes get higher and more teachers are feeling pressures to achieve more in the classroom, it is important to remember that both teacher-directed instruction as well as child-initiated learning has a place in the early childhood classroom.

While children learn, explore and construct meaning through play, some things require explicit teaching.  If you want the children to learn how to use the equipment on the playground safely, some of those rules must be taught directly by the teacher.  The teaching of the alphabet is another skill that needs to be taught directly.  Children can’t discover the names of the letters themselves, someone must teach them.  Early learning standards can be introduced by a teacher during whole group or small group instruction and then through intentional planning they can be practiced in child-initiated play. That is play that allows children to choose the activity, if they will engage with others or work alone, and how they will use the materials provided for them.

Child-initiated play is not a matter of chance.   When teachers are intentional about setting up specific play situations which incorporate the standards, or ask questions which extend the children’s thinking, and infuse the learning standards into the child’s play instead of interrupting the play to have a directed lesson, teachers will see children taking those academic standards to a higher level of thinking than if those skills were only taught directly.

Scaffolding Learning

What a child can do today with assistance, she will be able to do by herself tomorrow. - Lev Vygotsky

When teachers scaffold learning they provide students with the least amount of support necessary to do something they cannot quite achieve on their own.   Developmentally appropriate goals are both challenging and achievable.  The most effective learning experiences build on what children already know and can do, but also stretch them toward a new skill.  Unfortunately that stretching can often frustrate a child and lead to feelings of being rushed or pressured instead of feeling capable and successful.

Giving children plenty of opportunities to practice new skills to achieve mastery while providing appropriate support through scaffolding can accomplish the balance between feeling success and being frustrated.  As a child practices the new skill and becomes more competent, the level of support should be reduced and eventually stopped enabling the child to be independent.

Scaffolding can take on a variety of forms including, but not limited to:

• Asking questions
• Providing hints and clues
• Providing verbal or visual prompts
• Modeling
• Adapting the activity or materials
• Providing physical assistance

Peers can provide scaffolding, but it is the teacher who sees the need and directs it, ensuring each child in her classroom will experience success. 

Use of Variety of Formats

Every learning format, large group, small group, play/learning centers, and routines-based has its own function and value. Teachers should choose the format that is best suited to help a child achieve the desired goal given their age and developmental level. A combination of the formats gives children the opportunity to learn new skills in a large or small group format and then children practice those skills in play-based centers and routines. 

• Large groups involve the whole class and are used for teaching specific information and helping students learn to function as a part of a community. Appropriate attention must be given to the length of the large group to ensure the students remain actively engaged, have the opportunity to practice skills, and do not lose interest.
• Small groups involve either a group of 3-5 students gathered by the teacher to work on specific skills or a group that was self selected by the children in a given area that the teacher chooses to join in order to enhance the learning in that area. Small group time is for focused experiences that may teach a child a new skill or application of a concept already introduced.
• Play/Learning Centers are intentionally developed centers with materials that support educational outcomes and allow children to further their learning at their own pace and in a variety of ways. The role of the teacher is to be the guide on the side: interacting frequently with the students to provide feedback, ask questions, or pose problems.  Doing this facilitates the high level, complex play that is vital to children’s development.
  • Common play/learning centers include:
    • Blocks
    • Dramatic Play
    • Art
    • Library
    • Science
    • Computers
    • Writing
    • Math
• Routines  Arrival, departure, cleanup, hand washing, snacks and transitions provide many opportunities for learning throughout the day.  Many of the skills taught during these times are functional, practical and meaningful.

Examples of Daily Schedules with Formats and Learning Outcomes

Sample Schedule: Preprimary (A)

Sample Schedule: Preprimary (B)

Sample Schedule: Kindergarten (Full Day)

Sample Schedule: Kindergarten (Half Day)

_{Adapted from Kostelnik, M. J., Soderman, A. K., & Whiren, A. P. (2004). Developmentally appropriate curriculum best practices in early childhood education (Third ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.}

Learning Center Checklist

Mark those items that currently apply to your learning centers:

Reflect on the items above that are not checked and choose one to incorporate into your learning centers this month. 

Suggestions for Center Materials and Supplies

• Blocks
  • Hardwood Unit Blocks
  • Hollow Blocks
  • Legos
  • People Props (small multi-ethnic figures)
  • Animal Props (farm, zoo, pets)
  • Road Signs
  • Small Cars, and other vehicles
  • Wooden train set
  • Books related to construction
  • Paper, markers and scissors writing utensils to label or document structures
  • Old blueprints
  • Boxes
  • Maps
• Dramatic Play
  • Dress up clothes for men and women
  • Accessories – purses, briefcases jewelry, shoes
  • Pots, pans, dishes and other kitchen equipment relevant to a variety of cultures
  • Dolls representing different ethnicities
  • Doll clothes and blankets
  • Child-size broom and mop
  • Telephones
  • Plastic food and empty food boxes relevant to a variety of cultures
  • Calendars, memo pads, phone books, address books, cookbooks
  • Message board
  • Pencils and paper
  • Home-like touches such as tablecloths, rugs, etc.
  • Specific props to turn “housekeeping” into another play area such as a super market, post office, office, bakery, or airport
• Math
  • Counters- purchased or items such as buttons or bottle caps
  • Dominoes
  • Pattern Blocks
  • Unifix Cubes or colored links for patterning and informal measurement
  • Geoboards
  • Magnetic numbers
  • Beads for stringing
  • Number stamps
• Art
  • Assorted papers for drawing and painting
  • Crayons, pencils, markers
  • Child-sized scissors
  • Assorted Paint and paint brushes
  • Play dough with cookie cutters and rolling pins
  • Collage materials- feathers, sequins, etc.
  • Washable ink stamp pads and stamps
  • Glue, glue sticks, tape
• Library/Literacy
  • Fiction and non-fiction books
  • Big Books
  • CD Player and headsets for audio books
  • Puppets, props for story retell
  • Writing
  • Comfortable place to sit and read
  • Magnetic letters
  • Literacy games such as lotto, rhyme and initial consonant match
• Writing
  • Variety of paper
  • Pencils, Markers, Pens, crayons
  • Environmental Print
  • Name cards
  • Alphabet
  • Letter stamps
  • Small dry erase boards
• Science/Discovery
  • Animals and food
  • Balance Scales
  • Magnifying lens
  • Eyedropper
  • Tweezers
  • Items and containers for sorting and classifying
  • Seeds/plants for growing and observing
  • Magnets and assorted objects
  • A collection of shells, leaves, rocks, etc.
  • Paper and writing tools
  • Book related to displays
  • Sand/Water Table and accessories (sifters, shovels, funnels, measuring cups, eye droppers, etc.)
  • Simple Machines- pulleys, gears, inclined plane
  • Color Prisms
• Music and Movement
  • CD player
  • Children’s songs on CD
  • Streamers/Scarves
  • Rhythm Instruments
  • Cooking
  • Assorted plastic bowls, measuring cups and spoons
  • Assorted utensils (whisk, potato masher, cookie cutters, can opener, grater, etc.)
  • Cake pans and sauce pans
  • Recipes
  • Computers
  • Computer
  • Printer
  • Software/Websites that are accessible to students
  • Paper for printing
  • Digital Camera

_{Adapted From: Dodge, D. T., Colker, L.J., & Heroman, C. (2002). The creative curriculum for preschool (Fourth ed.). Washington, D.C.: Teaching Strategies, Inc.}

Center Lesson Plans for Oct. 13-17 (Sample)

Guide to locating standards:  All standards contained in this document come from the Kansas Early Learning Document found at KSDE.

The first letters represent the developmental/content area (PHD= Physical Health and Development, SE= SocialEmotional Development, CL= Communication and Literacy, ATL= Approaches to Learning, SCI= Science, MK=Mathematical Knowledge, SS= Social Studies, FA= Fine Arts), the first number represents the standard, the number following the decimal is the benchmark number, and the last letter and number combination is the indicator level.

For example SE 5.1 Pre 3.1 would be Social Emotional standard 5, benchmark 1 at the Pre4 1 indicator level.

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Planning Appropriate Curriculum

Curriculum, simply stated, is what children should know and how it should be taught (Hyson, 2008).  It is the plan for helping children reach the desired outcomes of your program.  Those outcomes may be governed by state or local agencies, or may simply begin with this question: What should children coming out of this program know and be able to do?

Essential curriculum includes all multiple areas: social-emotional, literacy, language, math, technology, science, art, physical development, and an understanding of  community and self.  No one area is more important than another and they are all interrelated.

Learning something new is easier when it is attached to something we already know.  An integrated curriculum that ties skills together is more effective and meaningful than content taught in small, unrelated chunks.

Using themes and projects can help children see how concepts and skills are related.  Curriculum that allows sustained time to learn select sets of skills increases the engagement of the children along with the retention of those skills better than a curriculum that lightly skims over a large variety of topics. Additional information on teaching using themes and projects is provided later in this packet.

It is important not to leave content and sequence to chance.  Teachers need to be familiar with the key content and skills in each domain.  They must also be aware of the sequence in which these skills are typically acquired, understanding that learning and development is increasingly complex.  Using this information as a framework for planning, teachers can ensure that children achieve the necessary skills.

Development and learning rates vary from child to child and across areas for individual children.  Adapting the curriculum is essential for those students who have missed some of the essential learning opportunities that support school success, as well as for those students who are progressing at a much slower or quicker pace than others.

In DAP inclusive classrooms, all experiences must be accessible to all children.  Teachers can effectively meet the special needs of all children by working collaboratively with the appropriate specialists, as well as the families.  When blending practices to meet the needs of all students, programs should adopt a curriculum framework that meets the needs of diverse students  (Division for Early Childhood (DEC) 2007)

This framework should contain the following elements:

1. Assessment/Progress Monitoring - Determine where the students' current skills lie and then track their progress over time through daily or weekly data collection on targeted behaviors. 
2. Scope and Sequence - Defined by state or local outcomes, developmental domains, and individual needs.
3. Activities and Intervention Strategies - Including setting up environment, materials, and a variety of daily activities. 
4. Start again with Assessment/Progress Monitoring

For more information on developmental milestones visit the Developmental Milestones section at the CDC.

Teaching Using Themes

• Philosophy, Purpose, Goals
  • Thematic teaching involves a group of correlated activities that are designed around topics or themes and cross several areas of the curriculum. Themes support children to organize individual bits of learning in an integrated way that makes sense to them.  Themes also help make connections among the bits of learning and transfer that knowledge into meaningful application.
• Nature and Scope
  • Themes should build on students' interests and prior knowledge by focusing on topics relevant to their lives. They help children relate to real-life experiences and build on what they already know. Thematic units provide one of the best vehicles for integrating content areas and addressing the diverse learning styles of the students. Other benefits of utilizing themes in the early childhood classroom include:
    • Learning in-depth factual informationBecoming physically involved with learning
    • Learning process skills
    • Learning "how to learn"
    • Integrating learning in a holistic way
    • Promoting group cohesiveness
    • Addressing individual needs
    • Motivating for children and teachers
• Activities/Materials
  • Thematic units can be planned around a book theme, an author study, or any topic that has interest for young children. Outcomes and standards can be easily integrated in a theme study. Connections can be made among different subject areas, including math, science, social studies, and literacy as well as art, music, dramatic play, and physical activities. These connections help children in the way they learn best: through meaningful experiences. This also allows children to learn using their preferred learning style.  Learning centers and hands-on activities are easily implemented through a theme approach. Portfolios and performance based assessments compliment the thematic learning units.
• Role of the Teacher
  • The teacher is responsible for setting up the classroom environment to reflect the theme and provide the appropriate materials and activities. They then interact with the students in order to assist in achieving the desired outcomes based on the theme’s activities.  The theme should be infused throughout the day with both teacher-directed activities and child-initiated centers.
• Role of the Child
  • The teacher is responsible for setting up the classroom environment to reflect the theme and provide the appropriate materials and activities. They then interact with the students in order to assist in achieving the desired outcomes based on the theme’s activities.  The theme should be infused throughout the day with both teacher-directed activities and child-initiated centers.

Teaching Using Projects

• Philosophy, Purpose, Goals
  • The project approach was influenced by Dewey’s ideas that children learn best by doing and acting upon the world around them and that the teacher should guide the children’s learning by providing opportunities for experiences and experimentation. It involves the children selecting a topic of interest, researching it, studying it and solving problems related to the topic.
• Nature & Scope
  • A project is an in-depth investigation of a topic worth learning more about.  A small group, an individual or a whole class, may do the investigation.  It is a research effort deliberately focused on finding answers to questions about a topic either posed by the children, the teacher, or both. (Katz, 1994)   
• Activities/Materials
  • Webbing out ideas with students in a semantic map is an excellent way to brainstorm activities in order to begin a new project.  Resources are gathered on field trips, brought in by the students, the teacher,  or experts who visit the classroom.  Those resources may include real artifacts, books, charts, leaflets, maps, pamphlets, and pictures.   The project permeates the day and the classroom incorporating many different curriculum areas and skills.  Portfolios of the students work assist the teacher in assessing the student’s progress.
• Role of the Teacher
  • The teacher acts as a facilitator and consultant rather than a direct instructor. She/he provides ongoing supervision and helps to create a productive work environment integrating concepts through discussion and debriefing.  They also observe the student’s interests to help determine the next steps in the project.
• Role of the Child
  • Children make choices about what tasks to undertake and select the level of difficulty that is appropriate. They are actively engaged in the investigation and application of knowledge and skills, working towards the completion of the project.  Representations (drawing, building, writing or constructing) created by the child documents skill development. Activities are repeated to show growth in knowledge and skills as the project progresses.

Individually Appropriate Practice

Krista

Krista will turn five years old in January, making her the oldest child in your four-year old group.  Krista’s play, language, and motor development are, however, typical of a child two years younger.  She communicates only in short sentences, has difficulty manipulating small objects, and has a limited attention span.

Krista enjoys working with manipulatives, but she is better at taking apart the buildings of others than building her own.  She also has difficulty joining children in the dramatic play area, since she can’t get involved at the same level of fantasy play as her peers.  When the other children do let her join, she is often asked to be the baby sister and ride in the carriage even if she really wants to be a fire fighter.  Krista is often found in the art area where she works alone, making random lines across piece after piece of paper.

Classroom  Activity

You are designing an activity for the dramatic play area called “Pretend Store”.  The area has been arranged to look like a store with aisles, cash register and other props.  In this area, the children will be encouraged to remember and act out typical “going to the store” activities.  For example,  they may be asked to “plan for the trip to the store” by making a list ahead of time;  they may use real money or create play money to use to buy the goods. They may also choose to pretend to be a store clerk or cashier.  General learning outcomes related to this activity include:  Taking on pretend roles in play; the importance of planning in every day life; money exchanged for goods and services; and prewriting skills.

Your challenge is to plan and facilitate activities that are individually appropriate for Krista, within this developmentally appropriate activity.

Adapting to Meet Individual Needs

When adapting lessons or activities, it is important to start first with what the child can do.  Creating appropriate activities requires educators to build upon the strengths of individual children.  In relation to the store activity,  list what you know Krista can do in each domain area (i.e. language,  communication, motor, cognition). To illustrate this process we have identified one fine motor skill.

• Example:
  • Krista can do
    • Take things apart
  • Next Step
    • (To fill out)
  • Adapt/Modify
    • (To fill out)
  • Staff
    • (To fill out)

The next step is to determine what you would like Krista to learn.  Looking at Krista’s “can do list” write down what you believe to be the next higher skill.  In the example above, we noted that Krista can take things apart. We also know that Krista likes to take apart buildings of others, rather than her own, which may causing some problems.  Therefore, the next skill level for Krista in the area of “taking apart” might look something like this:

• Example:
  • Krista can do
    • Take things apart
  • Next Step
    • Take things apart upon request of a teacher or peer
  • Adapt/Modify
    • (To fill out)
  • Staff
    • (To fill out)

You have identified specific goals and objectives which are individually appropriate for Krista. Now identify specific resources, instructional strategies and/or modifications to the environment that must be to put in place to help Krista be successful.

• Example:
  • Krista can do
    • Take things apart
  • Next Step
    • Take things apart upon request of a teacher or peer
  • Adapt/Modify
    • Pre-teach Krista to take the groceries out of the shopping car and put them into a bag so she will have a clearly identified role during the play session. 
  • Staff
    • (To fill out)

Once strategies, modifications and materials have been identified, make a list of the staff person(s) responsible for these activities as well as how or where special instruction might take place.

• Example:
  • Krista can do
    • Take things apart
  • Next Step
    • Take things apart upon request of a teacher or peer
  • Adapt/Modify
    • Pre-teach Krista to take the groceries out of the shopping car and put them into a bag so she will have a clearly identified role during the play session. 
  • Staff
    • ECSE T-Direct Instruction
    • SPL-In conjunction with speech lesson

Developmentally appropriate practice suggests that activities are age appropriate and individually appropriate.  Such activities build upon what children know and can do. When adapting lessons or activities to meet the needs of individual children we must build upon individual strengths.  The key is planning ahead and planning for individual success.

Adapting Lesson Plans (Example)

• Lesson/Activity
  • Pretend Store. House area set up like a store with aisles, cash register and other props. Children are encouraged to "plan for the trip to the store" by making a list ahead of time. General learning outcomes related to this activity include:
    • taking on pretend roles in play
    • The importance of planning in everyday life
    • money exchanged for goods and services
    • prewriting skills
• Learning Outcomes
  • New roles in play with peers
  • Maintain attention in play with peers. 
• Materials needed
  • Paper/pencils for lists
  • Cash register/real or play money
  • Shopping carts
  • Food boxes/play food
  • Wallet/purse
• Student
  • Krista is 4 years old.
  • Language, play and motor skills in the 2 years range
  • Likes manipulatives, fine motor activities (i.e. tear down blocks, paint with brush).
  • Parallel play stage
• Can do:
  • Parallel play - alongside peer
  • Wants to play in group/take on role
  • Fine motor skills:
    • take apart blocks
    • paint lines with brush
• Next Step
  • Using props in play with peers
  • Sustained attention in play with peers
  • Communicating wishes to peers regarding role play
  • Take apart during appropriate times
• Adapt/Modify
  • Pre-teach a role to Krista including props (e.g. cashier, store clerk_
  • Reinforce peers for interaction with Krista
  • Extend Krista's communication during play (i.e. 'You are taking the money Krista")
  • Pre-teach activities "taking out' that facilitate role play (e.g. taking objects out of the cart)

_{Goosen, M., & Lindeman, D. P. (1996) Developmentally appropriate practices. Parsons, KS: Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities.} 

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Assessment

Assessment is a continuous, thoughtful process that is integral to teaching, learning and evaluation of both program success and child progress.  Because assessment is the process of getting to know the children and examining their progress toward specific outcomes, it is an important feature of DAP classrooms.

Ongoing assessment can be done in a variety of ways including:

1. Interviews: collecting information from those familiar with student regarding their skills and behaviors
2. Permanent Products: a collection of the children’s work which shows the progress of skills over times.  Things such as writing and drawing, a recording of the child reading or having a conversation with a friend, or pictures of block structures can all document skill development.
3. Direct Assessment:  a process of collecting child specific information regarding developmental progress.  Both formal and informal as well as norm and curriculum based measures can be used.

The following pages provide guidance regarding the possible uses of assessment.

There are four main reasons to assess in early childhood programs:

Screening

To identify potential problems and to ensure children's development is on target. 

Characteristics of Screening Assessments

Instructional

To inform, support and monitor learning and guide the teacher in decision-making. 

Characteristics of Assessments to Inform and Monitor Instruction

Program Evaluation/Accountability

To evaluate programs and provide accountability for program improvement as well as providing information to communicate and report to others regarding the program. 

Characteristics of Accountability & Program Evaluation Assessments

Diagnostic

To determine strengths and areas in need of support including development, behavior and/or instruction, identify children who might benefit from special services or supports and establish program eligibility.

Characteristics of Diagnostic Assessments

_{Adapted from: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.  (2008). A guide to assessment in early childhood: Infancy to age 8 (.pdf) available at WA State OSPI}

For assessment to be appropriate and authentic in an early childhood classroom, the following must be true:

1. Information is gathered from a variety of sources, at a variety of times and in a variety of realistic settings.    
2. Information includes both verbal and non-verbal activities and allows learners to demonstrate competence in a variety of ways.
3. Information looks at what a child can do independently as well as what a child can do with assistance

It is important to note that more assessments and increased data do not necessarily result in better information or improved outcomes for students.  Early childhood professionals should only gather information they need, and know ahead of time how they will use all the information collected.

Assessment System

• Early Childhood Program - High quality, research based curriculum? Universal screening for all children?
  • If no, arrange professional development in curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
  • if yes, either;
    • Deliver core curriculum; teach children. and Monitor progress continuously.
    • Or, move to Screening Assessment.

• Screening Assessment - Does child need extra help? Is the student falling behind? Are there concerns about a child's development?
  • If no, reassure parents and continue to deliver core curriculum with continuous progress monitoring.
  • If yes, either;
    • Provide additional help in problem areas, deliver strategic interventions and monitor progress continuously.
    • Or, ask - Is the child making rapid progress with extra help? Is the child catching up with strategic interventions?
      • If no, either;
        •  Return to core curriculum and monitor progress continuously.
        • Move to Diagnostic Assessment or Eligibility Determination.

• Diagnostic Assessment or Eligibility Determination - What are appropriate targeted interventions? Is the student eligible for special services?
  • Develop and deliver intensive, individualized interventions.
    • Monitor child progress continuously and adjust interventions as necessary. 

_{Adapted from: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. (2008). A guide to assessment in early childhood: Infancy to age 8}

_{Adapted from Grisham-Brown, J., Pretti-Frontczak, K. & Hallam R. (2010, October).   Procedural Fidelity Data Collection Instrument.  Paper presented at the Division for Early Childhood International Conference for Children with Special Needs and their Families, Kansas City, KS. Retrieved from http://dec-sped.org/Conference/Handouts_from_2010 - Webpage has since been removed.}

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Developing Reciprocal Relationships with Families

Making developmentally appropriate decisions for a child in a class means knowing all about an individual child.  One key to knowing all about a child is knowing about his/her family.  By involving the parents in a discussion about their child and listening to what they have to say, not only is the teacher able to gather important information about that child, but the teacher also lets the parent know that their opinions and views are valued.  Parents often have key bits of information that can help support the teacher in making programming decisions for an individual child.

By the same token, frequent communication from the teacher to the parent related to the goals and objectives of the program, as well as the daily activities, helps to support the parent in interacting with their child about their day and build on those experiences.  It is also important to share practical ideas on ways they can support their child’s growth and development across all domains at home.

The Creative Curriculum (Dodge, Colker and Heroman, 2002) offers these ideas for communicating with the family:

• Daily or weekly bulletins
• Telephone calls
• E-mails
• Class website
• Thank-you notes
• Journals that travel between home and school
• Notices regarding specific information

Most families want to have a close relationship with the staff working with their child.  Unfortunately, many parents run into logistical barriers, such as the time an event is scheduled or lack of transportation, that prevent their participation.  (Hyson, 2008).  A teacher can show how much he/she values parental relationships and input by always welcoming parents in the classroom and providing a variety of ways at different times so that all families may participate.

Some ways to involve families include:

• Inviting them to share their culture through a cooking or art project or a short presentation.
• Inviting them to share a talent or information about their job.
• Supplying materials for the class, either through the collection of “junk” such as used boxes, old buttons, egg cartons, etc., or purchasing items necessary for special projects.
• Helping to create materials such as games to be used in the classroom, sewing items for the dramatic play area, or recording stories for the listening center.
• Parent/Child activity days/nights: Create events focused on supporting parent/child interactions through literacy, math and social–emotional skills such as supplying the materials necessary for them to create a family picture page to hang on the classroom wall to ease the transition in to school.
• Having a parent council that provides input into policies and practice at your site.

Sometimes difficult situations arise that teachers must navigate through in order to keep the relationship with the parent positive and supportive.  In the book From Parents to Partners: Building a Family-Centered Early Childhood Program (Keyser, 2006) the author suggests the following tips for productive problem solving meetings:

• Listen, listen, listen. Ask open-ended questions so you can reflect back to the parent what you are hearing.
• Restate and reframe the parents’ ideas.
• Acknowledge the parents’ efforts and strengths.
• Ask the parents what they would like to have happen.
• Give child development information as appropriate.
• Refer the parent to resources.
• Make a plan to check back with the parent.
• Thank them for sharing with you.

A Connect module with videos showing ways to interact with parents is available at CONNECT Modules Some of the handouts that accompany that module are attached to this section of the packet. (Note that they have been adapted for accessibility on this site. To download the original print outs, visit  CONNECT Modules)

The following tables provide ideas for actively engaging families.

Handout 4.1

Partnership-Oriented Practices: Examples and Applications

Beginning ground: Developing an initial friends relationship

Middle ground: Making shared decisions

Firm ground: Addressing challenging issues

Enhanced Communication

Enhanced communication: Building on basic communication skills to dignify each child and family by honoring their uniqueness in terms of their family history, present circumstances, and future possibilities. 

High Expectations

High expectations: Having confidence in the child's and family's future possibilities, as well as confidence in one's own competence in actualizing positive outcomes. 

Respect

Respect: Regarding families with esteem and demonstrating that esteem through actions and words. 

Commitment

Commitment: Providing a sense of assurance that the relationship with the family and the child is "more than an obligation;" rather, it represents devotion and loyalty to the child and family and a shared belief in the importance of goals being pursued. 

Equality

Equality: Ensuring that families have roughly equal power as practitioners in making decisions. 

Advocacy

Advocacy: Speaking out and taking action in pursuit of finding just solutions to problems. 

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Play

Professionals in early childhood education understand the importance and the role that play has in the lives of children. Unfortunately, academic pressures, accountability issues and misunderstandings about how children learn best have caused play to be questioned and minimized in many classrooms.  Teachers are being asked to justify any time they devote to play and it is becoming extinct in many classrooms.  Experts from a variety of fields including medicine, child development, psychiatry, psychology, evolutionary biology, and education are now joining early childhood educators in communicating the vital need for play and the benefits children gain from it.

However, it is important to note that not all play is good play.  For optimum impact, play must be purposeful, high-level, and mature (Gronlund, 2010).  The role of the teacher is to move children from low-level, somewhat chaotic or simplistic play to more purposeful, engaging play.  This can be done through observation; modeling and posing problems that cause students to engage with materials in a new and different way.  According to Gronlund (2010 p. 24) children’s high level play is characterized by the following:

• Children are highly engaged for extended period of time ranging from 15 minutes to over an hour.
• Children assign roles to each other and play out those roles within the general flow of play.
• Few behavior problems arise and disagreements are negotiated and compromises are reached.
• The noise level is at a reasonable volume.
• Teachers are called upon only to meet specific needs, which facilitate the continuation of play.
• Teachers are asked to watch and provide feedback, but ongoing involvement is rarely needed.
• Materials are used creatively.  Real objects are not necessarily needed.

Play is not just something children do to get rid of energy but, when fostered by the teacher, it is a vehicle that allows children to gain powerful knowledge and useful social skills.  As early childhood educators, it is our job to set aside time within schedules for children to engage in extended, meaningful play.  We also must continue to advocate for its presence as the achievement stakes continue to rise, knowing that it is the best way for children to develop higher level thinking skills and assimilate new knowledge into meaningful applications.

The following is a list of ten things children gain from play adapted from the article Play, Ten Power Boosts for Children’s Learning by Alice Sterling Honig (2007).

1. Play enhances dexterity and grace- Preschoolers learn eye-hand coordination fine motor manipulation, and large muscle coordination through play.
2. Play with peers promotes social skills- Turn taking, sharing, working with others, negotiating and problem solving are beneficial, life long skills that are best learned through play.
3. Play sharpens cognitive and language skills- Play promotes learning through causal relations and also language mastery as the children talk together to complete their play scenarios
4. Preschoolers acquire number and time concepts through play- By playing with toys with large separate parts, a preschooler learns that whether he stacks them high or spreads them out he still counts the same number of pieces.  Concepts of before and after can be learned when a preschooler has to figure out which block pieces must be put together first to stabilized the structure and then which can be added later as the design elements.
5. Play promotes spatial understanding- As children play, they learn to navigate boundaries and pathways as they move in and out of objects in their environment, bend down to pick objects up, and attempt to negotiate a doll stroller or tricycle through small spaces such as doorways.
6. Play promotes reasoning and cause and effect- Playing with a variety of materials supports if-then reasoning, scientific thinking, and experimentation.  Children learn how different items with different properties interact, they begin to group objects based on similarities and learn that things exist within larger groups (i.e. plates and cups are dishes, chairs and tables are furniture)
7. Dramatic Play clarifies pretend versus real – Young children are not always sure what is real.  Through acting out scenarios with friends, children begin to see the boundaries between the super human powers of a TV character, for instance, and the real abilities of a playmate.  Dramatic play also enhances imagination as children attempt to recreate events or activities they have seen or experienced by using the materials they have available to them.  For instance, a young child putting blocks on a plate and claiming it’s a birthday cake show both their ability to use their imagination and know that the blocks are a  “pretend” representation of the real thing.   
8. Play enriches appreciation of the arts- Listening to various music genres and dancing along or exploring color combinations through paint develops an appreciation for beauty within young children
9. Play extends attention span, persistence and mastery- When absorbed in play, even children with short attention spans often stretch out their play times.  Skilled adult play-partners can help children with short attention spans extend their play by providing engaging materials geared to individual students’ unique interests
10. Play helps children regulate emotions and relieves separation anxiety- Sometimes children will repetitively play out emotional concerns that can provide a release for emotions and bring comfort when coupled with appropriate adult support.

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References

* Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2006). Basics of developmentally appropriate practice an introduction for teachers of children 3 to 6. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

* Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S., (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children birth through age 8 (Third ed.). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

* Cook, R. E., Kein, M. D., Tessier, A., & Daley, S. E. (2004). Adapting early childhood curricula for children in inclusive settings (Sixth ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Darragh, J. (2007). Universal design for early childhood education: Ensuring access and equity for all. Early Childhood Education Journal, 35(2), 167-171.

DiCarlo, C. F., & Vagianos, L. (2009). Using child preferences to increase play across interest centers in inclusive early childhood classrooms. Young Exceptional Children, 12(4), 31-39.

Division for Early Childhood (DEC). (2005). Promoting positive outcomes for children with disabilities: Recommendations for curriculum, assessment and program evaluation the DEC companion paper to the NAEYC and NAECS/SDE 2003 joint position statement Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: building an effective accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8 available at: www.dec-sped.org/.../Prmtg_Pos_Outcomes_Companion_Paper.pdf - Webpage has since been removed.

* Dodge, D. T., Colker, L.J., & Heroman, C. (2002). The creative curriculum for preschool (Fourth ed.). Washington, D.C.: Teaching Strategies, Inc.

Drew, W. F., Christie, J., Johnson, J. E., Meckley, A. M., & Neil, M. L. (2008). Constructive play: A value added strategy for meeting early learning standards. Young Children Journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, 63(4), 38-46.

Ehly, S. (2009). The learning-centered kindergarten 10 keys to success for standards-based classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Epstein, A. S. (2007). The intentional teacher choosing the best strategies for young children's learning. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Feldman, E. N. (2010). Benchmarks curricular planning and assessment framework: Utilizing standards without introducing standardization. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38(3), 233-242.

Geist, E., & Baum, A. C. (2005). Yeah, but's that keep teachers from embracing an active curriculum. Young Children Journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, 60(4), 28-34.

Goldstein, L. S. (2008). Teaching the standards is developmentally appropriate practice: Strategies for incorporating the sociopolitical dimension of dap in early childhood teaching. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(3), 253-260.

*Grisham-Brown, J., Hemmeter, M. L., & Pretti-Frontczak, K. (2005). Blended Practices for Teaching Young Children in Inclusive Settings. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.

Grisham-Brown, J., Pretti-Frontczak, K. & Hallam R. (2010, October).   Procedural Fidelity Data Collection Instrument.  Paper presented at the Division for Early Childhood International Conference for Children with Special Needs and their Families, Kansas City, KS. Retrieved from http://dec-sped.org/Conference/Handouts_from_2010 - Webpage has since been removed. 

Grisham-Brown, J., Pretti-Frontczak, K., Hawkins, S., & Winchell, B.. (2009).  Addressing Early Learning Standards for All Children Within Blended Preschool Classrooms. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 29(3), 131-142.   

*Gronlund, G. (2010). Developmentally appropriate play guiding young children to a higher level. St. Paul, MN: Red Leaf Press.

Harris, K. I., & Gleim, L. (2008). The light fantastic: Making learning visible for all children through the project approach. Young Exceptional Children, 11(3), 27-40.

Harte, H. A. (2010). The project approach: A strategy for inclusive classrooms. Young Exceptional Children, 13(3), 15-25.

Helm, J. H. (2008). Got Standards? Don't GIve up on Engaged Learning. Young Children Journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, 63(4), 14-20.

Helm, J. H., & Beneke, S. (2003). The power of projects meeting contemporary challenged in early childhood classrooms-strategies and solutions. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Helm, J. H., & Katz, L. (2001). Young investigators the project approach in the early years. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

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Honig, A. S. (2007). Play -ten power boosts for  children's early learning. Young Children Journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, 62(5), 72-76.

* Hyson, M. (2008). Enthusiastic and engaged learners approaches to learning in the early childhood classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Keyser, J. (2006). From parents to partners: building a family-centered early childhood program. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

Kostelnik, M.J., Soderman, A.K., & Whiren, A.P. (2004). Developmentally appropriate curriculum: Best practices in early childhood education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

Kostelnik, M. J., Soderman, A. K., & Whiren, A. P. (2004). Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum Best Practiced in Early Childhood Education (Third ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Macy, M., & Bricker, D. (2007). Embedding individualized social goals into routine activities in inclusive early childhood classrooms. Early Child Development and Care, 177(2), 107120.

Marrow, L.  (2004). Developmentally appropriate practice in early literacy instruction. The Reading Teacher, 58(1), 88-89.  

Myck-Wayne, J. (2010). In defense of play: Beginning the dialog about the power of play. Young Exceptional Children, 13(4), 14-23.

NAEYC (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs  serving children from birth through age 8. Available at http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements/dap - Web address has changed to naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/dap/contents

NAEYC and NAECS/SDE(2003). Joint position statement early childhood  curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: building an effective accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8.  Available at: http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements/cape - Link has changed to naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/pscape.pdf

Rushton, S., Juola-Rushton, A., & Larkin, E. (2009). Neuroscience, play and early childhood education: Connections, implications and assessment. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37(5), 351-361

*Sandall, S., Hemmeter, M. L., Smith, B. J., & McLean, M. E. (2005). DEC recommended practices a comprehensive guide for practical application in early intervention/early childhood special education. Missoula, MT: Division for Early

Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.  (2008). A guide  to assessment in early childhood: Infancy to age 8 available at www.k12.wa.us/EarlyLearning/pubdocs/assessment_print.pdf. - Web address has changed to k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/earlylearning/pubdocs/assessment_print.pdf

Youngquist, J., & Pataray-Ching, J. (2004). Revisiting “play”: Analyzing and articulating acts of inquiry. Early Childhood Education Journal, 31(3), 171-178. doi: 10.1023/B:ECEJ.0000012135.73710.0c

*These items are available from:

KITS Early Childhood Resource Center
2601 Gabriel, Parsons, KS 67357
Email: resourcecenter@ku.edu
Phone: 620-421-3067

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