What is the fundamental premise of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)? Provide an example of the three dimensions covered under DAP and their importance to early childhood education.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The fundamental premise (belief) of DAP is that early childhood programs should be tailored to meets the needs of children, rather than expecting children to adjust to the demands of a specific program. DAP focuses on three important dimensions: (1) age appropriateness, (2) individual appropriateness, and (3) cultural appropriateness. Age appropriateness focuses on universal and predictable sequences of growth and change in young children. Based on existing knowledge of a child's typical development, teachers/adults can prepare appropriate learning environments. Individual appropriateness refers to the uniqueness of each child and his or her needs. According to DAP, a program should be responsive to each individual child's needs based on their strengths, interests, background, and so on. Finally, cultural appropriateness refers to understandings of a child's social/cultural background and how that shapes a child's abilities and experiences. All of these dimensions are important for early childhood education because they take into consideration the whole child and his or her unique needs and experiences. This approach is seen as more inclusive and helpful than programs that expect children to adapt to and fit the needs of existing programs.