Essay On Developmentally Appropriate Practice

272) By allowing our parents/community members to have a voice in our program, we can actually see how much we are engaging them in our program. By listening to the parents, the community members, and assessing our program we can see what we are lacking in when it comes to their involvement. As I spoke in the previous paragraph about the parents being their child’s first teacher, our community also plays a big role in the education of our children. When children have the support of their community, it shows them that their community cares about them so the children will in turn want to care about and support their

Busch Middle School of Character had a wonderful sense of community, each student, instructor, and family, made sure they were doing their part. I believe it’s important for educators to understand the needs of the families and community of their students because the more resources the better. When schools actively involve parents

1. A developmentally appropriate practice to help and 18 month old to understand be safe rule is presenting a puppet show. For example I would present 3 puppets, One teacher puppet and two toddler puppets. One of the toddler puppets would demonstrate running back and forth in the classroom. The teacher puppet would then explain to the two children the basic ground rules of being safe. Teacher puppet would also mention to the toddler puppets that running in the classroom can give us ouchies. And now the toddler puppets would have a better understanding of being safe.

Several issues are discussed in the NAEYC position statement about Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP). The section points out three main areas that policymakers have addressed because they realize how important these areas are to an early elementary child.

In order to respond this question, we must first review the history of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) and Early Childhood Education (ECE). Although ECE has been around since the creation of kindergarten in the 1800’s, the decade of the 1980’s was an important period for ECE. “By the 1980’s, meta-analysis of the well-designed US projects offered compelling evidence on the positive outcomes of [early childhood education and intervention]” (Woodhead, 2007). Therefore, there was much pressure to improve the state of education, including ECE. “The decade of the 1980’s saw numerous calls for widespread school reform, with changes recommended in teacher education, graduation requirements, school structure, and accountability measures” (S. Bredekamp, R.A. Knuth, L.G. Kunesh, and D.D. Shulman, 1992). At this time, there was an increasing concern about the quality of early childhood education for the influx number of families that needed it. This led the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to “begin planning a national voluntary accreditation system for early childhood programs”(NAEYC, 2014). With this planning came a need for a more specific description with regards to accreditation guidelines. Therefore, NAEYC issued a formal statement defining DAP.

Teachers are to act as facilitators who guide students to become active thinkers. The community is viewed as an extension of the classroom parents take an active role in the learning process by acting as goal setters and planners as well as resources for student learning. Students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community and business leaders have a voice in the making decisions that impact the school.

Developmentally Appropriate Practice or “DAP” means meeting children where they are as an individual and as part of a group, and helping them to meet reach their goals. DAP is better for kids because it is a more comprehensive educational perspective that supports optimal healthy development for every child. There are three core considerations of DAP first you must know about a childs development and learning. Meaning you need to know what happens at each developmental stage. Next you need to know what is culturally important. So we need to know about a childs background so we can have a respectful learning experience. Lastly you need to know what is individually appropriate. When observing children you need to be objective we need to

The basic philosophy of this Parental and Community Involvement plan is to become full partners in the growth, well-being and overall development of the children it will serve by working in collaboration

Development psychology refers to the scientific study of the systematic psychological changes that normally occur to human beings throughout their growth period from birth to old age. It was originally concerned with children and infants, but it has since expanded to include the entire life span of mankind including adolescence and adulthood. Development psychology covers the extent to which human development occurs through gradual accumulation of knowledge, and the extent to which children born with inmate mental structures learn through experience. Several psychological theories and approaches like the behavioral, humanistic, psychoanalytic, biological, and cognitive approaches have been developed to explain the

"Developmentally-appropriate practice, often shortened to DAP, is an approach to teaching grounded both in the research on how young children develop and learn and in what is known about effective early education" (DAP, 2013, NAEYC).The NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) makes the principles of developmentally-appropriate practice one of its cornerstones. Developmentally-appropriate practice ensures that children do not become frustrated or bored with what they learn. It enables students to successively build upon past knowledge without any gaps. It ensures that learning remains fun and engaging: very young children are not forced to memorize facts, sit in their desks for too long, or otherwise taxed beyond the emotional and intellectual limits of their present capacities. All children can learn, but depending on the developmental stage of the child, the ways in which the learning process takes place must often be altered. It must also be remembered that not all children are functioning at their chronological age: some may need additional support while others may be more advanced. It is necessary for the teacher to understand each student's limits and strengths, developmentally.

I was born on November 22, 1980 at approximately 2:18 a.m., in Richmond Hill Ontario. My birth weight was 8lbs. 7oz. and I was 14 in. long. My mother was thirteen days overdue with me. As I grew older I seemed to develop at a normal pace. Crawling at eight months, walking at thirteen months and talking fluently at 32 months

Based upon my observations at P.S. 161 and the teacher interview, the school provides students with an inclusive setting, but it needs some restructuring. At P.S. 161, there is a sense of community both outside and inside the building. Parents speak each other and they also speak to teachers. Based upon my observations they are good relationships. Teacher interactions enhances a student’s experience because when there are good relationships present then there is also trust and mutual respect which are vital when it comes to education. The school staff also plays a vital role in creating conditions that are important to the relationship between the home and the school. The home and school partnership is further supported by the level of communication that the school provides parents. Not to mention the efforts of each individual teacher makes to keep parents informed and in the loop. However, I have also noticed that school/home relationship at this school does not communicate with some parents at the level that they communicate with other parents almost as if excluding parents of who are not fluent in the English language. While the security guard and the administration model positive interactions with parents and caregivers, some school personnel including those that are present for drop off and that work in the front office can benefit from a staff meeting in which this is one of the topics. When parents feel welcomed and valued then their participation and involvement

Parent and Community involvement does not occur overnight. I feel that schools must make parent and community involvement a priority, valuing and accepting each other’s differences. Schools, families and communities must work together to support all students in a learning environment to ensure every student is a successful learner. Positive family and school involvement fosters a partnership among my school encouraging students to reach their highest potential academically and in life. Parent and community involvement does not mean stay-at-home mothers coming to school to help as needed, or a businessman stopping by to see events occurring on campus. The role of school, family and community involvement is a partnership incorporating goal-oriented activities for all grade levels linked to academic success and student growth.

DAP stands for developmentally appropriate practices (Kostelnik). This means that the activities exposed to the children in the classroom are not overwhelming, or too difficult, for their skill level, but they are achievable, interesting, meaningful, and worth knowing for each individual child (Olsen). The resources I will use will be relevant to the children and appropriate according to the different families they come from and the community they live in (Olsen). My future DAP classroom will be safe for all children, look desirable, and have a stimulating atmosphere (Kostelnik). I seek to build wholesome relationships with the children and their families, so they are able to feel cared for and comfortable in the classroom, helping them progress as best they can (Olsen). The children will learn through self-directed play, centers, hands-on involvement, large/small groups, and routine (Olsen). Different activities are provided for the children on a daily basis where they can make choices, use their creativity, and have opportunities that help them understand the world around them (Olsen). It is my job as the teacher to provide diverse activities, strategies and teaching layouts that focus on the development of the whole child to help each individual learn in a plethora of ways (Olsen).

Understanding the importance of a family-school partnership is essential in order for school districts and families with children to grow and strive. If an imbalance occurs within any of the various parts that play a key role, difficulties will rise to the surface. Several of these roles include: communication, decision making, volunteering, and learning and parenting at home. All of these factors must work together in order to create a successful school environment in which children are able to learn and strive. When a school is successful in fulfilling each of these roles, there are several benefits. These benefits include: better positive attitudes toward school, higher achievements, better attendance, higher graduation rates, an increase in enrollment rates in post-secondary education, and overall better schools to attend (University of West Virginia).