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

The purpose of this position statement is to promote excellence in early childhood education by providing a framework for best practice. Grounded both in the research on child development and learning and in the knowledge base regarding educational effectiveness, the framework outlines practice that promotes young children’s optimal learning and development. Since its first adoption in 1986, this framework has been known as developmentally appropriate practice.

The profession’s responsibility to promote quality in the care and education of young children compels us to revisit regularly the validity and currency of our core knowledge and positions, such as this one on issues of practice. Does the position need modification in light of a changed context? Is there new knowledge to inform the statement? Are there aspects of the existing statement that have given rise to misunderstandings and misconceptions that need correcting?

Over the several years spent in developing this revision, NAEYC invited the comment of early childhood educators with experience and expertise from infancy to the primary grades, including Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8 Note: Throughout this statement, the terms teacher, practitioner, and educator are variously used to refer to those working in the early childhood field. The word teacher is always intended to refer to any adult responsible for the direct care and education of a group of children in any early childhood setting. Included are not only classroom teachers but also infant/toddler caregivers, family child care providers, and specialists in other disciplines who fulfill the role of teacher. In more instances, the term practitioners is intended to also include a program’s administrators. Educators is intended to also include college and university faculty and other teacher trainers. Adopted 2009 Position Statement a late 2006 convening of respected leaders in the field. The result of this broad gathering of views is this updated position statement, which addresses the current context and the relevant knowledge base for developmentally appropriate practice and seeks to convey the nature of such practice clearly and usefully.

This statement is intended to complement NAEYC’s other position statements on practice, which include Early Learning Standards and Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation, as well as the Code of Ethical Conduct and NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria.