Developmentally Appropriate Practice : Curriculum and Development in Early Education

Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Curriculum and Development in Early Education, 3e is a thoughtful and comprehensive reference that is now even more effective with the addition of several new features and enhanced content. The book takes a topical approach and assumes some basic child development knowledge/experience, and is intended as a guide for thoughtful consideration of classroom and caregiver practices. In the first section, developmentally appropriate practice is discussed and explored, including an in-depth, extended section on the theory and research of play. Subsequent sections address environments such as physical, social/emotional, and cognitive/language. The coverage of these important environments is comprehensive and individually addresses appropriate practice for all early childhood age groups. The fifth section moves into a discussion of making changes for the teachers and caregivers and how to gain support for those changes. Well-known curriculum approaches are also explored in-depth, allowing the reader to understand how these approaches fit into the principles of developmentally appropriate practice. Some new features include "What Would You Do?" and "Think About It" sections that encourage further thought and discussion, as well as current reference and reading suggestions to allow the reader to continue the learning process on their own.