Focus on Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Eva C. Phillips

ISBN 10: 195233134X / ISBN 13: 9781952331343

Published by National Association for the Education of Young Children, US, 2025

About this Item

If you've ever wondered how effective teachers actually do DAP in kindergarten, this is the book for you. You will see how kindergarten educators provide integrated learning opportunities that you can adapt to create a robust learning environment that is play oriented and supportive of required mandates and expectations. You'll read about educators making intentional decisions in key areas of practice, which form the six guidelines for DAP in action:Building a strengths-based community where everyone is welcomed and supported to grow and learnFacilitating reciprocal partnerships with familiesObserving, assessing, and documenting children's learning and developmentUsing teaching strategies that enhance learning for each childImplementing curriculum tied to meaningful learning goalsDemonstrating professionalismThis book will inspire you to apply these guidelines to establish goals and create learning experiences that fit who and where your students are and advocate for practices and environments that facilitate equitable, joyful learning for all kindergartners.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781952331343

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Focus on Developmentally Appropriate Practice
• Publisher: National Association for the Education of Young Children, US
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 195233134X
• ISBN 13: 9781952331343
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

What does a developmentally appropriate, equitable approach to teaching kindergarten look like? This book offers an accessible exploration of educator practice in real kindergarten classrooms. Each section of the book includes a range of classroom examples that address key topics and highlight diverse settings and contributors. Readers peek into classrooms around the country to see how teachers make intentional decisions to provide equitable learning for each child, based on their community’s specific contexts (those of the children, families, teachers, school, and wider community). Showcases how educators support math learning, literacy development, social and emotional development, and more in playful, joyful environments based on learning goals and standards. Educators can use the content as a model to adapt and put into practice in their own classrooms. 

 Chapters address the six DAP guidelines and include the following: 

• A brief overview of the guidelines
• Select articles from NAEYC’s peer-reviewed periodical, Young Children, and new content that showcase excellent practice related to the guideline 

About the Author

Eva C. Phillips, EdD, supports early learning educators through professional development, consulting, and coaching. She provided nearly 40 years of service to North Carolina’s students and educators as a kindergarten teacher, state Title I preschool and kindergarten consultant, assistant professor and Birth-Kindergarten Education Program Coordinator, and district program manager for early learning. She co-created and co-facilitated the NC Power of K?Teacher Leader Initiative and served as president of the North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children from 2009 to 2013. Dr. Phillips is coauthor of the book Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Kindergartners and of the white paper?Children Come First.  

 

Amy Scrinzi, EdD, has more than 30 years’ experience in the field of education as a classroom teacher, consultant, mentor, and author. She is assistant professor of child development at Meredith College in North Carolina, also serving as the coordinator of its birth-to-kindergarten licensure program. A former classroom teacher in pre-K through third grade, Dr. Scrinzi developed and facilitated projects that included co-leading the state’s?Power of K?3-year kindergarten teacher leadership initiative.?She also served as a K-2 math consultant, state lead for the North Carolina Kindergarten Entry Assessment, and mentor for nonpublic pre-K teachers seeking a teaching license.?She is coauthor of the book Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Kindergartners. 

 

 Series editor 

 Susan Friedman is senior director of publishing and content development at NAEYC. In this role, she leads the content development work of NAEYC’s books and periodicals teams. Ms. Friedman is coeditor of Each and Every Child: Teaching Preschool with an Equity Lens. She has extensive prior experience creating content on play, developmentally appropriate uses of media, and other topics for educators and families. She has presented at numerous educational conferences, including NAEYC’s Professional Learning Institute and Annual Conference, the South by Southwest Education (SXSW EDU) Conference & Festival, and the School Superintendents Association’s Early Learning Cohort. She began her career as a preschool teacher at City and Country School in New York City. She holds degrees from Vassar College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.