What Is DAP?

More From the Field

In this clip Diana McGawley, an intervention specialist, emphasizes the importance of a developmental perspective.

Critical Thinking Question

Why should teachers be concerned about “pushing” children academically?

DAP is not a curriculum but a framework for how to think about curriculum in a way that takes into account what we know about how young children grow and learn. The concept behind DAP is that it should support children’s individual needs and interests in accordance with what they are physically and mentally ready to learn (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009). Principles of child development that inform DAP include the following:

All areas of development are important and interrelated.
Development is sequential but uneven.
Individual children develop at varying rates.
Maturation and experience are interactional.
Sensitive (optimal) periods create windows of opportunity for the most effective introduction of concepts and materials.
Development proceeds from simple to complex, concrete to abstract.
Children need secure, consistent relationships.
Multiple sociocultural influences may be found within any group of children.
Children exhibit a variety of learning styles and preferences.
Play is necessary and important to children’s healthy development.
Children’s learning should be supported with teacher scaffolding.
There is a relationship between approaches to learning and the development of positive dispositions. (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009)

Essentially, five elements characterize a developmentally appropriate curriculum. First, it supports the creation of a caring community where all are safe, valued, and respected. Second, it balances adult-guided and child-initiated learning opportunities through careful planning, good decision making, scaffolding, and attention to individual needs. Third, a developmentally appropriate curriculum includes clear goals, prioritizes integrated learning, and provides a useful framework for planning daily activities. Fourth, a developmentally appropriate curriculum uses multiple ongoing assessment strategies that are goal oriented, systematic, and purposeful. Finally, a high priority of DAP is to build reciprocal, open, and supportive relationships with families (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009).