D is for Developmentally Appropriate Practice

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Hey y’all! Welcome back to your Advocacy Alphabet. My name is Natasha Kile, and I’m your AECA Public Policy Chair. And this time, we’re talking about D is for Developmentally Appropriate Practice.

I know that you’ve heard it a hundred times, maybe you’ve said it yourself: “We use developmentally appropriate practice in our classroom.” But when a parent asks you why you’re not sending home worksheets, or an administrator questions why your kindergarteners are still spending time in centers, can you explain it clearly, confidently, without second-guessing yourself?

If that question made you a little uncomfortable, you’re not alone. And that discomfort, it’s actually worth paying attention to. Because the ability to articulate why we do what we do is one of the most powerful advocacy tools that we have.

Developmentally appropriate practice, or DAP, is the framework established by NAEYC that guides early childhood educators in making decisions based on three things:

1. What we know about child development and learning.
2. What we know about each individual child.
3. And what we know about the social and cultural context in which children live.

It’s not a curriculum. It’s not a philosophy that ignores academics. It’s a professional lens, grounded in decades of research, that helps us meet children where they are and move them forward.

Here’s why this matters beyond your classroom. When we can’t explain DAP in plain language, other people fill that void. Politicians, curriculum vendors, and well-meaning but misinformed voices start defining best practice for us. And when that happens, children pay the price.

So practice saying it out loud:

“We follow the child’s lead because research tells us that’s how learning sticks.”

“We use play-based approaches because they build the executive function skills children need for lifelong success.”

“We don’t rush development. We support it.”

You don’t need a script. You need conviction and the knowledge to back it up. Both of those things you already have. DAP isn’t just what we do. It’s what we stand for. And it’s worth defending. I’ll see you next time.

Do you have an advocacy story you’d like to share? I would love to feature your voice in a future column. Reach out to me at policy@arkansasearlychildhood.org.

p.s. You can find all the posts in the Advocacy Alphabet series here

Natasha Kile
AECA Public Policy Chair