Explaining Developmentally Appropriate Practices to Families
What are some simple ways to explain developmentally appropriate practice to parents? For example, parents sometimes ask, “Why aren’t you teaching my kid how to read?”
Share that research from the best universities confirms some of these points:
1. Younger children have different learning processes than older children.
2. Developmentally appropriate practice is about making sure children have fun so that they will learn. Preschoolers can’t learn on demand—they learn because they want to.
3. Teachers take play really seriously. We use play intentionally to ensure each child makes progress toward specific learning goals.
4. Teachers use documentation to show children’s progress (like drawings, photos, or notes comparing what a child did at the beginning of the year to work done later in the year).
Social & Emotional Practices
Examples of relationship-based practices for working with families
Social and emotional development is the foundation for all learning and development. Research tells us that social and emotional development in the early years can impact many aspects of a child’s life, including school, interpersonal relationships and even their physical health as an adult.
The National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI) developed this tool to help ECE professionals, because practices that support the family-child relationship support the child’s social and emotional development.