Focus on Developmentally Appropriate Practice

As an early childhood educator of 30 years, I found this book to provide great examples of how a developmentally appropriate kindergarten classroom functions. It covers current topics, provides personal examples from educators, and offers research-based insights and ideas for immediate implementation. It supports laughter and play as important aspects of learning. This user-friendly book will serve as a valuable resource for teachers at all experience levels.

—Connie L. Hall, Kindergarten Teacher, 2023 Nevada Teacher of the Year

Kindergarten can be a challenging new environment for both children and adults. Focus on Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Equitable and Joyful Learning in Kindergarten gives practical guidelines for teachers and administrators to ensure that kindergarten is just that—joyful, engaging, and most important, high-quality for all children. As a former kindergarten teacher and now primary school principal, I can attest that this book will be invaluable for both new and veteran educators striving to provide developmentally appropriate practices in kindergarten.

–Jason Sims, Principal, Laurel Hill Primary School

Building on the collective wisdom of veteran kindergarten teachers, this book articulates a wealth of practices, mindsets, and reflections that will help readers understand and thoughtfully apply DAP in their classrooms. Anchored in both research and lived experiences, this book offers teachers compelling approaches they can try out immediately, while simultaneously prompting much-needed reflection about their specific context, past practices, and professional identities. The vignettes of real-world teacher-student interactions are vivid, relatable, and inspiring–bringing each chapter’s key principles to life. This resource is exactly what it needs to be for teachers who wish to enact DAP in their kindergarten classrooms.

—Maleka Donaldson, Associate Professor, Department of Education and Child Study, Smith College

As kindergarten has shifted over the past 30 years, this book emerges as a critical resource for teachers, empowering them to navigate academic and assessment pressures while ensuring joyful, developmentally appropriate experiences that support the whole child’s success . . . for every child. 

—Karyn Allee, Assistant Professor of Education, Mercer University

The information in this resource—which is both practical and theoretical—clearly describes academic and social-emotional skills that children will need for their ongoing success in school, as well as the specific ways that children learn best at kindergarten age. The format of collected pieces makes this a resource teachers will use often. This work is outstanding!

—Monica O’Gara, Founding Faculty, City Neighbors Charter School