Developmentally Appropriate Practice The concept of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) has been
associated specifically with the education of infants, toddlers, and young children,
and is championed by the National Association for Education of Young Children.
However, it is relevant to the education of learners of any age. You may wish
to visit any of a number of web sites, in addition to that of NAEYC (http://www.naeyc.org). NAEYC position statement on developmentally appropriate practice (July 1996) http://www.naeyc.org ERIC Digest summary of research on application of developmentally appropriate
practice http://ericps.ed.uiuc.edu/eece/pubs/digests/1997/dunn97.html
National Education Goals You may wish to access information concerning educational reform and consider
how those efforts consider developmental characteristics and the needs of children
and youth. National Education Goals http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/math/ma1edgol.htm National Education Goals, Summary of Progress http://www.ed.gov/G2K/
Cognitive Development Theories The following websites provide insights into cognitive development theories
and their most important theorists: Jean Piaget http://www.unige.ch/piaget/ L. S. Vygotsky http://snycorva.cortland.edu/~ANDERSMD/VYG/VYG.HTML
Reggio Emilia Approaches The following will give more information on the Reggio Emilia approach to the
education of young children "The Reggio Amilia Approach" http://www.cmu.edu/cyert-center/reggio.htm "Reflections on the Reggio Amilia Approach" http://ericps.crc.uiuc.edu/eece/pubs/books/reggio.html
Middle Schools Contact these web sites for research and other information concerning middle
school education: National Middle School Association http://www.nmsa.org/ Middle School Commentary http://www.angelfire.com/mo/drmtch/
History of Kindergarten An excellent site on which to explore the history of kindergarten is the "History
of Kindergarten Page" at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Column/6920/History.htm
Children's Defense Fund This web site provides a great deal of information on the status and condition
of children in the United States. http://www.childrensdefense.org/
Head Start Programs For the history, values and goals of Head Start, see the Head Start page. http://www.ilheadstart.org/history.html
For research on Head Start Programs, see http://www2.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/hsb/research/
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2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education