EC-S1: Ability to deliver developmentally appropriate instructional interventions under the direction of a licensed professional for infants and young children ages 0-5 in these domains: cognitive, motor, self-help, sensory, social/play, and speech/language development.

EC-S3: Ability to prepare, adapt, and use developmentally appropriate materials under the direction of a licensed professional.

Introduction

This unit will focus on the implementation of developmentally appropriate practice in the early childhood setting. Developmentally appropriate practice is a phrase you'll hear often in early childhood education. This unit will provide you with an understanding of what developmentally appropriate practice means for paraprofessionals, teachers, children, and their families. As paraprofessionals assist teachers working with children, they should be aware of developmentally appropriate practice—that is, appropriate and effective ways to work with children who vary greatly in behavior and ability. Learning about such practices will help paraprofessionals assist teachers more effectively in their work with children.

The unit offers clear guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice, as well as supporting examples of appropriate and inappropriate practices in the early childhood setting. As a result, you will gain a deeper understanding of the importance of developmentally appropriate practice and how they are implemented in the early childhood setting.

Two important topics related to developmentally appropriate practice are behavioral management, health/hygiene and safety in early childhood programs. Addressing the needs of children who engage in challenging behavior is often a large part of teachers' and paraprofessionals' work in the early childhood setting, and this unit will provide some basic strategies that are used to reinforce appropriate behavior. This unit will also provide you with guidelines for safety, health, and hygiene in early childhood programs.

Objectives

As you read the objectives for this unit, think about and rate your current knowledge using the following scale.

1. I do not understand this.
2. I do understand this.
3. I understand this well enough to use in my work.
4. I could teach others about it and use it in my work.

In this unit, you will:

• Describe the concept of developmentally appropriate practice.
• Describe guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice.
• Describe how developmentally appropriate practices are implemented in the early childhood setting.
• Implement strategies to address the needs of young children who engage in challenging behavior.

The Para eLink is sponsored by the Minnesota Paraprofessional Consortium, in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Education, located at the Institute on Community Integration in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota.

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