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Focus on Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Equitable and Joyful Learning in Kindergarten

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Eva C. Phillips, Amy Scrinzi, Susan Friedman

About the Book听

If you鈥檝e ever wondered how effective teachers actually do DAP in kindergarten, this is the book for you. You will see how kindergarten educators provide integrated learning opportunities that you can adapt to create a robust learning environment that is play oriented and supportive of required mandates and expectations.听
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You鈥檒l read about educators making intentional decisions in key areas of practice, which form the six guidelines for DAP in action:听
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  1. Building a strengths-based community where everyone is welcomed and supported to grow and learn听
  2. Facilitating reciprocal partnerships with families听
  3. Observing, assessing, and documenting children鈥檚 learning and development 听
  4. Using teaching strategies that enhance learning for each child听
  5. Implementing curriculum tied to meaningful learning goals听
  6. Demonstrating professionalism听
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This book will inspire you to apply these guidelines to establish goals and create learning experiences that fit who and where your students are and advocate for practices and environments that facilitate equitable, joyful learning for all kindergartners.听

Table of Contents

  • About the Editors
  • Focus on Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Equitable and Joyful Learning Book Series
  • Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction
  • Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Kindergarten
  • Part 1: Creating a Caring, Equitable Community of Learners
    • Chapter 1: Successful Transitions to and out of Kindergarten: Supporting Children and Families | Eva Phillips and Amy Scrinzi
    • Chapter 2: Routines, Rituals, and Mantras for Building a Joyful Classroom in Kindergarten: Reflections from Our Small Mountain Community Classrooms | Lee Messer and Marylee Sease
    • Chapter 3: Supporting Self鈥慠egulation and Autonomy in Kindergarten: One Teacher鈥檚 Journey | Amy D. Blessing
    • Chapter 4: How Do I See Myself? How Do Others See Me? Exploring Identity in Kindergarten | Doriet Berkowitz
    • Chapter 5: Becoming Upended: Teaching and Learning About Race and Racism with Young Children and Their Families | Kirsten Cole and Diandra Verwayne
  • Part 2: Engaging in Reciprocal Partnerships with Families and Fostering Community Connections
  • Part 3: Observing, Documenting, and Assessing Children鈥檚 Development and Learning
    • Chapter 10: Authentic Assessment and Playful Learning: Purposeful Assessment of Children鈥檚 Understanding | Kimberly T. Nesbitt, Elias Blinkoff, and Kathy Hirsh鈥慞asek
    • Chapter 11: Observing, Planning, Guiding: How an Intentional Teacher Meets Standards Through Play | Patricia McDonald
    • Chapter 12: Assessment in Kindergarten: Meeting Children Where They Are | Amy D. Blessing
    • Chapter 13:听Assessing Young Children in the Inclusive Classroom: Using Data to Create Equitable and Joyful Learning Experiences for All | Christan Coogle and Heather Walter
    • Chapter 14: Adding Play and Hands鈥慜n Learning into the Kindergarten Classroom: Balancing Mandated Curricula and Assessments with Developmentally Appropriate Practice | Kacey Edgington and Amy Prosser
  • Part 4: Teaching to Enhance Each Child鈥檚 Development and Learning
  • Part听5: Planning and Implementing an Engaging Curriculum to Achieve Meaningful Goals
    • Chapter 21: Engaging and Enriching: The Key to Developmentally Appropriate Academic Rigor | Shannon Riley鈥慉yers and Alexandra Figueras鈥慏aniel
    • Chapter 22: Incorporating Play鈥態ased Learning into the Kindergarten Classroom | Margi Bhansali, Alli Bizon, and Erean Mei
    • Chapter 23: Finding Joy in Kindergarten Mathematics | Lauren Solarski
    • Chapter 24: Joyful and Equity in Literacy: The Intersection of Access and Opportunity | Ryan Lee鈥慗ames and Stacey Wallen
    • Chapter 25: Adapting the Curriculum to Incorporate Student Inquiry Through Teachable Moments | Sabrina Burroughs
  • Part听6: Demonstrating Professionalism as an Early Childhood Educator
    • Chapter 26: Portraits of Teacher Leadership | Jessica Jackson, Samantha Mehrlich, Yolanda A. Sawyer, and Susan Choplin
    • Chapter 27: Agency and Power in Young Children鈥檚 Lives: Five Ways to Advocate for Social Justice as an Early Childhood Educator | Jennifer Keys Adair and Shubhi Sachdeva
  • Index

References

Chapter references (online only)

Study Guide

Chapter-by-chapter study guide

Book Details

Product Code:听1173
ISBN:听978-1-952331-34-3
Publish Date: 2024
Citation (in Chicago 17th ed. style):听
Phillips, E.C., & A. Scrinzi,听eds. 2024. Focus on Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Equitable and Joyful Learning in Kindergarten.听Washington, DC: 51吃瓜网.

Related Resources

To read the position statement, access related听resources, and stay up-to-the-minute on all things DAP, visit听51吃瓜网.org/resources/developmentally-appropriate-practice.

Audience: Student (higher education), Teacher
Age: Kindergarten
Topics: Child Development, Other Topics, Developmentally Appropriate Practice
Eva C. Phillips

Eva C. Phillips,听EdD, is dedicated to teaching and advocating for young children and early childhood educators. Throughout her almost 40 years of service to North Carolina, she served as a kindergarten teacher, a state鈥憀evel Title I preschool and kindergarten consultant, an assistant professor and Birth鈥慘indergarten Education Program Coordinator, and a district鈥憀evel program manager for early learning. She has collaborated on numerous projects supporting developmentally appropriate practices and was cocreator and cofacilitator of North Carolina鈥檚
Power of K Teacher Leader Initiative while at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Dr. Phillips also served as president of the North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children from 2009 to 2013. After retiring from the state in 2017, she began a consulting business to support early learning educators through professional development, consulting, and coaching. She is coauthor of the book Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Kindergartners and the white paper Children Come First: Ensuring School Policies, Practices, and Strategies Lead to Positive 3rd Grade Outcomes. She is dedicated to working with educators in their pursuits to provide the most authentic, appropriate, engaging, and challenging experiences for all young children.

Eva C. Phillips
Amy Scrinzi

Amy Scrinzi,听EdD, is an accomplished educator with extensive experience in the field of education spanning more than 30 years. She holds the position of assistant professor of child development at Meredith College in North Carolina. In addition, she serves as the coordinator of the birth鈥憈o鈥慿indergarten licensure program, overseeing and guiding aspiring educators in
their journey to become licensed educators. Dr. Scrinzi is a former classroom teacher of pre鈥慘 through third grade, having taught in several public school districts in North Carolina. She later worked at the state鈥檚 Department of Public Instruction as a state鈥憀evel early childhood education consultant, developing and facilitating projects that included coleading the state鈥檚 Power of K three鈥憏ear kindergarten teacher leadership initiative. She also served as a state鈥憀evel K鈥�2 math consultant, state lead for the North Carolina Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA), and state鈥憀evel mentor for nonpublic pre鈥慘 teachers seeking a birth鈥憈o鈥慿indergarten teaching license. She is coauthor of the book Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Kindergartners. Her experience as a classroom teacher, consultant, mentor, and author has equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of early childhood education, and she remains dedicated to supporting teachers鈥� use of effective practices that align with the developmental needs of young learners.

a portrait of author amy scrinzi
Susan Friedman

Susan Friedman is senior director of听publishing听and content development at 51吃瓜网.听In this role, she leads the content development work of 51吃瓜网鈥檚 books and periodicals teams. Ms. Friedman is coeditor of Each and Every Child: Teaching Preschool with an Equity Lens. She has extensive prior experience creating content on play, developmentally appropriate uses of media, and other topics for educators and families. She has presented at numerous educational conferences, including 51吃瓜网鈥檚 Professional Learning Institute and Annual Conference, the South by Southwest Education (SXSW EDU) Conference & Festival, and the School Superintendents Association鈥檚 Early Learning Cohort. She began her career as a preschool teacher at City and Country School in New York City.听She holds degrees from Vassar College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Reviews

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. 听
鈥�Connie L. Hall, Kindergarten Teacher, 2023 Nevada Teacher of the Year 听
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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鈥攋oyful, 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. 听
鈥�Jason Sims, Principal, Laurel Hill Primary School 听
听听
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听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鈥揵ringing 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. 听
鈥�Maleka Donaldson, Associate Professor, Department of Education and Child Study, Smith College 听
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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鈥檚 success . . . for every child. 听
鈥�Karyn Allee, Assistant Professor of Education, Mercer University 听
听听
The information in this resource鈥攚hich is both practical and theoretical鈥攃learly 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.鈥疶his work is outstanding! 听
鈥�Monica O鈥橤ara, Founding Faculty, City Neighbors Charter School 听
Cover of Focus on Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Equitable and Joyful Learning in Kindergarten
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