NAEYC'S DAP Position Regarding Diversity

The ‘National Association for the Education of Young Children’ (NAEYC) is an association that oversees early childhood education in the United States. It represents teachers, center directors, educators, trainers, families of children, advocates, and policymakers among others. The role of NAEYC is to improve young children with emphasis on education quality and developmental services throughout the early childhood period (Grisham-Brown et al. 2017). The discussion will analyze position statements of NAEYC regarding developmentally appropriate practice, linguistic and cultural diversity, and finally the recommendations for effective early childhood education.

NAEYC Position Statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Developmentally appropriate practice is a teaching approach based on research that focuses on children development and effective early education. It emphasizes on the promotion of the optimal learning of young children and their overall development. The practice involves teachers engaging with young children at different stages of development helping them meet various learning goals, both challenging and achievable. The developmentally appropriate practice has three main core considerations. The first consideration is about having the knowledge about the development and learning of the child. It involves understanding what is needed at every age and stage of the child's development. It helps in knowing the kind of experiences that are best suited for the learning and development of the child. The second consideration is the knowledge of what is individually appropriate for the child. This helps in the development of techniques that can help teachers to handle every child individually. It involves knowing the child's abilities, interests, and their development progress. Thirdly, knowledge of what is culturally important is vital. It requires knowing the families of the children and understanding the factors, expectations, and values that shape the lives of the children both at home and in the communities. The NAEYC position statement highlights the position of the association with regards to issues on early childhood education, professional development, and policymaking. The position statements are created through a consensus. Several position statements define the developmentally appropriate practice. The first statement is on reducing the achievement gap. The learning opportunities in the United States frequently vary depending on the socioeconomic status of the family, language background, ethnicity, and race among others. Such disparities in education have a serious outcome on the education of the child and the society as a whole. Therefore, the childhood educators have a primary priority of bridging the gaps to mitigate the disparities. The second position is on the development of an effective, comprehensive curriculum. A curriculum must be developed that focuses on the cognitive, cognitive, emotional, and physical development. In developing an effective curriculum, several factors such as children's ability, understanding, and rate of learning must be put into consideration. The third most important position is based on improving the quality of teaching and learning. These are determined by the interrelationship between the teacher and the children, developing an appropriate curriculum, the children’s involvement in extra curriculum activities, and the teacher’s involvement in professional development.

NAEYC Position Statement on Responding To Linguistic and Cultural Diversity

Linguistic and cultural diversity involves the enrollment of children who are non-English proficient or have a limited English proficiency in education programs. It includes children who are from communities where English is not used or regarded as the main language of communication. Many children that are beneficiaries of the early childhood programs are from different cultural, ethnic, and language backgrounds. Therefore, for such children to learn and develop well, professionals in the education field must be ready to deal with their diversity in a way that promotes educational development. In their position statement, several recommendations have been put forward to deal with the cultural and linguistic diversity.  It is vital first to understand that children are connected to the culture and language of their home. This will, in turn, strengthen between the family of the children and the school hence creating a conducive learning environment.  Secondly, it is very crucial for the teachers to acknowledge and understand that children can demonstrate their capabilities and knowledge in various ways. Therefore, the main focus of the educators should be on utilizing the potential of the children and strengthening their skills amidst linguistic and cultural diversity. Thirdly, the teachers must understand that the learning environment and their input are vital in the learning of the second language. Parents should also adequately be involved in the learning of their children. Teachers should also make attempts to study the community of the learners in a bid to understand the cultural demands. It is also imperative for the teachers to figure out that the learners can master the use of English language even if their native language is used. Efforts should also be made to preserve and support the utilization of the home language.

Recommendations for Effective Early Childhood Development

The first proposal to enhance the childhood development is building positive relationships. Such a relationship will improve the children's worth and increase a sense of belonging in the community, a factor that will develop the children into responsible members of the society. A curriculum should be developed that seeks to develop children socially, emotionally, and physically. The curriculum also promotes the language and cognitive development of the children. Also, it enables the teachers to develop programs and activities that can maximize the potential of the children. The teaching approaches and programs used by the educators must be developmental, linguistically and culturally appropriate to ensure that the children learn holistically. The assessment of the progress of the child should be key to providing vital information of the child with regards to their learning and development. The evaluation process can be used as a basis for making decisions and improving programs. It can also allow teachers to tailor programs that specifically address the challenges of each child.

Reference

Grisham-Brown, J., Hemmeter, M. L., & Pretti-Frontczak, K. (2017). Blended practices for teaching young children in inclusive settings. Brookes Publishing Company.