Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series

To best support children’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development, parents, caregivers, and professionals must meet each child where they are at in their personal learning and development. 

To help guide families in understanding, identifying, and implementing Developmentally Appropriate Practices, ELRC Region 5’s quality partner Trying Together developed the Developmentally Appropriate Parenting (DAP) Series.

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Developmentally Appropriate Practice is the approach early care and education professionals use to teach young children. It is based on knowledge—not assumptions—of how children learn and develop.

As of December 17, 2020, Trying Together has published three parts of the DAP Series, including: 

Part I: Developmentally Appropriate Parenting

To assist parents and caregivers in creating high-quality learning experiences at the earliest stages of their child’s life, the series features digital and print content that provides information on critical early childhood topics. Resources in this part of the series help parents and caregivers incorporate developmentally appropriate activities and methods with their children at home.

Part II: Childhood Physical Health

During the early years of a child’s life, they develop functional skills such as comprehension, language, emotional regulation, and motor skills that act as a foundation for future learning.

When considering the topic of childhood physical health, brain development is influenced by many health-related factors, including nutrition, physical activity, toxic stress, and access to routine medical screenings and wellness exams. The resources in this part of the series helps families explore ways to create and access safe, supportive early environments for young children.

Part III: Child Care

When children have access to high-quality child care, caregivers know that their children are learning in a safe, supportive environment with early learning professionals. However, due to limited slots and increasing costs, many caregivers in Pennsylvania have had a difficult time accessing high-quality programs, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resources in this series help families learn how to identify, access, and afford high-quality child care.

More Information

Resources will continue to be added through 2022 as additional series parts are finalized.