Recognizing the Centrality of Cultural Diversity and Racial Equity: Beginning a Discussion and Critical Reflection on Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Child care standards in both the United States and Canada are in large measure based upon those set out in the document of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) entitled Developmentally Appropriate Practice in early childhood education programs (DAP; Bredekamp & Copple, 1997). This document is intended for "administrators, teachers, parents, policy makers, and others who make decisions about the care and education of young children" (p. 3). The principles of DAP and their alleged knowledge base shape the ways child care is delivered in North America in broad areas from legislation to teacher training to teacher-child interaction. The revised edition of this document (1997) is motivated, in part, by a recognition of the increasing cultural, racial, and linguistic diversity in the child and family population. The previous edition (Bredekamp, 1987) had discussed cultural context as part of individual differences but did not focus on the effects of context.