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Part 1 Organizing a Quality Child Care Program
• the choice of equipment and activities
• the daily schedule
• expected behaviors of the children
The director and staff must all share the same philosophy for a program
to operate smoothly. Most trained adults find it impossible to work in a
program that is in conflict with their beliefs about what is good for children, 2-13.
Developmentally Appropriate Practices
This book is based on NAEYC’s recommended curriculum guidelines referred to as
developmentally appropriate practices. It has been developed by child development
specialists and early childhood professionals from the theories and research of the field.
This approach incorporates elements from the following philosophies:
• maturationalist—children develop according to predictable biological patterns
and increase in competence when the environment supports this development
• interactionalist—children learn through their interactions with the environment
• constructivist—children construct their knowledge of the world through
having a wide range of concrete experiences in a variety of areas
All aspects of programs following this approach are planned to be both age appro-
priate and individually appropriate, meeting the needs of each child in the group.
Programs based on developmentally appropriate practices are concerned about the
development of the whole child—cognitive, social, emotional, and physical.
Montessori Schools
Most Montessori Schools are privately
owned and operated. They follow a specific phi-
losophy and curriculum developed by Dr. Maria
Montessori in Italy around l908. These programs
use special equipment designed to help children
develop their sensory awareness and cognitive
skills. Daily activities include practical life expe-
riences, such as table washing and shoe shining.
The sensory equipment includes such items as
letters covered in sandpaper. Children rub their
fingers over the letters to develop a “feel” for the
letter. Smelling jars are also found in the pro-
gram. Children must match two sets of covered
jars that contain items with common odors. For
example, from the two sets of jars, the children
must match the ones that have the same odor.
As children progress, specific activities designed
to prepare children for reading, writing, arith-
metic, and geography are introduced.
2-13 This staff works effectively together, in
part, because they all have the same beliefs
about what is good for children.