A little DAP will do ya: an often ignored concept is the key to successful programming.(First Steps)(developmentally appropriate practice )

Best practice to a youth librarian is using lost of songs in storytimes for babies and repeating them each week. Best practice is choosing books about trucks and teddy bears for two-year-olds. The early childhood educators among us would be more precise: they would call these strategies developmentally appropriate practice.

One of the most important ingredients of successful library programming for young children has not been discussed thoroughly in library literature. The concept of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) originated with early childhood educators. It was developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in 1986 and …