The DAP Debate: Are we Throwing the Baby out with the Bath Water?

Abstract

Responses to the standardised guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice (DAP), as developed by Bredekamp in America, have sparked a debate about the usefulness of DAP as an approach to early childhood education. Australian commentators have joined this debate and are beginning to question the application of DAP in the Australian context. This article attempts to put the DAP debate into perspective by comparing aspects of the American and the Australian perspectives. Understandings of child development as a key determinant of early childhood practice are examined. Problems with detailing and articulating the evolving knowledge base from which early childhood educational practice is drawn are acknowledged. Further, the usefulness of following American trends that may not be applicable to the Australian scene is questioned.