As part of Rasmussen College's Early Childhood Education mission statement, we claim that ‘we foster and advocate developmentally and culturally appropriate practice among early childhood professionals. “ It is fundamental to understand the concept of developmentally and culturally appropriate practice. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) profoundly effected early childhood education through the publication of its position statement titled Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Programs (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997). This position statement has become central to the field of early childhood education and is endorsed by most at “best practices” in our field. Bredekamp & Copple’s book has become a well-known resource for early childhood education. Developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) are guidelines that are based on what is known about children and their development, what is known about individual children, and what is known about the social and cultural contexts in which children live. Developmentally appropriate practices are guiding principles that help early childhood teachers facilitate growth and learning. Developmentally appropriate early childhood classrooms involve teachers supporting children through observation and assessment of individual development, and as a result, offering appropriate materials (based on what is known about child development) to meet the needs of each child. For instance, if a toddler teacher observes a particular child using mostly one-word phrases to communicate his needs, she will first know that this is within the range of normal development for a toddler (knowledge of child development). She will also recognize that communication through one-word phrases precedes communication through two-word phrases and sentences. The teacher will respond to the child by supporting his language development and offering opportunities to practice building his language. The teacher will facilitate growth by modeling two-word phrases and sentences. The teacher will also provide opportunities for the child to communicate about things that interest him. Culturally appropriate practices are a part of DAP. They involve teachers using knowledge of the individual child’s social and cultural context to ensure experiences provided to that child are meaningful, relevant, and respectful. In the above example, the teacher would use her knowledge of the child’s family life and home language to nurture the child’s growing verbal skills. She would offer the child picture books with familiar objects for him to build his language skills. She would be meeting his individual needs with respect to his culture while using her knowledge of child development. Developmentally and culturally appropriate practice is responsive education. It is not a precise curriculum. It is a way of thinking about educating young children. Developmentally and culturally appropriate programs are child-initiated, child sensitive, and concentrate on the development of the whole child.