10 Effective DAP Teaching Strategies
This webpage offers developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) strategies. Effective teachers consider what the children already know, what they can do, and the learning goals for the specific situation to choose a strategy.
Publisher: National Association for the Education of Young Children
Approaches to Learning
This webpage centers on the Approaches to Learning domain focusing on how children learn. It refers to the skills and behaviors that children use to engage in learning. It incorporates teaching practices for the sub-domains of emotional behavioral self-regulation, cognitive self-regulation, initiative and curiosity, and creativity.
Publication Date: Updated October 2024
Publisher: HeadStart.org
Arizona Department of Education AT Short Term Loan Library
Arizona Department of Education, Exceptional Student Services works in partnership with Northern Arizona University Institute for Human Development Arizona Technology Access Program to make available at no cost, a wide variety of assistive technology devices, equipment, software and professional development materials to school personnel to improve access to assistive technology.
Publisher: Arizona Department of Education
Assistive Technology Short Term Loan Library
A wide variety of assistive technology devices, equipment, software, and professional development materials are available free of charge to Arizona school personnel.
Publisher: Arizona Department of Education
Boosting Early Literacy Through Content-Rich Instruction
A new study explores how integrating a content-rich approach to early literacy instruction can accelerate learning in kindergarten. An infographic highlights key findings from a curriculum that uses science and social studies to build vocabulary and comprehension.
Publication Date: 2025
Publisher: National Center on Improving Literacy
Case Studies of Schools Implementing Early Elementary Strategies: Preschool Through Third Grade Alignment and Differentiated Instruction
This study examined two types of strategies, aligning instruction from preschool through grade 3 and differentiated instruction, that preliminary literature searches revealed as promising practices to support children’s learning in early elementary school.
Prepared by: Karen Manship, Jonathan Farber, Claire Smith, and Katie Drummond
Publication Date: December 2016
Publisher: American Institutes for Research
Child Development: Brain Building
This module focuses on children's brain building and development through the topics of Brain Building Basics, the Brain and Learning, and Stress and the Brain. Discover the process of typical brain development, the impact of the child’s environment, and how educators can support healthy development.
Publication Date: December 2020
Publisher: HeadStart.org
DEC Recommended Practices
The practices were developed to provide guidance to practitioners and families about the most effective ways to improve the learning outcomes and promote the development of young children, birth through five years of age, who have or are at-risk for developmental delays or disabilities. This document bridges the gap between research and practice by highlighting those practices that have been shown to result in better outcomes for young children with disabilities, their families, and the
personnel who serve them.
Publication Date: April 2014
Publisher: Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children
Digital Resources in Early Childhood Literacy Development
This research brief discusses how careful, intentional, and developmentally appropriate use of digital texts and tools can build young children’s language and literacy skills while providing young children with opportunities to deepen their understanding about the forms and functions of digital text in meaning making.
Publication Date: 2019
Publisher: International Literacy Association
Early Childhood Behavior Management: Developing and Teaching Rules
This module includes information on how to create developmentally appropriate behavior rules for early childhood classrooms so that they link to a given school's behavior expectations. The importance of communication with families about rules and expected behaviors is also stressed.
Publisher: IRIS Center, Vanderbilt University
Early Childhood Environments: Designing Effective Classrooms
This module, a DEC-recommended resource, offers information on how to set up effective comprehensive early childhood classroom environments for young children. It also provides details about the interrelated physical, social, and temporal components of those environments, as well as adaptations to help teachers meet the needs of children with disabilities.
Publisher: The Iris Center, Vanderbilt University
Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five
This framework describes the skills, behaviors, and knowledge that programs must foster in all children. It is grounded in a comprehensive body of research about what young children should know and be able to do to succeed in school. It describes how children progress across key areas of learning and development and specifies learning outcomes in these areas.
Publisher: HeadStart.gov
Highly Individualized Teaching and Learning
These 15-minute In-service Suites are a professional development resource for staff in busy, active early childhood centers and programs. They are organized around one topic or big idea and address effective teaching and assessment practices.
Publication Date: Updated May 2025
Publisher: HeadStart.gov
How Will I Know Before It’s Too Late? Screening in Early Grades
A main goal of multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) is to identify and intervene early with students who are struggling. This article breaks down how to identify struggling students who need intervention.
Author: Allison Gruner Gandhi
Publication Date: January 2019
Publisher: Center on Multi-Tiered Systems of Support at the American Institutes for Research
Implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support with Dr. Brittney Bills
Dr. Brittney Bills explains what MTSS is and how it centers on prevention rather than intervention. She talks about the intersection of universal screening data and MTSS and provides advice on evidence-based strategies and techniques to make a positive impact in the classroom. Using examples from her own district, Dr. Bills discusses avoiding burnout, learning to use data, and the process of ongoing improvement.
Speaker: Brittney Bills
Publication Date: April 2022
Publisher: Science of Reading: The Podcast
Joyful Reading and Creative Expression with Young Children: Planning Guide
This guide provides help for planning read aloud lessons that will engage children in critical thinking and discussions. It includes planning extension activities that will unleash children’s innate creativity, cultivate their emotional intelligence, and promote their language and literacy development.
Author: Pam Spycher
Publication Date: November 2021
Publisher: Regional Educational Laboratory at WestEd
Mathematics and Science in Preschool: Policy and Practice
This report addresses the development of mathematics and science understanding in preschool children, reviews the current knowledge base on educational practices in these domains, identifies areas that require further study, and outlines recommendations for early education policy in mathematics and science.
Authors: Kimberly Brenneman, Judi Stevenson-Boyd and Ellen Frede
Publication Date: August 2023
Publisher: National Institute for Early Education Research
More than Fun and Games: Digital Technologies and Children's Learning
This webinar features a discussion about technology in the preschool classroom. Listen as presenters talk about media and screen time for children. See how technology can be used to add to children’s learning, encourage social interaction, and to increase children’s technology skills.
Publication Date: Updated May 2024
Publisher: HeadStart.gov
Neuroscience and Early Literacy
Dr. Bruce McCandliss discusses combining neuroscience with education by answering: How does neuroscience help us understand the changes going on in the brain of a child learning to read? and Why do some children struggle so profoundly? He shares his research into focusing the student’s attention on letters and sounds versus on the word as a whole.
Speaker: Bruce McCandiss
Publication Date: March 2020
Publisher: Science of Reading: The Podcast
Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development
This webpage extends information on the perceptual, motor, and physical development foundations for children’s learning in all domains. Effective teaching practices are included for the sub-domains of perception, gross motor, fine motor, and health, safety, and nutrition.
Publication Date: Updated September 2024
Publisher: HeadStart.org
Position Statement on Challenging Behavior and Young Children
This statement provides a position summary on the identification of and intervention with challenging behavior and offers recommendations about positive approaches to prevent and address challenging behavior.
Publication Date: July 2017
Publishers: Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children
Position Statement on Multitiered System of Support Framework in Early Childhood
This position statement has been developed by the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children. The purpose of the revised statement is to define an early childhood multitiered system of support (MTSS) framework and to promote a broader understanding and discussion of the implications for young children, their families, and those who serve them.
Publication Date: 2021
Publisher: Division for Early Childhood
Preparing Young Children for School
This practice guide compiles comprehensible and practical recommendations for preschool educators to use to help prepare children for school. Recommendations cover practices to improve children’s social-emotional and executive function skills, practices for helping children understand foundational topics in mathematics, and ways to improve children’s vocabulary, letter knowledge, print recognition, and comprehension.
Authors: Margaret Burchinal, Karen Bierman, Jorge Gonzalez, Megan McClelland, Kimberly Nelson, Jill Pentimonti, David Purpura, Jason Sachs, Julie Sarama, Elizabeth Schlesinger-Devlin, and Julie Washington
Publication Date: August 2022
Publisher: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of
Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education
Service Coordination in Early Intervention
This position statement acknowledges the importance of early intervention service coordinators and details the knowledge, skills, administrative support, professional development, and resources they need to provide the highest quality services to children and families.
Publication Date: December 2020
Publishers: Division for Early Childhood and IDEA Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association
Summer '22 Rewind: Research, Comprehension, and Content-Rich Literacy Instruction: Sonia Cabell
Sonia Cabell shares findings from her research trials on content-rich literacy curricula and discusses whether activating students’ background knowledge alongside explicit phonics instruction is more effective than the traditional approaches. She describes what constitutes “compelling evidence” in the Science of Reading and explains why students need to interact with both written and spoken language while learning to read.
Speaker: Sonia Cabell
Publication Date: July 2022
Publisher: Science of Reading: The Podcast
Summer '22 Rewind: The Symbiotic Relationship Between Literacy and Science with Jacquey Barber
Jacquey Barber discusses her research on the symbiotic relationship between literacy and science and what educators should be looking for in high-quality, literacy-rich science curricula. She goes into strategies for engaging students, including the do, talk, read, write model, then ends the episode by highlighting the many ways science supports reading.
Speaker: Jacquey Barber
Publication Date: July 2022
Publisher: Science of Reading: The Podcast
Tackling Challenging Behaviors with Insight
This video shares innovative approaches to building a positive classroom environment. These strategies include how to use music and movement for joy, fun, and increased focus; how to turn transitions into meaningful parts of the day; and how to inspire the desire to behave well.
Publication Date: November 2023
Publisher: National Had Start Association
Teaching Tools for Young Children
This guide offers a straightforward resource for practitioners and coaches to support children who struggle with challenging behavior in routines and activities. It suggests specific step-by-step strategies for practitioners to consider when they know the purpose of a child’s challenging behavior.
Publication Date: June 2025
Publisher: National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations
The Importance of Music in Early Childhood
This video features teachers and music educators discussing how music supports children's development in a variety of areas and the importance of supporting musical development in early childhood.
Publication Date: June 2023
Publisher: Center for Early Childhood Education at Eastern Connecticut State University
The UDL Guidelines
This new iteration of UDL Guidelines is a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all students based on scientific insights into how children learn. The goal of UDL is learner agency that is purposeful and reflective, resourceful and authentic, and strategic and action-oriented.
Publication Date: July 2024
Publisher: CAST
Understanding Trauma in an Early Childhood Context
This webinar explores what trauma is and how to recognize its signs and symptoms in young children. Experts discuss strategies to promote resilience in children and the adults who care for them. Additional resources are included.
Publication Date: Updated March 2025
Publisher: HeadStart.gov
Using Ongoing Child Assessment to Support Effective Teaching Practices
This video explains strategies for collecting, analyzing, and using data to inform and improve preschool teaching practices. It explores ways to share ongoing assessment data regularly with families and other teachers as children transition from Head Start to another preschool program or kindergarten.
Publication Date: Updated May 2024
Publisher: HeadStart.gov
Visual Supports for Routines, Schedules, and Transitions
This document provides visual supports to help children learn new skills and prevent challenging behavior, help young children learn and follow routines by helping them understand what is happening “now” and what is going to happen “next,” serve as reminders for verbal directions, and help children know exactly what is expected of them.
Publication Date: September 2020
Publisher: National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations
Webinar: Tackling Challenging Behaviors
This webinar shares three innovative approaches to the classroom environment with strategies that mitigate challenging behaviors and increase positive interactions. Experts share how to make transitions a meaningful part of the day; how to use movement to increase focus; and how to inspire the desire to behave well.
Publication Date: September 2022
Publisher: National Head Start Association