AFTER SCHOOL CREDENTIAL

Competency A
Lizandra Rivera lrivera@ymcamke.org (910) 467 3503

Competency A: Child/Youth Growth and Development

A.2a Appropriate Practice
Instructions: What factors influence your understanding of developmentally appropriate
practice?
There are so many factors that influence children development. Who they are, what they
are exposed to, where they are from, who are their friends, the experiences they had, lack
of supervision and help they receive, lack of role model or guidance in their lives, too much
stimulation or none at all. Children from the same family can develop so differently.
Childrens needs, perceptions, feeling, and development depend on how much we effectively
create a quality program with their individual perspective in mind. My understandings of
developmentally appropriate practice are based in the following factors:

Each child is an individual with basic human needs. To appropriately help children
develop, I need to know how to meet these basic human needs. Each child needs to
know who he/she is. The sense of self-identity and how we are different from other
people is very important. Part of growing up is learning about the world, but also
about ourselves, who we are, where we belong, and have control of our own life.

Each child has basic human growth and development that are divided in four major
aspects: physical development, social development, self-development, and
intellectual development. Understanding where each child is and how I can help
him/her grow and develop, will help me create my lesson plans, daily routines, and
the environment in my program. Every time I am planning an activity, a game, or a
lesson, I must consider each child in my program. What they can do to learn a new
skill, what they are learning in school, what sports or activities they are participating
in, what things are a challenge and what things they have mastered. These are just
a few things to consider when planning.

Other factors to consider are childrens worries and concerns. Family, friends, school,
how they feel about themselves, media messages, violence and crime, gender roles,
tragedy, death, poverty, and drugs are just a few things children are worried about
and that affect their well-being. Understanding the role these factors play in the lives
of the children in my program can help me appropriately facilitate difficult
discussions, behavior challenges, and provide guidance to children that are scared,
worried, concerned and need my help and understanding.

In my program, I try to understand each child and what factors in their young lives are
affecting their development. I consider the environment, the need of each child, and their
circumstances when planning and preparing my lesson plans. Routines are flexible. The
atmosphere must be welcoming. Children should be able to learn at their pace. In my
program each child is important and I prepare, plan, and execute activities and games with
them in mind.