Although teachers endorse this pedagogical method, they often struggle with implementation. Professional preparation designed to help teachers implement developmentally appropriate practice can be quite effective. We need to learn more about how to most effectively support teachers' implementation of developmentally appropriate practice. Helping parents understand the link between DAP and basic skill acquisition may prevent potential tensions between parents and teachers over instructional methods. Third, developmentally appropriate practices create a positive classroom climate conducive to children's healthy emotional development.
Emotional development is an area often neglected when making programming decisions.
This literature reminds us that children's emotions and their participation in classroom activities are vitally linked. Fourth, we have only scratched the surface in understanding how developmentally appropriate practices influence children's social development. While developmentally appropriate practices enhance children's social skills in general, additional data are needed to determine how these practices affect other facets of socialization. Classroom practices and children's cognitive development interact in complex ways. In general, child-initiated environments were associated with higher levels of cognitive functioning.