A key component of developmentally appropriate practice is family and community engagement. Developmentally appropriate decision-making requires that providers know children and their families well. They need to know about the social and cultural contexts in which children live. They need to know children as individuals — their strengths, experiences, interests, and abilities. Families are the best and most accurate sources of information about their children’s development and their experiences at home. Providers must know individual children to adapt strategies and the environment for individual and cultural variation.

Providers and parents share information about ways to promote and extend children’s learning in the home and community. Providers learn about families’ cultural values and child rearing practices. They focus on family assets and draw on them to enhance learning.