ABSTRACT
Throughout this book there has been an assumption that what workers should be striving to achieve is what might be described as ‘developmentally appropriate’ provision for young children. This is understood as practice that is based on universal and predictable sequences of growth and change; on seeing each child as an individual with his or her own unique history; and on appreciating that children learn primarily through play. In this very short part we start to focus more closely on aspects of each child’s unique history as we consider the importance of taking account of the beliefs and values within families, societies and groups that sometimes contradict those of the described ‘developmentally appropriate provision’.
