The Creative Curriculum was first developed in 1978 by Diane Trister Dodge, the founder of Teaching Strategies, Inc. With many revisions to date, this curriculum began to define the developmental appropriate practice in the 1992 edition. The third edition encompassed dividing the room up into interest areas and the introduction of the Child Development Learning Checklist. This checklist ensures that learning is age appropriate and holds the facilitator accountable for early learning success. With constant development in research, such as Eager to Learn (2001), From Neurons to neighborhoods (2000), A Good Beginning: Sending America's Children to School with the Social and Emotional Competence They Need to Succeed (2000), Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children (1998), and the National Reading Panel Report (2000) the development team further defined practice to engage active learners in everyday learning experiences. (Dodge, 2002) Below is an example of Objective #10 in the Child Development Learning Checklist.
According to NAEYC, developmentally appropriate practice provides children with opportunities to learn and practice newly acquired skills. It offers challenges just beyond the level of their present mastery and it takes place "in the context of a community where children are safe and valued, where their physical needs are met, and where they feel psychologically secure" (Bredekamp & Copple 1997, pp. 14-15) (Dodge, 2002, pg. 1)
The foundation of the Creative Curriculum is rooted in the great educational theorists such as: Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs; Erik Erickson's eight stages of man; Jean Piaget's cognitive development; Lev Vygotsky's social interaction and Zone of Proximal Development; Haward Gardner's multiple intelligences; and finally, Sara Simlansky's play based learning. The interest areas are academic based to include math, literacy, science, social studies and the arts. The children learn about these areas through play and guided instruction to be developmentally appropriate. The curriculum is research-based that is valid and reliable (Dodge, 2002).