As the fields of early childhood teaching and teacher education continue to evolve and diversify, policymakers' neoliberal reforms further standardise and restrict these programmes of practice. Many have documented the impact of these policies on early childhood teaching and teacher education, and in this article, we add to these conversations by investigating how the National Association for the Education of Young Children's (NAEYC) fourth edition of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) might assist early childhood stakeholders in countering policymakers continued push towards neoliberal systems of early education and teacher education. Drawing from over 15 years of investigations in the United States, we highlight how preservice and in-service early educators in public school contexts have and continue to struggle with two primary issues: having to align their teaching with policymakers' reforms and seeking professional knowledge and opportunities for change. We illuminate these challenges to identify opportunities for teacher educators to use DAP to support preservice and practicing teachers across the globe in speaking back to and moving beyond policymakers' neoliberal policies. We also offer suggestions for NAEYC to continue to improve DAP so that the early childhood stakeholders can promote a policy and practical agenda that places democratic practices at the forefront.