The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics recently published "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics." For the first time, these new standards include pre-kindergarten standards, while outlining the mathematics that children should learn as they progress through school. The standards present a broad view of what mathematics is and can be for young children--a view that early childhood educators implementing developmentally appropriate practices can use. This digest discusses the latest mathematics standards for young children and how teachers can use developmentally appropriate practices to help children meet these standards. The digest points out that "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" identifies both content and process standards. The content standards are organized into several areas: (1) number and operations; (2) geometry; (3) measurement; (4) data analysis and probability; and (5) algebra. The process standards set out in "Principles" are congruent with developmentally appropriate practice and include the following: (1) problem solving; (2) reasoning and proof; (3) communication; (4) connections; and (5) representation. Teachers' questioning techniques--including those intended to help children understand concepts, hypothesize, and generate interesting questions--can help children appreciate the mathematics that surrounds them. The digest cautions that in our eagerness to help children meet the standards, we must take care not to use instructional methods that give the appearance of high math achievement but that, in fact, interfere with real growth in understanding. The digest concludes by noting that the most effective way to meet standards is to work toward them by beginning wherever the child is--any other strategy simply wastes the child's time and prevents the development of the essential foundational understandings and skills needed for future success. (LPP)