Early Childhood Development
Early Childhood Development
We believe healthy development in the early years provides the building blocks for educational achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, lifelong health, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation. Early childhood, when brain plasticity and neurogenesis are very high, is an important period for cognitive and psychosocial skill development. Investments and experiences during this period create the foundations for lifetime success. We already know that in the earliest years of childhood, children’s brains form neural connections at a rate never to be repeated. This is the first window of opportunity to influence the development of children’s brains through nutrition, stimulation and protection from violence and other harms. We provide age appropriate Holistic development of children focusing on developmental areas of:
- Physical development
- Cognitive development
- Language and communication development,
- Socio-emotional development
- Approaches to Learning
Based on that Reality Learning Minds Africa invest in three areas under this center:
i) Caregiver
Is person who take care of a child. He/She can be biological parent or any other caregiver. We build parenting skills for caregivers while equipping them with Life skills. Also, we build their capacity to learn in the simple way Home management skills and competency to interact with a child in a manner that transform the potentials of the child to reality.
ii) Child
We assess age appropriate developmental milestones of growth and development in a child. The results help to facilitate Brain GYM which equip children on Executive function. These skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. It builds key skills for school, work and life success.
iii. Care giving/Learning Environment
It is essential that children have safe, secure environments in which to grow, learn, and develop healthy brains and bodies. Science shows that early exposure to circumstances that produce persistent fear and chronic anxiety can have lifelong effects on brain architecture. Early experiences affect the development of brain architecture, which provides the foundation for all future learning, behavior, and health.
Just as a weak foundation compromises the quality and strength of a house, adverse experiences early in life can impair brain architecture, with negative effects lasting into adulthood. Genes provide the basic blueprint, but experiences influence how or whether genes are expressed. We assess and provide technical support of care giving environment based on the age of the child.This center provides the following services:
- Learning through Play
- Home Based Early Childhood Development
- Parenting Skills for children (Birth – 5 years)
- ECD competency and skills development for ECD Workers
- Early Childhood Development Leadership