Brain research

An average child is born with about 100 billion brain cells.

An infant’s brain develops rapidly from birth to three years, producing 700 new synaptic connections every second.

Experts state that toddlers need support to stimulate their learning at a time when their brains develop at twice the rate of adults. If they are not stimulated enough in the years before starting school, the brains can set back by decades.

Factors like child’s relationships, experiences and environment influence the development of the growing brain. All these factors need to be considered while deciding a preschool to ensure that there is no stress or push to achieve academic success.

Toddlers’ brains need stimulation

To make the most of these ‘lightbulb’ years when toddlers brains form connections at double the rate of adults, it is important that they are provided with learning experiences that nurture them in a high-quality preschool.

Utilising the ‘Power of Early childhood’

Nature provides a blueprint for each child’s potential development and children need quality bonding time with human beings to nurture them.

Selecting the right preschool is critical for future academic, social and emotional success and taps the potential for laying a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

A preschool programme which understands the “windows of opportunity” and designs the activities accordingly, is conducive for learning.

These windows are neurological wiring timetables when the child is more primed for learning for e.g. A child is primed to learn reading skills and vocabulary. If this period is missed or we wait till the child can talk, we miss the ideal time to create a foundation in reading and learning.

The Preschool should be an opportunity for development and not be used as getting the children ready for primary school. The curriculum implemented needs to be based on brain research where learning is fun, engaging and stress free. Developmentally appropriate activities, equipment and physical environment promotes social, physical, cognitive and language abilities.

Preschoolers thrive when there is consistency in the trust they have in adults at home and school. Hence, nurturing relationships through an ideal teacher-child ratio is important in preschool, for children to develop a personal connection.

Preschoolers need structure which is invisible for emotional security. At the same time, they need choices to develop decision-making. Hence a high-quality preschool that provides a blend of free and structured play does not stress children. Here the facilitators ‘follow’ the child.

Societal Changes have highly impacted schools in the last decade. Some factors that have altered the social fabric are – nuclear families instead of joint, working or single parents, invasion of technology, increase in consumerism, play moving from being sensorial with nature to passive technology based and so on. Hence it is important to choose a preschool that suits each parent’s needs and is well cared for, enjoying activities and is developing across the domains.

In case the parent is equipped to provide this quality ‘care’ to the pre-schoolers, they can exercise the option of homeschooling.