You,
and you alone, have the power, right now,
to determine the success or failure of your child in school
and in life!
The
invention of sophisticated brain scanning equipment has lead
to an absolute explosion in the research into the developing
young brain. It
can probably be said without fear of contradiction that we
have learned ten times more in this area in the past fifteen
years than we knew from the dawn of civilization until 1993.
Obviously,
it would be impossible for individual parents to absorb such
vast quantities of information.
There are however certain facts which are essential
information for every parent.
These are:
Brain
growth and intellectual growth occurs most rapidly during the
first few years of life.
Intellectual
growth is nearly completed before the child ever enters
school.
While
we continue to gain experience during our entire lifetime it
is far more potent during the earliest months and years of
life while synapses (connections between the brain’s
neurons) are still being formed and the brain is at the height
of its plasticity.
Technically
speaking there are two vital processes that occur in the
brain of the preschool child.
First,
the cognitive structures are set.
This determines how the child organizes
knowledge.
Second,
the cognitive functions are set.
This determines the way intelligence is used.
Now
these processes are going to take place whether or not
they are done correctly.
To set them properly extensive use must be made of the
knowledge acquired by neuroscientists over the past fifteen
years. PROJECT
HEADSTART MAKE FULL USE of this research.
The
results are remarkable. The child develops an insatiable curiosity and an intense
desire to know. He/she
also develops a love of learning that endures a lifetime.
Most importantly the capacity of the
brain to store and utilize knowledge is expanded.
The child is well on the way to achieving his/her full
intellectual potential.
On
the other hand, if these cognitive processes are not properly
set, the child may find learning difficult.
School may well present problems that are a constant
struggle to overcome. Such
children often fall through the cracks and consequently their
education suffers. Certainly,
they will never achieve their full intellectual
potential.
Neuroscientists
are unanimous in stating that there is no period in our
lifetime that is more important than the preschool years in
developing a human being’s intellectual structure and
functions.
Obviously,
the earlier one starts the better!
