Early childhood (birth to age 3) is a critical period for brain development, yet it is underserved by public investment and parental support, leading to a significant educational void that can be addressed by empowering caregivers to create enriching environments and model positive learning habits.
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this is a graph of brain development
over time the most dramatic growth
occurs before age 3 when 85% of the
brain is formed this red line shows
public spending on education the
relationship the relationship is nearly
inverse with less than 4% of funds
invested by Age 3
research shows that brain development is
cumulative so the early years lay the
foundation for future learning new
studies at Harvard University show that
genes implicated in learning are
actually turned on or off based on a
child's earliest experiences and yet
there is an education void during the
most formative time in a person's life
I'm here today to talk about how parents
and caregivers can address this
education void during their child's most
critical years I wanted to be a teacher
since I was 10 years old I spent my
after-school and summer jobs teaching
pursued degrees in psychology and
education went through to Montessori
trainings and finally began my dream job
as a preschool teacher despite all the
criticism that I was throwing away my
Ivy League degrees then I became a
mother given my background I was so
excited to give my baby the best
education from birth when he arrived I
got a seven pound 11 ounce reality check
between diapers and feedings and sleep
deprivation I couldn't keep up with his
developmental needs and I felt like I
was failing him I realized that parents
like myself who are by default our
baby's first teachers are sorely under
supported to do that job so I left my
classroom and devoted myself to
empowering new parents in their role as
educators as a society we haven't been
talking about education for babies
assuming it might steal away from the
ease and joy of babyhood toy industry
advertising has colored our ideas of
what babies should be learning decades
ago marketers at some of the biggest toy
companies added letters and numbers to
baby toys against the advice of their
learning experts simply because it sold
more products I want to be clear that
education from birth to three is not
about racing to academics like reading
and math now is the time to draw from a
compelling body of research and proven
practices from infant toddler classrooms
to define what education for babies
looks like at its best
beyond offering loving connection and
responsive caregiving
the most effective thing you can do for
your baby's education is to thoughtfully
prepare their environment babies are
learning how to learn so we make the
most impact by helping them develop
healthy learning habits such as
concentration and focus perseverance and
problem solving creativity and the love
of learning these habits are early
building blocks in a set of skills
researchers call executive function
executive function is what allows us to
meet goals while managing our thoughts
emotions and behavior it is a
better predictor of academic success
than IQ as well as a predictor of
long-term income well-being and health
Montessori learning environments are
proven to help children establish
executive function skills which will
serve them throughout their lives
preparing a learning environment for
your baby at home one that is beautiful
inviting and rich with experiences does
not have to be complicated it starts
with a low shelf and a few toys in fact
more toys do not equal more learning
just like an adult who finds it hard to
focus on work when their office and desk
are a mess a child feels overwhelmed by
an overflowing play area research shows
that adults function better in orderly
environments and the same applies to
children displaying a few good options
on a low shelf and rotating them as
needed will allow even a baby who is not
yet walking to independently choose the
toy they want and concentrate without
distractions that's my youngest baby at
10 months old if you want your baby to
remain actively engaged during play
choose toys that are baby powered not
battery-powered electronic toys with
sounds and lights can put your child
into passive mode pushing a button and
waiting to be entertained simple wooden
toys on the other hand need a child to
activate them so they naturally invite
engagement and creativity keep in mind
that if you place both electronic and
non electronic toys on the same shelf
it's like offering your child a plate
with junk food and brain food
side-by-side the best way to encourage
healthy choices is to curate their
environment beyond toys we can create opera
opera
throughout our homes for babies to
exercise executive function skills
setting up a water cooler where a newly
walking child can get a drink when
they're thirsty not only allows them to
practice their motor skills and
independence it also allows them to
build up their planning goal-setting
skills and their self-control key
elements in the development of executive
function we can build similar skills by
hanging low hooks for their hats and
jackets and providing a mirror at eye
level so they can actively participate
in dressing and caring for themselves
observing your child in their
environment will allow you to present
the appropriate level of challenge to
stretch their skills not so little that
they are bored and not so much that they
give up research shows children thrive
in this zone teachers know that setting
children up at this optimal level of
challenge and offering help only when
needed cultivates perseverance and
problem-solving for example when a baby
is trying to grasp a ball that is just
out of reach they are building both
their gross motor skills and their
perseverance they might make noises
similar to how adults sound when lifting
heavy weights at the gym just as we
would never take weights away from
someone who was working hard to lift
them unless they really needed help we
don't want to steal growth opportunities
away from our child after we've prepared
the environment it's important to view
it not as our masterpiece but as a work
in progress observing your child closely
will help you to see when the
environment must be adapted to meet
their changing needs the only way we can
observe clearly is if we are approaching
our child with curiosity
rather than expectations which brings me
to the most important elements of a
child's environment their caregivers the
most influential form of education is
modeling from adults we are showing
babies what it means to be human if we
want them to love learning we can model
our excitement to explore and discover
with them if we want them to be
confident we can model by accepting
ourselves mistakes flaws and all we make
countless sacrifices for our children
but perhaps what they need even more is
to see us being kind to ourselves so
they grow up with permission to do the
same if we thoughtfully prepare these
types of learning environments for
babies it will allow them not only to
maximize their potential from birth to
three but to expand their potential for
the future personally I can't wait to
see what the next generation will do
with that potential thank you [Applause]
[Applause] [Music]
[Music] you
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