Developing a child’s potential begins at birth

Workplace Staff

as a nation, we are dealing with many challenging social issues.

One is the state of education, the other is having enough of the right skills for the market.

We can’t fix Grade 12 by focusing only on these older students. We need to go back down the ladder to the birth of the child.

Researchers around the world are trying to understand how the brain pathways work and the best “windows of opportunity” for brain development.

In these “windows” a child learns naturally and easily and it is the best time in life to build maximum potential.

The research indicates that the greatest stage of life for human potential is the first thousand days – that is from conception to a child’s second birthday.

At this stage, parents or caregivers are the primary educator.

They will need guidance and help to ensure they play with the child and that he or she has the brightest future possible.

In the 21st century we have two scenarios in our country: the child staying at home with a caregiver or family member, or being left for part of the day in the care of an early childhood centre.

Technology also follows the parents’ home and work may be done at night on a computer or by cellphone.

This means the child gets little attention from the primary educator.

On the other side of the coin, there are millions of children who receive little early stimulation and whose parents are unemployed.

We can’t expect to produce accountants, lawyers and doctors if we don’t all start to focus on helping parents to understand how to improve their children’s lives and give them a better future.

This means children’s education should become the concern of all employers.

Companies also need to influence the communities near their factories and to use the transformation process of BBBEE to do so.

Imagine a country where all our children start school knowing their numbers, shapes and colours, and with a love for reading.

Imagine a country where parents take responsibility as teachers and work in tandem with the system. Self-esteem, confidence and success are the simple results of time, love and enriched care.

This seems like a simple solution to the problem, but it will take buy-in from employers to regard their human capital as a family unit rather than as just a worker.

It will take time and responsibility from the parents.

It will take many years if we all walk together and see not just the top of the ladder, but go down and fix the rungs at the bottom.

No child can climb on to a ladder where the first few rungs are broken and then struggle throughout life to climb the rest.

The pipeline of talent needs the ladder to be fixed.

This is a new conversation in the workplace. Are you ready to take your share of the responsibility?

l The information in this article comes from www.brainboosters.co.za