 Educators now know that a baby's brain undergoes tremendous growth during the first years of life. In fact, by age 3, 75 to 90 percent of brain growth is complete. That's why the first few years of development are crucial. To help build a strong foundation for learning, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center and New Directions Institute, with sponsorship from Arizona Public Service, are offering "Wired for Success," a brain development workshop for parents and caregivers. The four-hour workshop provides information about how a young child's brain grows and offers tips on how to "wire it" for success. Among the items stressed at the workshop are the ABCs of early learning: attention, bonding and communication. Wired for Success also uses the S.T.E.P.S. curriculum: Security: A child needs love and a sense of trust in others to experience successful mental and emotional growth. Touch: Physical contact and touching encourage normal brain development, promote bonding, and help sensory integration. Eyes: Visual awareness is one of the earliest and most powerful ways of learning. Play: Play is how children learn. Sound: The more you speak to a child, read to a child and expose a child to music the better. "When parents and caregivers follow the S.T.E.P.S. and understand the messages about how a child's brain actually develops, they can and do change how they purposefully interact with their children," says Jill Stamm, Ph.D., an Arizona State University psychology professor and director of New Directions Institute (pictured). "Wired for Success" is offered the third Saturday of every month at St. Joseph's Center for Education and Development. Arizona Public Service is sponsoring these free workshops. Classes in Spanish are also available. For more information or to enroll, call St. Joseph's ResourceLink at 877-602-4111.  Listen to Jill Stamm, Ph.D., talk about what parents can do to support health brain development in infants. |
