Building Strong Foundations
Contributed by Mark Lackey, Executive Director for CCS Early Learning
The Mat Su Borough is well aware of the process of building new structures. We often see new businesses and new homes and new roads springing up around us. But how often do we stop and think about the process of building people?
As science and our knowledge of the brain have developed in recent years - and as technology has allowed us to see inside the workings of the human brain - we have discovered and can now actually see just how rapidly children’s brains grow and mature in the earliest years of life. When we see a new road in our neighborhood spring to life or a new building rising from the ground - we know that it didn’t just start with the asphalt, or the walls didn’t just get thrown up.
First, a solid foundation had to be built that would support these things. The same thing is true for people - and the vast majority of the foundations for life are built in a child’s brain during their first 5 years of life.
We can see this foundation building taking place. Young children make rapid gains in their gross motor control, their fine motor control - the development of their speech and language, and in their social and emotional development. And of course, they have so many “Why?” questions. As infants turn to toddlers and as toddlers turn to preschoolers all of the things that are happening around them must be sorted, processed, and prioritized.
The prefrontal cortex of the brain does the work of acting very much like an air traffic controller taking all the information that is seen, heard, felt and experienced - and putting it into a logical order. This is called Executive Function and a child’s ability to use and act on this information (or not) is called Self-Regulation. Building these foundational skills are two of the most crucial aspects of human development. For the rest of our life, we will use Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation in our everyday lives - in our work, our play, our relationships and in our interactions with others.
So, how can we as adults help children to build these strong foundations? The first and most important thing we can do is we can be caring and trusted adults in their lives. The more positive and supportive adult relationships that children have the better! Parents, extended family members, friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches, the clerk in the grocery store - we all have the opportunity to model our own Executive Function and Self-Regulation! We are responsible for guiding and engaging with children and of course protecting them at all times from people or situations that could be harmful.
The next thing we can do is to support them with healthy activities. This might look like us providing a healthy diet and sufficient exercise - but it also could be us exposing them to a variety of other adults and other children - helping them to learn to navigate social interactions.
The activities we introduce them to should also build on each other and slowly get more complex so they can learn new skills by being challenged - without getting overwhelmed or frustrated.
And finally - we can help build strong foundations by making sure that children are in environments that are safe and stimulating. You can think of this from a big and broad perspective - for example the air they breathe and the water they drink needs to be free from toxins and pollutants. Or you can think about children being in appropriate child safety seats being driven on safe roads, and in homes that are free from hazards and are warm and dry. The places that children are at should allow them to be creative, allow them to explore, and give them the opportunity to both safely fail and to excel… and in all instances allow them the opportunity to learn and grow from those experiences.
At CCS Early Learning we work in very close partnership with families in this process of building strong foundations. We know that all the skills related to Executive Function and Self-Regulation developed in early childhood will impact this child for a lifetime. In fact, these skills developed in these children will continue to impact the generations that follow - their children, their children’s children - they are the builders of future foundations! At CCS Early Learning we strive to BE those caring adults both for children and for their families.
Together - when we all do our part and pitch in to support children and families - our community will be able to stand strong because we will stand on solid foundations!
CCS Early Learning provides Head Start (ages 3-5) and Early Head Start (pregnancy through age 3) in Palmer, Wasilla, and at our location on Fairview Loop. Call 907-373-7000 or visit www.ccsalaska.org for more information.