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Blog Post- Brain Development

Research-Based Overview

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the way the brain develops depends on proper nutrition, being exposed to toxins or infections, and experiences with the world and other people (2021).  The key to supporting healthy brain development is nurturing the child’s body and mind. The brain is developed based on experiences the child receives from the parents, caregivers, and communities. Gallagher (2005) stated that “the brain processes information by forming networks of specialized nerve cells, called neurons, which communicate with one another using electrical and chemical signals”. Synapses, messages passed between neurons at connections, are a greater rate the first three years. This allows the brain to capture experiences more efficiently (The Urban Child Institute, 2015). Between conception and three years of age, a child’s brain experiences a lot of change.  During the first year it doubles in size, and at age three it is at 80 percent of an adult brain. (The Urban Child Institute, 2015).           

Advocacy Message

Early brain development impacts human adaptability and resilience.  Experiences affect brain development, so children are vulnerable to negative influences during this period of their life. It’s crucial that parents, caregivers, and communities use this time to produce positive experience so children have the chance to be successful, happy, and achievable (The Urban Child Institute, 2015). As an advocate for children and an early childhood educator, it is our job to be sure children get what they need to be successful.  We must stress how brain development is important to parents. We must also provide the students with an environment that supports healthy brain development

Topic of Importance

Before I took this course, I had no idea of the process it takes for a healthy brain to develop. It starts at conception and when the child is born every aspect of their life plays a role in the development process.  Parents need to know proper nutrition, exposure to infections and toxins, and experiences matter. In order for educators to understand the importance of brain development and inform parents, training and resources need to be provided.  A child’s experience helps build their brain development, so teachers need to know how to provide those experiences. This topic is important to me because I am an educator.  Educators need to know the importance of brain development and how to help children that are struggling or not developmentally ready and how to get them where they need to be.     

I also believe children should be provided brain development services such as head start programs and/or daycare options at no cost.  This period in a child’s life is important and funds should not be an obstacle getting in the way of a child’s development.  In today’s time, parents are working full time jobs and are unable to work with their children at home. This lack of experience in a child’s life interferes with his/her brain development.  What if we could provide that experience to every child?  With this being said, I feel that policyholders should take note of the importance of brain development during birth to age three and caregivers.

Questions or Call for Support from your Colleagues.

How important is brain development for you as an educator? Do you have children in your class that are not where they should be developmentally? We can provide children with the appropriate strategies to make sure they advance to their next development stage. Please come and support all educators, caregivers, students, and the community in making awareness on the importance of brain development. Together we can make a difference.

References

Gallagher, K. C. (2005). Brain research and early childhood development: A primer for

developmentally appropriate practice. YC Young Children, 60(4), 12-18, 20.

The Urban Child Institute. (2005). Baby’s brain begins now: Conception to age

Posted by   Chukwunonyelum Eneje  at Saturday, July 3, 2021 11:35:04 PM

Blog Post-Healthy Prenatal Development

The research-based overview of healthy prenatal development:

According to the finding of the office of the women’s health research, pregnant mothers are encouraged and advised that attending and having prenatal care during their pregnancies helps to keep them and their babies healthy. When they do not attend prenatal care in their hospitals or clinics, they are three more times likely to have birth disorders such as low birth weight for their babies and might suffer death too. When pregnant mothers attend prenatal care constantly, it assists the doctors to detect any health problem early and treat it immediately. This also gives the pregnant mothers the opportunity to learn the best food nutrients to eat, exercise and other ideas that will support her and unborn babies to have a healthy start to life (Office on women's health, 2019)

Advocacy message for the early childhood professionals and supportive of positive social change

There is an expedite action required from all stakeholders to brace up with the implementation of policies propounded by health care experts to save the future of prenatal. We, in the early childhood profession, should be agents of social change by carrying out continuous awareness campaigns of healthy prenatal practices by the families of the children in our care. Word of the mouth and dispatch of information via emails to related clients are ways we can up-stage regular campaigns. Maintaining a healthy pregnancy is vital for pregnant mothers through eating a nutritious diet, prenatal care, exercise, during pregnancy and this helps for good brain development, healthy birth weight for them and their babies and can decrease the birth disorders and their risks. And those new babies would become children attending our daycare centres tomorrow, implying that efforts we make to educate their mothers during pregnancy leverages the Early Childhood Education (ECE) staff‘s workload and also harnesses the child’s four-domain developmental journey. Also, our campaign must involve encouraging zero-tolerance to abuse of recommendations and rules on smoking, usage of prohibited drugs, and alcohol by prenatal women (Healthline parenthood, 2021). This is because statistics from the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) showed that in recent years, women’s reproductive health has drastically deteriorated through substances consumed during pregnancy by more than 60 percent, and the figure keeps soaring unless all the stakeholders sit up and act quickly to save the ill-fated situation. (CDC, 2021)

 Why this topic is of importance to me

This message on healthy prenatal development is important to me because pregnant mothers need to know how to take care of themselves and their babies as healthy as possible. Health is wealth. Their sound wellness makes their children ready for learning through the attendance of good prenatal care. Mothers, whose children I look after, will learn how to do prenatal tests such as blood, urine, cervical test and ultrasound. Also, another importance of prenatal care to me is that prenatal is the advent and beginning of the child’s formation or existence. It is a critical stage in every mother’s life as what happens at that time is foundational to everything other parts of the child’s development that ensue. 

Activities they do include, the doctor checks their weight and knows the right foods, fluids, nutrition, exercise and supplements to recommend to them (Prenatal vitamins) to take during the pregnancy. Check their blood pressure and how the baby is growing and performing in the womb. The doctors advised the pregnant mothers to avoid some things such as alcohol, smoking, prohibited drugs, caffeine, over the counter drugs (Nemours, 2018).

Questions or calls for support from your colleagues

As early childhood professionals, we should support pregnant mothers by educating them through pregnancy education, support and prenatal care programs on the importance of having a healthy prenatal development and prenatal care for them and their babies because it is essential in ensuring healthy outcomes for both of them (Center for American Progress, 2020).

References

Center for American progress. (2020, January 31). Ensuring healthy births through prenatal support. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-childhood/reports/2020/01/31/479930/ensuring-healthy-births-prenatal-support/

CDC. (2021). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  cdc government: https://www.cdc.gov/

Healthline parenthood. (2021). Maintaining a healthy pregnancy.  https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/healthy-pregnancy#prenatal-care

Nemours. (2018, June). Staying healthy during pregnancy.  https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/preg-health.html 

Office on women's health. (2019, April 1). Prenatal care. https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/prenatal-care#:~:text=Prenatal%20care%20can%20help%20keep,when%20they%20see%20mothers%20regularly.