Head of Junior School
One of the questions I ask a prospective Kindergarten student at enrolment is ‘what’s the biggest number ever?’ It’s often seven or one thousand, depending on how the interview is going. One thousand seems like eternity, but it’s not that big. One thousand days is not that long, especially when it’s got to do with child growth and development. Last week I was privileged enough to attend a conference where new research on brain development, individual genetic attributes and environment was presented. From conception, most if not all that is required for the rest of life is established in the first thousand days. That’s less than three years. What a wonderful reality, and a tremendous responsibility for parents and family, for early childhood education and for our society as a whole.
Our Prep children experience this targeted and expert care so that their attachment is strong, their bodies are growing, emotions are developing well and their ‘front brain’ cortex is activated. And it is in this order, as confirmed by research and experience.
So if you have a toddler, then you are in that magnificent and daunting time of significant growth for them. Enjoy it, learn as much as you can about it, and have a support crew alongside you. That is your most important job.
