A "Window of Opportunity"

 

 Research around the world has shown that children who receive quality early childhood education are more likely to do well academically, socially, and emotionally later in life. Early childhood is a critical period of neurological development, known as a “window of opportunity”. During the first few years in life, the child’s brain undergoes rapid development.   What happens (or does not happen) during this "window of opportunity is crucial and foundational for all future learning, behavior, socialization, well-being, and overall development.  Through our Made for Love project, we set up early childhood classrooms for the children in our care, so that they can benefit from a stimulating environment and enriching experiences.

Our model of early education consists of the Montessori philosophy and theme-based learning. Together they create learning opportunities for foundational skills, such as gross and fine motor skills, cognitive abilities, language acquisition, early math exposure, and art & craft experience. It also stimulates important soft skills like imagination, curiosity, and exploration. These skills pave the way for more complex learning and social interactions later in life.

It is vital that an early education environment provide abundant opportunities for children to interact with peers and adults, to have fun together, to gain a sense of belonging and togetherness. Such an environment enables children to learn and practice social skills, empathy, collaboration, problem solving, and self-regulation, all of which are essential for academic success, relationship, and overall well-being.

We also provide ongoing staff trainings on pedagogies, adult-children interactions, the effects of trauma and play to our teachers.  To reach out to more children in need of quality early education, we collaborate with several other orphanages, training their special education teachers, helping them setting up early childhood classrooms, and providing monthly supervision. 

 

For children living in institutional care settings, our early education program serves as a bridge between the orphanage and the outside world so that children can know more about the world and their role in it.