Early Childhood Development (ECD) is the phase between birth and the going to school age (pre-school or nursery). During this phase, children establish their foundational cognitive abilities, attitudes, and skills, preparing them for primary schooling and the rest of their lives.
These skills are very important and crucial for the development of our children.
Early childhood practices also affect the quality of the architecture of the brain by establishing either a strong or a fragile foundation for all of the learning, health, and behavior that follow. As the human brain is most flexible early in life, what we expose our children to in their early years remains with them as permanent markers of their identity as the brain assumes more complex functions into adulthood. The religious, emotional, and physical health and social skills that emerge in the early years are all important prerequisites for success in school and later in the workplace and community.
Mawlana Hazar Imam spoke about the importance of early childhood development at the 25th anniversary of the Madrasa Early Childhood Development Programme in Kenya in 2007:
“But we sometimes give too little attention to the schools which prepare young children for life itself - in all of its holistic dimensions. And yet the evidence accumulates steadily showing that an investment made in the earliest, pre-school years can bring enormous dividends as a child proceeds from one level of education to another.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam, on the Opening of the Aga Khan School, Osh, Kyrgyz Republic, October 30th, 2002 also said:
“I am sure that all of you here today will agree that we live in a time of rapid change – change that is often not predictable, and not always positive. The best way to manage change, whether positive or negative, is to anticipate it and prepare for it. On the basis of my experience with development as an observer and a practitioner – that now spans more than forty years – I have come to the conclusion that there is no greater form of preparation for change than education. I also think that there is no better investment that the individual, parents, and the nation can make than an investment in education of the highest possible quality.”
In these challenging times the Aga Khan Education Board for Angola has launched on March 2020 the ECD@HOME program – a weekly program with activities, to help parents to engage their children in the best possible way.
These activities have a different theme every week. We would like to thank all parents and children for all the hard work and commitment to the proposed activities and the amazing feedback we have received.
As the summer vacation began – the proposed activities will be more relaxed to allow our young children also to enjoy (as much as possible) the summer break and prepare for the new school year. New routines and fun activities await as usually in summer.
Last Saturday we celebrated Imamat Day, so last week's group activity was to ask the children to create a drawing of how they wished to celebrate this joyous occasion! We share some of the special ways our children thought of celebrating this special day and we thank all for sending their wonderful work.
