The need
1 out of every 2 children in the lowest income quintile in South Africa do not participate in any form of early learning.
13 out of 20 children enter Grade R (reception year) already struggling because they lack the basic learning foundations.
Close to a quarter (22%) of teachers working in the ECD sector in South Africa do not have a relevant ECD qualification.
AmazingBrainz exists to change these numbers. Our vision is to maximise school readiness and learning capacity in southern Africa and initiate deep social change through broad-reaching, yet tailor-made, early childhood brain development solutions.
THE SOLUTION
Why early childhood development (ECD)?
The brain is most flexible early in life. From conception until a child’s second birthday (the period known as the first 1,000 days), the brain develops faster than at any other time in a person’s lifespan. Synapse development in various areas of the brain is at its peak in children under 6.
Why AmazingBrainz?
Our multi-disciplinary team has been developing neuroscientifically-based brain stimulation programmes for pre-school children since 2006, encouraging young, inquiring minds to reach their full potential.
LEARNING PROGRAMMES
1
Our learning programmes are age-specific, catering for children from 3-months to 5-years.
2
Our learning programmes cater for various contexts, from pre-schools and informal playgroups in marginalised contexts, to one-on-one home-based learning in more affluent settings.
3
Activities in our learning programmes have been worked out in detail and require minimal planning from the educator.
4
Activities are play-based, yet structured.
5
All AmazingBrainz material is based on neuroscientific research in holistic child development and the latest understanding of the way the brain develops.
6
About 700 milestones and 100 performance components are intentionally and progressively stimulated through the course of a child’s journey with AmazingBrainz from 3-months to 5-years.
7
The progress of each child is monitored by the caregiver daily, adjusting interventions according to individual needs where necessary, but also monitoring trends and tendencies of early childhood brain development data on various levels.
8
Our learning programmes are aligned with the National integrated Early Learning and Development Standards (NELDS) and Early Learning Development Areas (ELDAs) of the South African National Curriculum Framework (NCF).
9
Our programmes are continuously refined through a process of action research, regular standardised testing and the expert input of a multi-disciplinary team, ensuring our content remains up to date with the latest understanding of brain development.
10
The content of our learning programmes and the approach to implementation are supported by comprehensive training for ECD caregivers and sustained mentoring and coaching. We are QCTO-accredited and provide various training options depending on the context of where the programme is to be implemented, and the needs and goals of the educator.
