United Arab Emirates, 20 November 2019:   Masterminds Nursery & Kindergarten – a Dubai-based Early Learning Institute known to offer carefully curated enrichment programs, invited Elisa Guerra – a renowned, award-winning child development specialist and educator to talk about the neuroscience behind child development in the first six years at their annual event held in Dubai yesterday. 

 

Elisa is an international commission member at UNESCO for Futures of Education – a global initiative to reimagine how knowledge and learning can shape the future of humanity around the planet. Additionally, she is also a two-time Global Teacher Prize finalist and recipient of the Brazilian Gold Medal of Honor in recognition of her outstanding service for children in Latin America. 

 

Elisa was a headline speaker at the knowledgeable half-day event themed around multiplying a child’s intelligence and preparing them for the future.  Her presentation revolved around key facts based on over 60 years of research by some of the world’s leading researchers and child developmentalists, including Nobel prize winners. Additionally, she also addressed attendees about brain development in the early years and how this creates the critical foundation for a child not just for school but for life. 

 

Commenting on her talk at the event, Elisa said: “It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child, and now more than ever, we live in a global village, a complex interconnected world. Our future is intrinsically linked with the future of every child. Our ability to provide that child with the right physical, social, cognitive and emotional support will determine our ability to progress and thrive as a society.”

 

“It was a privilege to join hands with Masterminds Education for this event and it was also a great opportunity to impart my learnings over the years to parents in this part of the world,” added Guerra. 

 

Commenting on the success of the event, Tania Siddiqi, Co-Founder and Director at Masterminds, said: “It was a sheer delight to have Elisa Guerra as our expert advisor for this event.  The overall response has been excellent, and many parents were fascinated to learn how their child can get the best start in life through our innovative methodologies – and well into their adulthood.” 

 

Tania also shared practical tips for parents to help accelerate their child’s development in the first years of life and the importance of creating an ideal home environment to aid development of children. “As a mother, this is what drew me in to this concept and the extraordinary results that I have witnessed with my own daughter and other children in different environments worldwide. This was the true inspiration that led me to establish Masterminds Education and bring this to the parents in the UAE,” added Tania.

 

“Our primary objective through this event and our learning programs is to help parents understand the importance and process of brain development and how exposure through the right methodology can multiply a child’s intelligence, physical abilities and social development,” Tania further added.   

 

Shamail Siddiqi, CEO at Masterminds Education spoke about how high impact early education is critical to prepare our children for a future with unprecedented change and disruption. “The first six years of a child’s life are uniquely important because this is the most sensitive period for brain development,” added Shamail.  “The experiences a child has during this time will shape the architecture of her brain and build the connections that allow him/ her to develop lifelong skills and traits like problem-solving, curiosity and a love of learning that will be critical to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”