Copyright Mothercraft 2005 Mothercraft Institute for Early Development 1992 Yonge St. Suite 301 Toronto, Ontario M4S 1Z7 CANADA a Nurturing

CopyrightMothercraft 2005

Mothercraft Institute for Early

Development

1992 Yonge St. Suite 301

Toronto, OntarioM4S 1Z7CANADA

www.mothercraft.ca

Nurturing Young MindsNurturing Young Minds Premise #1: Premise #1: Emotional Well-BeingEmotional Well-Being

Anti-BiasAnti-Biassupports positive supports positive but not superior but not superior sense of self sense of self esteem esteem supports standing supports standing up for others and up for others and self self

== emotional well-emotional well-

beingbeing

Brain Brain ResearchResearchsupports supports emotional well-emotional well-beingbeing as the key as the key to healthy brain to healthy brain developmentdevelopment



Development



www.mothercraft.ca

Nurturing Young MindsNurturing Young Minds Premise #2: Premise #2: RelationshipsRelationships

Anti-BiasAnti-Biasempathetic empathetic interactions with interactions with and exposure to and exposure to people and items people and items reflecting reflecting differences and differences and similarities lead to similarities lead to a a comfort levelcomfort level with diversitywith diversity

Brain ResearchBrain Researchsupportive relationships supportive relationships result in result in emotional emotional stabilitystability



Development



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Nurturing Young MindsNurturing Young Minds

Premise #2: Premise #2: EnvironmentsEnvironments

Anti-BiasAnti-Biasenvironments environments reflective of children, reflective of children, their families and their families and expanding awareness expanding awareness of differences within of differences within the framework of the framework of diversity components diversity components result in positive result in positive responses to responses to differences leading to differences leading to emotional well-emotional well-beingbeing for all involved for all involved

Brain ResearchBrain ResearchSupportive, stable Supportive, stable environments result inenvironments result in emotional well beingemotional well being; ; this impacts the release this impacts the release manner of brain chemicals manner of brain chemicals causing a balance of their causing a balance of their releases between the releases between the excitatory and the excitatory and the inhibitory parts of the inhibitory parts of the brain, responsible for self brain, responsible for self regulation; this, in turn, regulation; this, in turn, enables self-regulation enables self-regulation which, in turn, leads to which, in turn, leads to feelings of self worth feelings of self worth resulting in resulting in emotional emotional well-beingwell-being



Development



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Nurturing Young MindsNurturing Young Minds Premise #2: Premise #2: EnvironmentsEnvironments andand

RelationshipsRelationships

Anti-BiasAnti-Biasexposure to exposure to stereotypes, exclusions, stereotypes, exclusions, prejudiceprejudice

causes inability to deal causes inability to deal with the realities with the realities connected to diversity connected to diversity concepts, leading to concepts, leading to emotionalemotional turmoil and turmoil and stressstress

Brain ResearchBrain Researchconsistent stressful, consistent stressful, unresponsive unresponsive environments result in environments result in emotionalemotional turmoil, turmoil, causing stress, leading causing stress, leading to lack of synaptic to lack of synaptic connections in the brainconnections in the brain



Development



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BRAIN PICTURE:BRAIN PICTURE:

EMOTIONAL STABILITY VS EMOTIONAL TURMOILEMOTIONAL STABILITY VS EMOTIONAL TURMOIL

SOURCE: Centre for Educational Enhancement and Development



Development



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Nurturing Young MindsNurturing Young Minds Premise #3 : Premise #3 : Affective DevelopmentAffective Development

Anti-BiasAnti-Biassupports skills of supports skills of positive feelings for positive feelings for self/others/self/others/differencesdifferences

and and empathy for diversityempathy for diversity = = emotional well-beingemotional well-being

Brain ResearchBrain Research emotional well-being emotional well-being

has an impact on has an impact on healthy development healthy development of the brain of the brain architecture architecture



Development



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Premise #3 :Premise #3 : Language DevelopmentLanguage Development

Anti-BiasAnti-Biassupports exposure supports exposure and interactions with and interactions with diversity, including diversity, including languages, leading to languages, leading to awareness of, awareness of, empathy for, empathy for, realization of, comfort realization of, comfort level with similarities level with similarities and differencesand differences

Brain ResearchBrain Researchthe brain at birth has the brain at birth has the ability to produce the ability to produce any languageany language



Development



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Premise #3 :Premise #3 : Cognitive DevelopmentCognitive Development

Anti-BiasAnti-Biassupports supports awareness and awareness and understanding of understanding of self, of others; self, of others; realization and realization and recognition of recognition of self/others/self/others/

differences;differences;builds on builds on familiar/familiar/unfamiliarunfamiliar

Brain Brain ResearchResearchadding the adding the unfamiliar to the unfamiliar to the familiar builds familiar builds and strengthens and strengthens brain synapsesbrain synapses

Documents

Copyright Mothercraft 2005 Mothercraft Institute for Early Development 1992 Yonge St. Suite 301 Toronto, Ontario M4S 1Z7 CANADA a Nurturing