Parental awareness session on Investing in Early Childhood Development and its influence in childhood and adult years

Parental awareness session

Investing in Early Childhood Development and its influence in childhood and adult years

In the brain-building process, neural connections are shaped by genes and life experiences – namely good nutrition, protection and stimulation from talk, play and responsive attention from caregivers. This combination of nature and nurture establishes the foundation of a child’s future. Yet too many children are still missing out on the ‘eat, play, and love’.

A mix of factors determine why some children receive the nutrition, protection and stimulation they need, while others are left behind. The process of health and human capital accumulation throughout childhood is complex one – a combination of the capabilities that children are born with (so-called “endowments”); investments in children made by parents, caregivers, local communities, and government; and adverse as well as positive experiences that affect child development. Understanding how these elements interact over the course of childhood to determine adult health and skill capabilities (and, in turn, economic outcomes) is crucial to development.

During Under COVID-19, there is an immediate need to designate child protection services as ‘essential’. Communicating with and engaging parents, caregivers and children with evidence-based information and advice is essential. The study recommends building skills of frontline workers to better engage with caregivers.

International Center for Child and Public Health (ICPH) is an innovative model of integrating primary care with public health, where the best of global knowledge steers our comprehensive interventions for children.

Goals:

• Presenting in a community setting the importance of ‘early child development’ and practices that ensure good outcome in adult years.
• Introducing good care practices for children within the family and community centering around health & nutrition.
• Provide a space for dialogue with parents during COVID 19.

Profile of the Speaker:
Dr.Lakshmi Shanthi is a Senior Paediatrician and an active member of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics IAP, Coimbatore chapter. She is instrumental in conducting innovative programmes and Adolescent health outreach along with the IAP team in Schools. She is currently serves as a Medical Officer in Coimbatore Municipal Corporation.

Dr.Lakshmi Shanti has been a close associate of the International Center for Child & Public Health and has served as faculty on training programmes for adolescent boys and girls, awareness sessions for rural parents and technical presentations in our pioneering early childhood development interventions. Her expertise as a Pediatrician is also greatly appreciated in our adolescent health outreach in the service villages of Shanti Ashram.

She Is a Graduate from the Coimbatore Medical College and completed her PG Diploma in Adolescent Pediatrics from Kerala University.

More details: EARLY-CHILD-DEVELOPMENT-SHANTI-ASHRAM.pdf

Programme