Project Lead(s): Glaucia Maciel, Daniel D. Santos
This intervention in low-resource areas of Brazil will focus on children 1 to 3 years old whose brain development is hindered by lack of adequate stimulation.
The Steps Brain Booster Program enables caregivers to offer quality cognitive stimulation activities, through an integrated in-class coaching and recognition program, dynamic and easy-to-use lesson plans and state-of-the-art educational equipment. The multidisciplinary modules involve psychomotor activities, socioemotional learning, language development, musical sensibility and artistic expression.
The kit includes over 50 motor skill circuits, physical therapy equipment, varied educational toys, musical instruments and differentiated art material, all within a public school’s budget. Conducted weekly in an integrated manner, the program helps form “building blocks” in the brain for improved cognitive function. The program delivery model is an innovation in itself, emphasizing ease-of-use and affordability, and applying a successful private sector model to the public sector. The training modules are structured in a step-by-step lesson plan that empowers educators with minimal qualification to offer quality stimulation.
Two hundred and twenty children and 24 caretakers will participate in the initial research phase.