Childhood development-focused NGO to launch Arabic-language information platform

AMMAN — Childhood development-focused NGO, Neurogarden is hosting a virtual summit on August 25, during which they will launch a new Arabic-language platform to inform parents and teachers about neuroscience and early childhood development.

The upcoming summit will demonstrate the significance of educating Jordanian parents on the psychology behind early childhood development in order to foster better learning environments for children to thrive.

A child’s brain develops significantly in the first three years and is already 90 per cent developed by the time they reach kindergarten, said Hani Al Akasheh, who founded Neurogarden with his brother Fares. These are “the most plastic years” for brain development “with the most rapid transformation”, which is why it is so critical for parents and educators to understand neuroscience. 

Neurogarden’s goal is to provide an easy-to-digest and interactive platform with information on childhood development that is often not readily available elsewhere in Arabic, Akasheh told The Jordan Times. 

Though Jordan has made significant strides in destigmatising emotional development and improving the quality of early education through government and NGO programmes, there remains a distinct lack of initiatives that focus on the brain itself, according to Akasheh. 

This platform intends to fill that critical gap. Through consulting around 20 experts in childhood psychology and development during the COVID-19 pandemic, Neurogarden put together a plan to develop courses that “double down on the science and invest in the early years” of Jordanian youth. 

“I love my country and I want to give people opportunities,” Akasheh told The Jordan Times. Education on childhood neurodevelopment will foster positive mindsets and enable the next generation of Jordanians to live happier and healthier lives, he added.