Bangalore Children's Hospital, has organised a two-day programme for infants and toddlers titled 'Zero to Three Years -Firm Foundation' beginning from today. As a part of the programme, a children's health mela is also organised. The zero-to-three task force has been formed along by the Bangalore Children's Hospital along with various associations like Association for Paediatrics, NGOs like Madhyam. There are also a panel of early child development specialists, nutrionalists and government agencies looking at how to being focus to this age group.

Dr. Nandini Mundkur, chief executive, Bangalore Children's Hospital said that early childhood is a critical factor period when the brain takes shape at a pace that will never gain be equalled. At birth a baby has 100 million brain cells. They have to be organised into networks that require trillions of connections or synapses between them and a flood of sensory experiences drives these connections.

The effect of what happens during the pre-natal period and the first three years of a child's life can last a lifetime, because these are periods in life when the brain is particularly open to new experiences, informed Dr. Nandini Mundkur.

All the ingredients of emotional intelligence determines how a child learns and relates with others in life. Qualities such as self confidence, curiosity, self-control and capacity to communicate and co-operate depend upon the kind of early care the child receives from parents and other care givers.

If the sensitive period passes by without the brain receiving the stimulation, opportunities for various kinds of learning may be substantially reduced. Although, it is never too late to intervene to improve the quality of a child's life, early diagnosis and interventions have the most significant effect on a child's development and learning.

Children's development can be enhanced with appropriate, timely and quality programmes that provide positive experiences for children and support for parents, said Dr. Nandini Mundkur.

The Bangalore Children's Hospital, which is located in Rajarajeshwari Nagar on the Mysore Road, has launched this exclusive programme for this age group focussing attention on nutrition, development, emotional intelligence and parenting skills.