The period from birth to five is a time of explosive brain growth, where children learn by building connections rather than accumulating facts. At JAN, our understanding of this cognitive science dictates that play is not downtime; it is brain work. This principle, perfected through our nearly 50 years of experience (since 1976), underpins every aspect of our curriculum. We focus on child-directed, inquiry-based learning, allowing the child’s natural curiosity to drive their cognitive growth.
For example, when a child engages in building a tower in our best-in-class facilities, our nurturing staff don’t just supervise; they introduce concepts of gravity, balance, measurement, and spatial reasoning. This active, hands-on discovery activates the prefrontal cortex—the brain’s executive functioning centre—building foundational skills in problem-solving and critical analysis. By consistently providing “rich input” through diverse activities and a responsive human element, JAN ensures that the 90% of brain structure developed in these years is robust, highly connected, and ready for advanced, abstract thought.