There is a program that very young children can participate in called early intervention. Primarily it is a system of support and services for children who show signs of developmental delays and/or disabilities. Data is collected at the beginning in the form of fun activities for the kids so the therapist or specialist can gauge where the child is at.
The elements of Six Sigma are all there. The research regarding milestones that the child should be having have been documented and proven so the data is there as proof. These programs work, and believe it or not, follow the DMAIC template.
Define: The early intervention program defines the problem and identifies those who are at high risk. Many are identified at lower socioeconomic levels who are having problems meeting certain milestones at a young age.
Measure: Through fun activities, data is collected and a current baseline is measured and compared to clearly researched data.
Analyze: After obtaining the important aspects, the data is analyzed to see exactly what is needed. It can be any number of therapies or interventions.
Improve: Set out what is needed to make sure the child is meeting these important milestones.
Control: Through ongoing classes and therapies, the progression of the child’s mental development can have amazing results. This early intervention program is basically a controlled study with steady improvement.
This program also has Kaizen, which we all know as slow and steady improvements built in. The learning and stimulation is disguised as fun play so the child responds positively to learning. Many children have prospered from this early intervention because they are left with a love of learning. Plus they have met their milestones, and some have even surpassed them!
Interested in learning more about the value of Lean Six Sigma methodologies? For more information on our courses and services, please visit 6sigma.com.
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