Jennifer Pritchett
Northern News Services

NNSL (Nov 13/98) - Paul Flanigan looks like any other kid.

But, as a child who is hyperactive and only speaks a few words, not a single day care in the city will accept him and his single mother Marie can't work.

But, for Flanigan and her son Paul, there is hope in a program just for pre-school special needs kids.

Flanigan said the program, which provides care for six hours a week, is the only break she gets. And, the one-on-one attention he receives has improved his speech skills and helped him deal with other children.

"He's like watching four kids," she said. "You couldn't pay a babysitter enough. (But) he stays a lot more focused now, so he's a lot easier to deal with."

The early childhood intervention program, started in January 1996 by a group of parents who couldn't get childcare for their special needs kids, is run by the NWT Council for Disabled.

"Some kids come to us after they've been turned away or kicked out," said Aggie Brockman, executive director for the council.

Like Flanigan, some parents can't even work because they can't find child care for their kids, added Brockman.

Operating with a mere $40,000 annual budget, the program provides the one-on-one attention the pre-schoolers need. But, the small budget prevents more than six children from enroling into the program.

Early intervention worker Sharon Hurley-Noseworthy said the lack of funding keeps 15-20 children on a waiting list to get into the program.

"It's a desperate situation, really," she said. "We really need more money to help these kids before they're turned into the school system and the kids get lost."

Meanwhile, Flanigan said she appreciates the six hours a week she gets from the council, but maintains that it's really not enough of the kind of instruction her son needs.

"And he needs a lot more than he's getting," she said.

Hurley-Noseworthy said the program has graduated a number of pre-schoolers who go on to join other children in kindergarten.

"It's major accomplishment for them," she added.