Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife ( Jun 02/00) - Research is showing that children enrolled in the Four Plus early childhood intervention program tend to adjust better to kindergarten than non-participants.

The program has currently been running since 1996 through the Yellowknife Catholic School Board. A presentation outlining their research was made by Four Plus staff at a board meeting last Wednesday.

"Research shows that if the kids have those enriched learning opportunities before they come to school, the more successful they are in their school years and in adulthood," said Liz Baille, student support co-ordinator for the board.

According to the report, 91 per cent of participant families believe Four Plus will help their children going into kindergarten.

Additionally, the report also shows that kindergarten students tended to have better communication skills than non-participants. Fifteen per cent of the Four Plus group always communicated well, while zero per cent of the non-participant control group always communicated well.

"There is a thought that a child is an empty vessel at age five," said Baille.

"But they have so much knowledge and learning that takes place at zero to five and that's why early childhood programming is so important."

Four Plus originated as an offshoot of the Toy Library Play Centre -- a federal program that works as a toy lending service and a play library, as well as a parent support group.

The program was designed to provide day-care services for children with disabilities, who often require more attention and money for their care.

The program, however, has been mainstreamed to admit children without disabilities, even though the priority remains with disabled children.

"They're integrated into groups with other kids with disabilities and I think it's important that they get use to different kinds of people," said parent Laurette Debogorski, who has had her own children involved in the program.

Four Plus is currently on a three-year schedule for funding through the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the Department of Health and Social Services. Annual funding for the program runs at $100,000 a year.

"Four Plus has been going for a few years," said Rose O'Donell-King, regional superintendent of the Canada-NWT Service Centre.

"The benefits that we see coming from it is the low child-to-staff ratio. Children can progress at their own pace."