Rankin Inlet (Nov 10/04) - The Kataujaq Day Care is struggling to survive and an uneven playing field in its quest for funding is mostly to blame, said the Kataujaq Society's executive director.

Evelyn Thordarson said the day care's annual budget is $309,000 and the non-profit society only receives $68,977 in funding from the Department of Education.

"Of that, more than $34,000 is contingent on whether the kids come to day care," said Thordarson.

"If the kids are sick, on vacation, whatever, we don't get the money for that spot.

"Our staff are among the lowest paid in the territory and we just don't receive enough funding to meet our obligations and secure our staff for the long term."

Thordarson said a number of Kivalliq day cares receive Human Resources Development funding from Kivalliq Partners in Development, but the Kataujaq Day Care doesn't meet the agency's established criteria because it has white board members.

"In order to receive Kivalliq Partners funding, all the day care board members have to be Inuit.

"Almost all the kids at the day care are Inuit, as are the majority of our staff.

"We also have an elder on staff and an aboriginal assistant manager training program in place but it's still not enough.

"As far as we're concerned, that criteria is a form of racism."

Ralph Bellstedt is Human Resource and Development's regional manager of strategic partnerships for Nunavut, the NWT and Alberta.

Bellstedt said federal funds flow through an Aboriginal Human Resources Development Agreement (AHRDA) holder.

He said the funding agreements are in place primarily for training and employment development.

"Day care is an important component of that so parents, who are either employed or undergoing training, have the comfort of knowing their kids are being properly looked after," said Bellstedt.

"To my knowledge, unless that's a local rule Kivalliq Partners have put in, there's no requirement that the board be 100 per cent Inuit."

Bellstedt said in addition to new facilities, funding for the establishment of new day care spaces also includes the hiring of additional staff to increase a day care's ratio capability.

Most day cares employ a ratio of six children to one worker.

Bellstedt said his department also administers monies through the Labour Market Fund, which helps working aboriginal parents and those in training.

However, he said the control of those dollars rests with the AHRDA holder.

"The AHRDA holder in the Kivalliq region would make the assessment," he said.

"The fund does allow for support for working parents, as well as those undergoing training, but the decision-making rests within the community.

"The AHRDA holder may feel since working parents have that income coming in, they don't warrant the same consideration as those taking training."

Thordarson said Inuit parents in Iqaluit, regardless of income, receive a substantial subsidy through the Qikiqtani Inuit Association for children they have in day care. Inuit parents in Rankin don't.

She said the Kataujaq Day Care was in danger of closing this year and some parents pulled their children out when fees were raised by $5 a week.

"We're not saying parents shouldn't have to pay to have their kids in day care," Thordarson explained.

"But Inuit parents in Rankin should be able to access the same subsidy program as those in Iqaluit, whether we have a few white people on our board or not."

Bellstedt could not confirm whether an all-Inuit board was a requirement for day care funding through Kivalliq Partners in Development or not.

If it is, however, he would like to understand why.

"I would be a little surprised if this is their policy because you're looking at day cares for kids and parents need the support. So, why does it have to be a totally Inuit board to achieve that?" he wondered.

"If this is, in fact, the case, it's certainly not anything that's in our guidelines. I certainly would be interested in understanding the reasoning behind it."

Editor's note: The director for Kivalliq Partners in Development was on duty travel this past week and could not be reached by Kivalliq News.