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BAKER LAKE - Kindergarten students in Baker Lake are settling in well to their new school routine, thanks to a thorough introduction last year with Kinder Atii.

The preschool screening at Rachel Arnguammaktiq elementary school is unique to the region, and teachers say they hope other communities will pick it up as well.

Reagan Attungala, right, looks up from her Kinder Atii activities in Baker Lake. Trisha Aksawnee, to her left, and her mother Christine work on a puzzle with the help of Hector Duvall and his daughter Olive. This group of students is finding it easier to settle into the regular kindergarten routine thanks to the preschool screening program, according to school staff. - photo courtesy of Shannon McCarthy

"They arrive ready for kindergarten with much less stress, they know what to expect and the parents know what to expect," said Pia Qaqqaq, a student support assistant at the school. "It cuts down on the anxiety, and the kids that come to Kinder Atii, they even know some of the staff members."

While preschool screening in most of the territory is a single visit, staff at Rachel Arnguammaktiq spend an hour each month throughout the preceding school year acclimatizing the young ones. Parents are given education materials to work on with their children in between sessions as well.

"The kids are introduced to the routine of school (and) spend some time in a regular classroom. We have found that this has been very helpful they're farther ahead and it's a chance to develop some literacy skills," said principal Ivan Payne.

The program, which is entering its third year, was founded by teacher Shannon McCarthy.

Grace Tagoona's six-year-old daughter Rachel was in the first group of Kinder Atii participants. While Tagoona's older children had gone to daycare, Rachel hadn't. Tagoona said she was initially a little worried about how she would adjust.

"But after Kinder Atii, she was actually really excited about going to school. All summer she was waiting for 'real school' to start with all the other children," Tagoona said.

Last spring, McCarthy won a Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence in recognition of her work creating the program.

She said the inspiration came from wanting to make sure the youngest students felt "comfortable, secure and at home in their school environment."

This was especially important as there had been no formal preschool programs in the community for the past few years, and she found students were coming to school with little idea of what to expect.

"I was also very aware of the fact that our parents are the first teachers of their children. It is important for them to have first-hand knowledge of the school experience and to play a major role in their child's education," McCarthy said.

The program is run with no added staff or funding, although materials were purchased with funds from the Kivalliq School Operations in the first year.

"It's a work in progress. Every year we see what we want to change and build on. A few more southern farming pictures we need to change into Northern hunting pictures, that sort of thing," said Qaqqaq with a laugh.