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Head Start program funding topped up
Emily Ridlington Northern News Services Published Monday, January 17, 2011
Every weekday morning, youngsters head out to the Attiqtait pre-school in Coral Harbour to learn such things as numbers, colours and the alphabet in both English and Inuktitut.
The preschool is run through funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada's Aboriginal Head Start Program, which teaches children healthy habits and prepares them for school. In late November, the federal government announced an additional $30 million would be going to help fund this program and others like it in Nunavut and across the North. "It's good and it's better for us in the long run," said Celina Eetuk, manager at the Attiqtait preschool in Coral Harbour in December. This funding, added with $20 million from the 2010 budget, means AHS programs will split $50 million over the next five years. The AHS program itself has been in place since 1997. Programs are currently run in Nunavut in Arctic Bay, Arviat, Coral Harbour, Gjoa Haven, Iglulik, Kugluktuk and Taloyoak. "It's important for all communities in Nunavut to have programs like this," said Leona Aglukkaq, federal minister of Health and MP for Nunavut. She said under the Aboriginal Head Start program, $1.4 million is spent inside the territory. Eetuk, has been working with the program in Coral Harbour since 1997 and she said for the 2010-2011 school year 32 children are enrolled with some in the three-year-old group who come in the morning and the rest in the four-year-old group in the afternoon. "We are always trying to come up with new ideas for activities," she said. She along with four other staff are also running evening programs including a cultural night to help get parents involved. Parents and the children play games and sing together. In Gjoa Haven, the program is operating at almost full capacity. "We are really happy to have it and I love the program," said Valerie Igitsak, AHS co-ordinator. Teaching children about healthy habits is included as part of the program. Igitsak said the children get healthy snacks like eggs, sausage, cereal and toast and they learn what foods for them are good and which are not. Elders are brought in to tell stories and play games with the kids. "They're really excited and they want to learn more," said Igitsak about the children's reaction to visits.
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