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ARVIAT
There was good news for those involved with early childhood education in Arviat this past week.

Joabie Ishalook and Brent Copland spend some quality time with Bernadette Ishalook, from left, during the Aboriginal Head Start Program in Arviat this past week. - photo courtesy of Chris Mikeeuneak

The Aboriginal Head Start (AHS) Program has been expanded to run for a full half day from Monday to Friday in the community for the next year.

AHS is an acclaimed early intervention program for First Nations, Inuit and Metis children and their families living in urban centres and Northern communities.

Its primary goal is to show locally controlled and designed early intervention strategies can provide aboriginal children with a positive sense of themselves, a desire for lifelong learning, and the opportunity to develop fully as successful young people.

AHS projects provide preschool experiences that prepare aboriginal children for their school years by meeting their spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical needs.

The locally designed and controlled projects are also administered by local non-profit aboriginal organizations.

AHS directly involves parents and the community in the management and operation of projects.

Parents are supported in their role as the child's first and most influential teacher, and the wisdom of elders is embraced.

AHS projects usually operate with 30 to 40 children, aged three to five years, participating in morning and afternoon sessions in a structured environment.

The program's six key components of culture, language, education, parental involvement, nutrition, and social supports are implemented on a regular basis.

The AHS program will be operated out of Arviat's portable four-plex, which also houses a day care and a healthy mom's room.

Arviat early childhood development program co-ordinator Chris Mikeeuneak said the Arviat program is one of seven AHS programs in Nunavut.

He said the community was very excited to learn early childhood development in Arviat will now be able to hold the program for half days during the next year, and possibly beyond.

"We're actually the first in Nunavut to be in the position to offer the program on this basis for a full year," said Mikeeuneak.

"Our combined funding from the Department of Education, Arviat's District Education Authority (DEA) and Health Canada allowed us to get another classroom.

"So, there will now be three classrooms in Arviat that will have a half day in the program for five days a week.

"It used to be only 12 weeks for each child, so being able to offer the program for a full year is a significant improvement, thanks mainly to the DEA and Health Canada."

Mikeeuneak said the AHS program is very beneficial to its young students.

He said the program will help the many young children in one of Nunavut's fastest growing communities develop their skills and be ready to start their school years.

"The new program started this past week and we'll have about 60 kids go through this year.

"We have two elders, four early childhood instructors and one special needs educator involved in the program.

"The members of the Arviat Day Care Society and I really pushed hard to have this program expanded.

"We're seeing, roughly, about 80 births per year in Arviat, and now the kids will have a chance to attend a successful development program on a regular basis."

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