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Aboriginal Head Start launched After more than a decade of work, first edition of curriculum takes off Katherine Hudson Northern News Services Published Wednesday, Oct 24, 2012
The programming has been offered to communities in the NWT since 1996, but what started as 12 pages of principles and guidelines, is now two volumes of a possible 10 in the first edition pilot curriculum titled Making a Difference in the Northwest Territories. About 30 people filled the Aboriginal Head Start site in Ndilo to celebrate the milestone in aboriginal education. Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus said he has seen the Yellowknives Dene education network grow exceptionally fast over the past few decades through infrastructure and program developments offered to its youth, since he moved to Ndilo from Dettah in 1989. "It all happens and it doesn't happen overnight. What I notice about the community I live in, is that the little ones feel safe and have a safe place to come to. They're learning our language. They're learning about our culture. They know that we're a community, they know were part of a bigger world," Erasmus told the crowd. "We've developed this to a point where this is probably the leading curriculum in the country if not the world." The curriculum was designed to allow each Aboriginal Head Start site in the territory to build their own program through six components: aboriginal culture and language; education and school readiness; parental and family involvement; health promotion; nutrition and social support. "When a new curriculum is developed, especially one that includes culture-based education, language development, looking after the health and wellbeing of children, it's really history in the making," said Barb Cameron, representative with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. The Northwest Territories Aboriginal Head Start communities and staff worked on the curriculum from 2009 to 2011 and it was printed this past June. There are Aboriginal Head Start sites in Fort McPherson, Fort Providence, Fort Smith, Hay River, Inuvik, Paulatuk, Behchoko and Ndilo. Dr. Jennifer Chalmers, based out of Fort McPherson and a clinical psychologist and editor of the curriculum, said there are very few Canadian documents like the Aboriginal Head Start Making a Difference curriculum. "We used to think it was from zero to five (years of age) for brain development. Most of it is zero to three or zero to four. We can't lose these important years," she said. "The highlight for me that came thorough this is the passion, the hope and the dreams that you can encourage each child to be their own person with their own strengths and their gifts."
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