Early Childhood Development in Inuit Nunangat: A Changing ...• Training • Not valued as educators • Language and literacy Successes: • There is a strong Inuit Political Leadership

Early Childhood Development in Inuit Nunangat:

A Changing Landscape

International Meeting on Indigenous Child HealthMarch 23, 2019

Presented by: Maria Storr, Lena Egotak, Jenny Lyall, Julie-Ann Berthe & Jessica Lyall

Presenter Disclosure Jessica Lyall, Jenny Lyall, Maria Storr, Julie-Ann Berthe and Lena Egotak have no relevant financial relationships with the manufacturer(s) of commercial services discussed in this CME activity.

The authors do not intend to discuss an unapproved/investigative use of a commercial product/device in this presentation.

Synopsis:

• Who are we?

• Challenging living conditions across Inuit Nunangat

• How this affects Inuit Early Childhood Development

• What is the current landscape of Inuit ECD across Inuit Nunangat?

• What does supporting Inuit Early Childhood Education mean?

• Moving Forward

Provinces and TerritoriesInuit Nunangat Regions

ITK Priorities

Inuit in Inuit Nunangat All Canadians

*In Nunavut

CHALLENGING LIVING CONDITIONS

*In Nunavut

Inuit in Inuit Nunangat All Canadians

WORSE HEALTH OUTCOMES

Inequity in Education

Inequity in Education

Challenges

• Lack of teachers

• Learning in a second language

• Impact of residential schools

• Culturally inappropriate

curriculum

Inuit Population Growth

Age Distribution in Canada (2016)

Spoken in the Home

My education is...

• Inuit-centred and culturally

driven

• Delivered in Inuktitut +1

• Community-based

• Ongoing

• Continually evolving

My education has...

• Prepared me to excel

at core subjects

• Made me socially &

globally aware

• Built my cultural & linguistic

knowledge

• Instilled pride in who I am

& how I can contribute

What is Inuit

Early

Childhood

Development

With representatives of :

• Nunatsiavut Government

• Kativik Regional Government

• Kakivak Association

• Kivalliq Partners in Development

• Kitikmeot Inuit Association

• Inuvialuit Regional Corporation

• Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.

• Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada

• Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

Who come together to collaborate on national policy, programs

and priorities in childcare and Inuit Childhood Development

Inuit Early Childhood Development Working Group

Early Childhood Development for the Nunatsiavut Government

Jenny LyallDepartment of Health and Social Development

Regional Childcare Coordinator

Healthy Inuit Communities – What works!

• Daycares

• Language Nests

• AHS

• Family Resource center’s

• Play groups

• After school programs

Nunatsiavut Consultation

Meeting in Nain

Nunatsiavut March 2017

The vision for culture and

language

What’s working now

• Community-based and holistic.

DHSD is committed to:

• Child-focused;

• High quality;

• Inuit directed and controlled; and

• Delivery of ECE Certification in Nain

Early Childhood Development for the Nunavik Region

Julie-Ann BertheKativik Regional GovernmentAssistant Director, Childcare

Nunavik

• 14 communities• Current Programs• Integrated Child Care and Aboriginal

Head Start programs - 19

Nunavik challenges:

• Staffing retention and recruitment• Training• Not valued as educators• Language and literacy

Successes:• There is a strong Inuit Political Leadership for Inuit Early Childhood

Development

• Block funding: was implemented by the Quebec Family Policy so that services could be made better accessible.

• Nunavik has been responsible for their own operational funding since 2004

• Educator salaries: when the block funding was negotiated they took into account the differential cost of living.

• Community based training program: Hiring local teachers to train the educators while they are still at work

• Management training: This training is a 6 block program, each block is 2 weeks long. 18 trainees are currently taking part in the training

• Nutrition Policy and Program: A nutrition program has been developed to address iron deficiency anemia issues happening in the Nunavik region

• Nunavik Early Learning Monitoring Tool Pilot Project has been developed

Early Childhood Development for Nunavut

Lena EgotakKitikmeot Inuit Association

Childcare Coordinator

• 25 Communities• 3 regions – Qikiqtani, Kivalliq, Kitikmeot• Current Programs: 36 Childcare Centres & 7 AHS

Challenges:• Serving country food in programs – food inspection policies• Lack of training programs• Recruitment and Retention of educators• Complicated ECD system in Nunavut

Nunavut

Successes• Tumukuluit – Inuktitut Daycare in

Iqaluit• 3 RIA’s leadership on Inuit ECD• Inuit language in programs

Nunavut

Nunavut

• NTI Steering Committee has 9 members which comprises of the 3

RIA’s of Nunavut, NTI, GN Education, Makigiata, ITK, QIA and

Community ECD Representative

• Initial face-to-face meeting was held January 22, 2019 in Iqaluit. Next

face-to-face meeting is scheduled for May 2019

• Nunavut ECD is very complex with three regions and decisions are

ongoing in regards to ECD for the territory as a whole

Inuvialuit Settlement Region

● Population, 6,000

● 3 Dialects

● 100 Annual child-births

● 92 licensed spaces

Current Programming:

• 3 Child Care Centre’s

• 2 Aboriginal Head Starts

• Canadian Prenatal & Nutrition Programs

• Brighter Futures (varying from community to community)

• Community Counselling

• Student & Family Support Service

• 2 Healthy Family Programs

• Regional Wellness Programs

• Project Jewel

• Resolution Health Support Program

Key Challenges:

• Inaccessible due to high cost the

service fees

• Operational costs of programs &

services

Operational Challenges

• Staff retention

• Parental involvement

• Lack of professional services

• Parenting skills

• Attendance

Successes

• Governance

• Operating Philosophy

• Partnerships

• EIPP – Hanen’s “Learning

Language and Loving It”

Program

• Training Program – Aurora

College Early Childhood

Certificate & Diploma

• Hanen Program “Learning Language and

Loving it”

• Inuvialuit community-based adapted &

approved training program

• Components of program

• Successes/Struggles…Next steps

What does supporting Inuit Early Childhood Education mean?

• Sustainable integrated funding

• Ongoing training and professional development

• Inuit-specific ECD curriculum and resources

• Value educators for their important role

• Pay parity for Educators (K-12 teachers)

• Infrastructure

• Holistic programming – including childcare programs, family centred, parenting support

• Access to choice and support for families

7 policy recommendations for investing in Inuit Early

Childhood Education

1. Provide adequate, integrated, multi-year funding

2. Develop Inuit-specific ECD curriculum

3. Provide capital funds to build new and renovate existing

buildings and playgrounds

4. Ensure educators, childcare Centre managers, Elders,

program providers and staff working in early learning

childcare receive proper compensation

5. Develop and provide quality ECE training programs for

early childhood educators grounded in Inuit knowledge

6. Work towards Inuit self-determination of ELCC licensing

and regulations

7. Recognize and support Inuit children and families who

are living outside of Inuit Nunangat

• Having a distinctions-based National Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework offers a lot more flexibility in supporting Inuit early childhood education

• Inuit teach and parent their children in unique ways

• The flexibility that the funding offers is new and exciting, however we are weary of the challenges we have yet to come

• An Inuit Federal Table on Early Learning and Childcare has been formed

• We recognize that the framework is aspirational and important discussions in how the framework should be implemented are still yet to come

Moving Forward

Qujannamiik

Quyannini

Nakurmiik

Thank You