“Let us put our minds together and see what we can make for our

children.”

Sitting Bull (Tatanka Yotanka)

Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities

• The primary goal is to provide Aboriginal children with a positive sense of themselves, a desire for learning, and opportunities to develop fully as successful young people.

• AHS projects prepare young Aboriginal children for their school years by meeting their spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical needs.

• Projects are locally designed and controlled, and administered by 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 valued.

AHS Values and Beliefs about Children• That adults are community role models who are to teach

children how to live a good life. • That children deserve opportunities to gain knowledge and

experience of how to live a good life. • That children acquire knowledge by watching, listening and

doing, and adults are responsible for encouraging and guiding them in all those activities.

• That children, through being loved, valued and encouraged, will gain the courage, the strength and the wisdom to use the power of a good mind and spirit in all that they do.

• That children have a right to enjoy the opportunities that education offers.

• That children have a right to live in healthy, self-determining communities that are free of violence.

Program Components

• The focus of each AHS project is on Aboriginal preschool children and their families and includes programming in each of the following six program component areas. – Culture and Language – Education and School Readiness – Health Promotion – Nutrition – Social Support – Parental and Family Involvement

Culture and Language

• The purpose of the Culture and Language Component is to provide children with a positive sense of themselves as Aboriginal children.

• To build on the children's knowledge of their Aboriginal languages and experience of Culture in their communities.

• Projects enhance the process of cultural and language revival and retention, with the ultimate goal that, where possible, children will aspire to learn their respective languages and participate in their communities' cultures.

Culture and Language

Culture and Language

Education

• The purpose of the Education Component is to support and encourage each Aboriginal child to enjoy life-long learning.

• Projects will encourage each child to take initiative in learning and provide each child with enjoyable opportunities to learn.

• The ultimate goal is to engage children in the possibility of learning so that they carry forth the enthusiasm, self-esteem and initiative to learn in the future.

Education

Education

Nutrition• The purpose of the Nutrition Component is to ensure

that children are provided with food which will help meet their nutritional needs.

• Another goal is to educate about the relationship of nutrition to children's ability to learn, physical development and mental development.

• Mealtimes provide opportunities for sharing, teaching and socializing.

• The ultimate goal is to empower children and parents to develop or enhance nutritional eating habits that will be maintained following the children's AHS experience.

Nutrition

Parent Involvement• The purpose of the Parental and Family

Involvement Component is to support the parents' and family's role as children's primary teachers.

• This component provides the opportunity to empower parents to bring forth gifts and further develop as role models for children and in their communities.

• The ultimate goal is for parents and caregivers to complete the program being more confident, and assertive and having a deeper understanding of their children than when they began the program.

Parent Involvement

Health

• The purpose of the Health Promotion Component is to empower parents, guardians, caregivers and those involved with AHS to increase control over and improve their health.

• More specifically, the projects will encourage practices for self care, working together to address health concerns, and the creation of formal and informal social support networks.

• The ultimate goal is for those involved with AHS to take actions that contribute to holistic health.

Health

Social Support

• The purpose of the Social Support Component is to ensure that the families are made aware of resources and community services available to impact their quality of life.

• The project assists the families to access resources and community services.

• The ultimate goal of this component is to empower parents to access assistance and services which will support them to be active participants in their children's lives and AHS.

AN OUTCOME ANDSATISFACTION EVALUATION

OF THE MANITOBAABORIGINAL HEADSTART PROGRAM

IN URBAN AND NORTHERNCOMMUNITIES: 2009-2010

Objectives For Children In The Program:• Become more aware of their Aboriginal cultures• Better able to communicate in their Aboriginal

languages• Increased strength, balance, and coordination• Increased levels of confidence and independence• Increased levels of curiosity• Increased problem-solving abilities• Increased abilities to share, take turns, and co-

operate with other children• Increased knowledge of the letters of the alphabet• Increased knowledge of numbers (numeracy)

Objectives For Parents And Other Family Members• Families will report improved attitudes toward physical activities• Parents will report improved abilities to select healthy foods at the

grocery store• Parents will report improved knowledge of proper nutrition• Parents will report improved abilities to prepare healthy meals• Parents will report improved awareness of available community and

parenting resources• Parents will report an improved ability to use local community and

parenting resources• Parents will report improved parenting skills• Parents will report improved abilities to detect health issues early

on, in part, related to their children’s vision, hearing, and dental care

PROFILE OF THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN THIS STUDY

Males 226

Females 187

Child Gender in MAHS Evaluation Outcomes

First Nations (Treaty)

71%

Metis 22%

First Nations (Non-Status)

6%Non-Aboriginal

1%

Aboriginal Ancestry in Outcome Evaluation

English

Cree

Ojibewe

Ojicree

French

Saulteaux

Michif

Dene

Dakota

Lakota

Other

91.420.4

7.93.6

1.81.41.4

0.700000000000001

0.501.4

Languages Spoken in Children’s Homes

EVALUATING CAREGIVER AND FAMILY INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROGRAM

EVALUATING CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT AND SCHOOL-READINESS

Quotes“It has made him a more

confident child, more aware of his culture. In all there is no downside. It’s a wonderful program.”

• “I love the benefits of them learning numbers, letters and sharing before they’re in nursery and kindergarten. When he started school his teachers were impressed he already knew a lot of things.”

• “A great strength I find is her interaction with other children. I see her learning to share more and more, and have excellent manners with other children. I see this, because it is how she comes home and treats her younger brother.”

“Teaching the mothers at the program how to better communicate with their children and giving them great surroundings to have fun in. Head Start also taught me how to cook a lot of meals in the kitchen.”

The Manitoba Aboriginal Head Start Staff

“The program’s greatest strengths would to be the Early Childhood Education workers. They help the children learn new things daily.”

“Having a great teacher who is able to be sensitive to all the children’s individual needs, and knowing what each child needs. The staff are doing a great job.”

“The program has great staff with good communication skills. My child loves attending Head Start”

Thank You to all the dedicated staff you have

impacted 15 years of growth in their communities!

The Funders and the Sponsors

• To our funders Public Health Agency of Canada we thank your for your support and continued advocacy to keep Aboriginal Head Start strong for the children, the parents, and our communities.

• To our sponsors we thank you for believing in this initiative 15 years ago and making it a reality for the communities.

To the ParentsThank you to all the parents who believed in

the Aboriginal Head Start program in Manitoba.

You trusted us with your most precious children and let us in.

It is your love and continued encouragement that has given your children the tools to

move forward and succeed.