Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment in its 2012-2013 budget has a number of new initiatives, two of which are a new kindergarten curriculum and measuring children’s development in kindergarten. Those are good, but it’s not all of what is needed. If we wait to start early intervention until preschool or kindergarten, we’ve missed a huge opportunity to address any health or learning issues at an age when intervention can really make a difference.
As my colleague Mr. Bromley has often told us, brain development begins in the womb and continues at a rapid rate for the first three years of life. Research proves that early intervention from birth to three years can have huge, positive impacts on an individual’s success in life. The evidence is compelling and overwhelming.
Well-funded, integrated child development and parenting programs improve the cognitive and social functioning of all children, especially when started early: at birth. The research also indicates that children attending high-quality early childhood programs have greater success in school. That’s what we want for NWT students: success in school and in life. Isn’t that the goal of the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative?
Quality early learning programs are not only good for children and families, they’re good for the bottom line. The report for an Ontario study done in 2010 states that focused public spending on young children provides returns that outstrip any other type of human capital investment. Pay a little early, gain a lot later.
The NWT Early Childhood Development Framework needs to reflect this research. It needs to include programs which begin at birth and before birth at the prenatal level. One of the identified goals in the 17th Assembly is to ensure a fair and sustainable health care system by investing in prevention, education and awareness, and early childhood development. We should listen to ourselves.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
