Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to oral question asked by Ms. Bisaro on March 13, 2014, regarding junior kindergarten.
Ms. Bisaro asked about the endorsement of Aboriginal Head Start programs and use of such programs as Junior Kindergarten in the eight Northwest Territories communities where such programs operate.
I must applaud the Western Arctic Head Start Council for providing quality early childhood programming for the past 17 years in the Northwest Territories and for their contributions they have made to help children, families and communities.
The eight Aboriginal Head Start programs that operate in the NWT are funded by the Government of Canada, which is why they are able to offer free half-day programming in their communities.
In addition to federal funding, all the NWT Aboriginal Head Start programs are eligible to receive funding from the GNWT’s early childhood programming. The implementation of junior kindergarten will not affect either the federal or the territorial funding that the NWT Aboriginal Head Start programs receive. They will still be able to offer the same quality, no cost half-day programming to three- and four-year-old children. Junior kindergarten is not meant to compete with Aboriginal Head Start; rather, it offers parents across the NWT another consistent choice regardless of where they live or what their economic situation is.
Although there are eight NWT Aboriginal Head Start programs operating, the fact remains that 25 communities in the Northwest Territories do not have Aboriginal Head Start. Ten communities have no licenced child care or early learning options at all. The majority of all other licenced preschool programs, daycares and family day homes are fee-based. It’s difficult to find safe, affordable space for licenced early childhood programs within many of our communities.
It is the mandate of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to offer consistent programming in every community. It would not be fair to offer a free full-day program in one community but not in another.
