Debates of August 23, 2011 (day 16)

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the importance of preschool. I have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. There seems to be a lot of people not only in the Territories but outside the Territories, in the country, that believe in the positive impacts of preschool. I’d like to ask the Minister if his department has done any studies or reports or looked at any sort of best practices to look at the success on high school graduates as a result of preschool.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. With respect to preschool in the Northwest Territories, there has been some work in different areas such as the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. We visit all forums and all regions in the Northwest Territories. We’ve heard from people the importance of having these early childhood development programs. Not only that but there’s also a framework that has been in the works since last year, the Early Childhood Development Framework for Action. The report is currently being drafted. With that in mind, there is all this different research that has been initiated and part of the discussion will be within this framework as well as the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. Those are the tools that we will be having for the next government to consider. Mahsi.

I’d like to ask the Minister if in the early childhood development work that the department’s engaging in, if there has been some discussions with the teachers and the principals of the schools where there are preschools available and in schools where there are no preschools available. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I can definitely find out the actual detail of who they’ve talked with across the Northwest Territories. My understanding is that they’ve initiated discussion with educators in the Northwest Territories and those communities with or without the daycare or the preschool, because we needed to hear their perspective as well. But I can provide more detailed information to the Members. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister if there are any early indications that the attendance at preschool is helping the students as they enter into primary school, secondary and high school. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, part of the research that we’ve done does reflect on that where a child learns at the early stages and does well and is successful as they grow into secondary and postsecondary studies. Those are areas that we’ve highlighted and captured into our ASAI, Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative, and also the framework that I’ve referred to. Those are the important pieces of work that have been discussed and have been captured within the agreement as well. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister ensure that all early childhood development studies or reports or anything that pertains to preschool and the positive impacts of preschool are placed in the transitional documents for the next government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Definitely, that’s one of the priorities that we have with the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. That’s a first priority as early childhood development and also child care development. Definitely, this is an area that has been the prime focus in the childhood discussion among the forums in the Northwest Territories among the regions. We’ll keep the Members posted as we move forward. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.