The document summarizes the Aboriginal Head Start program in Manitoba, which aims to support Aboriginal children's development and prepare them for school. The program focuses on culture, education, health, nutrition, social support, and parental involvement. An evaluation found that children developed stronger skills and parents gained knowledge to support their children's growth. The program has benefited from dedicated staff and the support of funders and sponsors over its 15-year history.

2. “Let us put our minds together
and see what we can make
for our children.”
Sitting Bull (Tatanka Yotanka)

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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.

7. Culture and Language

8. Culture and Language

9. 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.

10. Education

11. Education

12. 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.

13. Nutrition

14. 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.

15. Parent Involvement

16. 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.

17. Health

18. 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.

19. AN OUTCOME AND
SATISFACTION EVALUATION
OF THE MANITOBA
ABORIGINAL HEAD
START PROGRAM
IN URBAN AND NORTHERN
COMMUNITIES: 2009-2010

20. 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)

21. 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

22. PROFILE OF THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN THIS
STUDY
Child Gender in MAHS Evaluation Outcomes
Females
187
Males
226

23. Aboriginal Ancestry in Outcome Evaluation
First Nations
(Treaty)
71%
Metis
22%
First Nations
Non-Aboriginal (Non-Status)
0% 1% 6%

24. Languages Spoken in Children’s Homes
Other 1.4
Lakota 0
Dakota 0.5
Dene 0.7
Michif 1.4
Saulteaux 1.4
French 1.8
Ojicree 3.6
Ojibewe 7.9
Cree 20.4
English 91.4

34. EVALUATING CAREGIVER AND FAMILY INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROGRAM

41. EVALUATING CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT AND SCHOOL-READINESS

50. Quotes
“It has made him a more • “I love the benefits of them
confident child, more learning numbers, letters and
aware of his culture. In sharing before they’re in
nursery and kindergarten.
all there is no downside. When he started school his
It’s a wonderful teachers were impressed he
program.” already knew a lot of things.”
“Teaching the mothers at the
• “A great strength I find is her program how to better
interaction with other children. communicate with their
I see her learning to share children and giving them
more and more, and have great surroundings to have
excellent manners with other fun in. Head Start also
children. I see this, because it is taught me how to cook a
how she comes home and lot of meals in the kitchen.”
treats her younger brother.”

51. The Manitoba Aboriginal Head
Start Staff
“The program’s greatest “Having a great teacher who
is able to be sensitive to all
strengths would to be the children’s individual
the Early Childhood needs, and knowing what
Education workers. each child needs. The staff
They help the children are doing a great job.”
learn new things daily.”
Thank You to all the
“The program has great dedicated staff you
staff with good have impacted 15
communication skills. years of growth in
My child loves their communities!
attending Head Start”

52. 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.

53. To the Parents
Thank 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.