Is junior kindergarten duplicating Aboriginal Head Start program? report asks

As the junior kindergarten programenters itsthird year in 16 communities across the Northwest Territories, someteachers and parentsare worriedthe program is pulling students away from Aboriginal Head Start, a program that teachesIndigenous cultural skills.

• FROM 2014 |Aboriginal Headstart may be threatened by N.W.T. kindergarten plans

• FROM 2014 |Don't bring junior kindergarten to big N.W.T. communities: MLAs

RitaMueller, the territory'sAssistant Deputy Minister of Education, Culture, and Employment, says the junior kindergarten program does incorporate local culture and language as much as possible.

"The goal of our entire school system is to strive to be as culturally appropriate as possible," she said. "We need to ensure that our schools are not only welcoming and safe for children, but they really need to reflect the children that we serve."

52 per cent of teachers see impact

In 2014, the department conducted a study onthe rollout of junior kindergarten. Its findings showed that peoplenoticed theeffect junior kindergarten hason existing early childhood programs like AHS.

"Aboriginal Head Start [AHS]representatives' major concerns were the lack of consultation and the perception that JK was duplicating AHS programs," the reports says.

Mueller says AHSmay need to refocus on younger children if there aren't enough kids for both programs.

"I am very hopeful that we will see both junior kindergarten roll out and provide that invaluable service to our communitiesall communitiesas well as to watch Aboriginal Head Start be able to thrive as well.

"And yes, it might mean making some changes."

• FROM JANUARY |Public consultations on N.W.T. junior kindergarten to follow $150K review

The report also found that in communities where there were already early childhood education programs, "52 per cent[of teachers] believed there had been some impact on these early childhood programs."

Those teachers most often believed the previously existing programs had been put at risk by the number of children being siphoned off by junior kindergarten.

The educationdepartment plansto roll out junior kindergarten territory-wide next year.