Table 1: Summary of issues identified and solutions suggested during the consultations Area of concern Issue identified Suggestions offered Elders’ comments Education Cost Poor and inflexible transport schedules Difficulty in transition to school Cultural insensitivity by staff Inadequate numbers of qualified Aboriginal High absenteeism at school Children attending school without breakfast Change funding criteria for ASSPA and IESEP Provide cultural awareness programs Provide a school bus to enable children to get to school Employ qualified Aboriginal educators Highlighted: cultural awareness education programs aimed at preschool children, early years and babies school retention rates the need for mothers to receive education in child care, nutrition, cooking, basic hygiene and budgeting Health Cost Cultural insensitivity by staff Unwelcoming environments Use of professional jargon that is not understood and is intimidating Poor knowledge of services Inadequate numbers of qualified Aboriginal health workers Inflexible opening Specific health issues: Low immunisation rates for children High rate of ear infections Children exposed to family violence Women smoking while pregnant Give greater access to Medicare bulk billing Conduct cultural awareness programs and training for all Create environments Employ qualified Aboriginal health workers Improve access to programs and design flexible programs in consultation with the Aboriginal community Highlighted: the importance of culturally relevant services poor nutrition hearing problems lack of resources Family services Mistrust of services that have previously been involved in polices that removed children and are currently removing children Have childhood service system promoting culturally program services that engender trust in Aboriginal people Provide a greater level of support to parents with very young children Develop culturally relevant parenting programs for both men and Administration High cost of birth certificates Replacement of vaccination certificates Need for greater sharing of information between services
Low birth weight Birth injury Disability Low intelligence Chronic illness Delayed development Difficult temperament Poor attachment Poor social skills Disruptive behaviour Impulsivity Single parent Young maternal age Depression or mental illness Drug and alcohol Harsh or inconsistent discipline Lack of stimulation of child Lack of warmth and affection Rejection of Abuse or neglect Family instability, conflict or violence Marital disharmony Divorce Disorganisation Large family size/rapid successive pregnancies Absence of father Very low of parental education Socioeconomic disadvantage Housing conditions 33 MCCEETYA 2001, p.15 34 Department of Human Services 2001a, 2001b (and the Best Start program outline) 35 Centre for Community Health 2000
69 cited in MCEETYA 2001a, p.29 70 National Health and Medical Research Council 2000 71 Groos et al. 1998, p.1 72 Engeler et al. 1998, p.6 73 Department of Services 2001b 74 MCEETYA 2001a, p.25 75 MCEETYA 2001a 76 Kowalenko cited in MCEETYA 2001a, p.18
strengthening the community links that support families and in so make communities more family and child friendly. This process of ensuring the community networks around early education are strengthened involves identifying and overcoming barriers to engagement, developing effective communication practices, making the physical environment welcoming, encouraging parent participation, and developing 80 teachers need an awareness and understanding of the qualities and attributes Aboriginal children bring with them 88 when they enter preschool or other early childhood settings. The Department of Human Services has made significant attempts to improve the level of preschool attendance by Aboriginal children and has developed the Koori Early Childhood Education program which aims to support Aboriginal children and their families in accessing and 89 participating in preschool. the skills of staff in working with parents and families. As noted earlier in this report, a significant amount of research has been undertaken into the importance of early
Results of the experiment indicated that children who received preschool intervention subsequently performed better academically, than those who had no preschool experience. ‘The preschool treatment group effects 137 Department of Human Services 2001a, p.46 138 Department of Human Services 2001a, p.46 139 Department of Human Services 2001a, p.47
Department of Human Services 2001a p45 146 Department of Human Services 2001b, p.211 147 Department of Human Services 2001b, p.211 148 Department of Human Services 2001b, p.215 149 Health Canada 2001, p.4 150 Health Canada 2001, p.3
This means that while all Aboriginal Head Start sites are similar, each site is unique. The program provides a structured preschool environment for the young ‘students’ and operates four days a week. The delivery of education and care to children is coordinated with other services, which are provided by territory or provincial governments. ‘The primary goal of the AHS initiative is to demonstrate that locally controlled and designed early intervention strategies can provide Aboriginal children in urban and northern settings with a positive sense of themselves, a desire for learning and opportunities to 151 develop fully and successfully as young people’. The success of the program is demonstrated by the fact that demand exceeds supply, with 64 per cent of AHS sites reporting that they are unable to enrol all the children in the 152 community in need of the Aboriginal Head Start program. New Zealand programs Language nests Early childhood language nest programs in New Zealand play an important role in the affirmation and preservation of Maori culture. They are aimed mainly at four year old children, provide a culturally rich and nurturing environment, and rely heavily on the support and involvement of parents and community members in teaching Maori culture and language to preschool aged children. 151 Health Canada 2001, p.11 152 Health Canada 2001, p.4