Every Child Matters

In light of the recent news of the discovery of 215 children’s remains at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School site, here are some valuable resources that you, as educators, can access for yourselves and the children & families you support through your daily practice.

The first resource is a YouTube video that provides some tips about how to communicate with children regarding Canada’s Residential School history. In the video, Monique Gray Smith recommends books and resources of interest. The video is about nine minutes long, and is well worth your time. https://youtu.be/ebOJ_lMCVvk . Please watch with kindness and mindfulness for yourself and others in place.

The second resource is a link to the Canadian Child Care Federations Indigenous Child Care website. Here you can find information on the importance of culturally appropriate programs and how to encourage aboriginal identity in childcare. https://cccf-fcsge.ca/ece-resources/topics/indigenous-child-care/ You are encouraged to explore the information and resources offered here.

The third resource is the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/indigenous-early-learning/2018-framework.html. This framework represents the Canadian government and Indigenous peoples’ work to develop a framework that reflects the unique cultures, aspirations and needs of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children within Canada.

The fourth resource is 4 links to a variety of booklists for little ones and the age groups with which they are best suited. The last link is to some YouTube videos of Indigenous read alouds.

Lastly, here is a copy of a child-friendly Land Acknowledgement statement.

Thank you for sharing and caring for the land we learn and play on. In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Iyarhe Nakoda Nations, the Metis Nation (Region 3) and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.

Land acknowledgement statements formally recognize that we have an obligation to recognize and respect Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of the land and to honour their relationships with their traditional territories. You are encouraged to consider adopting one for your childcare program.

As early childcare educators, now is the time to honour Residential School Survivors and their families, and to remember those children who did not come home.

Every Child Matters

Every Child Matters

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