This compendium was created by Ball & Moselle Consulting Inc.* for Aboriginal Head Start Programs. The project was made possible by a contribution from Health Canada. Our purpose was to identify resources that would assist Aboriginal Head Start staff in finding materials that would:

• support the education component of the Aboriginal Head Start program;
• be appropriate for use by young children, particularly those from 3 to 5 years of age;
• represent Aboriginal cultures, particularly those located on the west coast of Canada.

The search to find resources that met this criteria began on February 1, 2001. By May 15, 2001, over 800 resources had been found that met some, if not all, of these criteria. A decision was made to be more inclusive than exclusive in choosing resources for the compendium, trusting that program developers and staff will make decisions about what resources to order for their sites based on careful consideration and additional information about each potential resource.

There are undoubtedly many more relevant resources than we could locate within the four months available to produce this first compendium of Aboriginal children’s educational resources. Also, evaluation and vetting of resources by Aboriginal specialists is a step that needs to be taken now that this centralized list of resources has been compiled. Thus, the compendium should be seen as a ‘work in progress.’ We encourage you to add to it to create your own ‘site specific’ compendium that will meet the specific needs of your program community.

We hope that you enjoy learning about the variety of resources that are available to support Aboriginal programs. Most importantly, we hope that the compendium will help you in your important work to promote the well-being of children and families in ways that help to sustain their Aboriginal cultures.

*© Ball & Moselle Consulting Inc. ( kmoselle@home.com) specializes in development projects.

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