- PO Box 21058, Duncan, British Columbia, V9L 0C2
- admin@ahsabc.com
- 250-709-7592
AHSABC is responsible for the BC Aboriginal Head Start (BC – AHS) Initiative with 5 AHSUNC Programs through a ‘Stewardship’ Arrangement.
The AHSUNC programs aim is to enhance child development and school readiness of Indigenous children living off reserve.
Six program components include culture and language, education, health promotion, nutrition, social support and parental/family involvement and three (3) foundational components; beliefs and values, accountability/management, and leadership/staffing.
Through these components, AHS creates opportunities for children to develop self-confidence, a greater desire for learning, and an excellent start in their journey towards success in life.
AHS recognizes parents, guardians, and other family members as the most important teachers in a child’s life and engages and supports them to be the child’s first teachers, strengthening family bonds and creating opportunities for them to play a role in running the program. For a people whose families and family systems have been systematically destroyed through colonization and residential schools, facilitating access to programs like AHS is an important step towards
reconciliation, starting at a very early stage in life.
The program provides no-fee holistic early learning ½ day licensed preschool inclusive of wraparound family supports and inclusion.
The goal of the AHS program is to support activities that are designed and delivered to meet the unique needs and priorities of Indigenous peoples living in BC. Early life is critical to lifelong health. AHS focuses on early childhood development, in a culturally appropriate manner, to support the spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical growth of a child. AHS supports and encourages children in enjoying life-long learning, and supports parents, guardians and extended family members as the primary teachers. The holistic ‘wrap-around’ model of AHS programming uses culturally relevant curriculum and supports, following the AHS Principles and Guidelines.
AHS provides an ideal evidence-based platform that aligns with a number of provincial and federal government priorities, including the Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC).
The BC Government and the Government of Canada under the Early Learning and Child Care agreement supports Aboriginal Head Start expansion in BC. The investment is based on the success of the Aboriginal Head Start (AHS) programs, and the demand for programs to provide culturally appropriate early learning. AHS programs model a streamlined and coordinated approach to prevention and referrals to early intervention services. The holistic ‘wrap-a round’ model of programming uses culturally relevant curriculum and supports.
Aboriginal Head Start provides an ideal evidence-based platform that aligns with provincial and federal government priorities, including the Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) framework of the proposed ELCC Agreement.
To date the Aboriginal Head Start Association of BC (AHSABC) with funding from the Province of BC have facilitated the creation of 30 licensed AHS Child Care programs, with a total of 786 new child care spaces, through the GROWING AHS in BC agreements, since 2018, reaching children and families across the province and employing more than 100 early childhood education professionals.
To learn more about the Growing AHS in BC Initiative reach out to, Joan Gignac, Executive Director of the Aboriginal Head
Start Association of BC @ 250-858-4543 and executivedirector@ahsabc.com
