Qwallayuw AHS

Campbell River Aboriginal Head Start is hosted by Laichwiltach Family Life Society on the territory of the Liǧʷiłdax̌ʷ peoples. The name for our AHS program, Qwallayuw, means ‘My Reason for Living’ in the Kwak̓wala language.

We are very proud of our culture and language component. Our wonderful Elder, Sophie, teaches Kwak̓wala to all the children. They are identified according to clans, such as wolf, eagle, raven, and bear, and learn about dancing from our cultural teachers.

Each day the group activities change. The centres are circle, science, art, culture, cooking, gym, playground, walk, computers, or literacy with the Kindergarten Teacher. We find it enhances the children’s attention span and creativity to offer smaller groups and age-appropriate choices. Through the six components, we offer support by building language, culture and self-esteem in our children and families.

Our host agency offers a wide range of additional services and supports for families and children 0-6 years, including Speech and Language, and Occupational Therapy.