Our History

Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network

Overview

1. Introduction

This overview is intended to provide an opportunity to inform both present and future participants on the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network’s historical development. The overview is also intended to inform and guide discussions for the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network as we move forward with the work plan that was developed collectively at our Strategic Planning day on January 9, 2006. Currently, the Strategic Plan has been updated on month of October in 2008.

2. Brief History of Network

The Fraser Region Aboriginal Early Childhood Development (ECD) Network emerged in the last months of 2003, yet the idea for it arose in the early part of that year.

In February 2003, the Upper Fraser Make Children First (MCF) learning site held a 2-day planning session at Camp Squeah. Attending this event were members of the MCF Implementation Committee, ECD representatives from Abbotsford and Mission, and a small contingent of Aboriginal ECD representatives.

At this session, it became clear that the level of Aboriginal participation wasn’t sufficient enough to engage in effective ECD planning for Aboriginal communities in the region which include First Nations (status and non-status), Métis and Inuit. Therefore, with input from the MCF technical team, a statement was drafted that captured this position and added a qualifier that left open the possibility to pursue some other way in which to achieve greater Aboriginal participation. In part, that statement read:

“Representatives of the Aboriginal early childhood development community in attendance at the retreat and representatives of the Make Children First Initiative agreed that the Aboriginal component might require a different process.”

A separate committee process was needed for the Aboriginal ECD community in the Upper Fraser that would parallel the MCF initiative, yet still be effectively linked. This approach seemed appropriate given the climate that had given rise to the Fraser Regional Aboriginal Planning Committee (FRAPC) and overall transition to Aboriginal community governance provincially.

In late February, the MCF Implementation Committee was approached with a proposal to ask FRAPC to link their mandate and resources with that of MCF’s. The idea was to form a committee made up of Aboriginal ECD service providers in the Upper Fraser under the auspices of FRAPC. They agreed to this plan, as did FRAPC the following month.

A meeting was held in November 2003. In the eastern region participants included representatives from Seabird Island, Sto:lo Nation, and Aboriginal Community Champions from Make Children First. It the Western region participants included Kla-How-Eya , First Nations Urban Community Society, Arrows of Freedom Cultural Healing Society and Victoria/Vancouver Friendship Centre. It was agreed at these meetings that having a Network of Aboriginal ECD service providers was a wonderful and worthwhile venture.

Later that fall, MCFD’s head office allocated new federal funds to the Fraser Region for targeted supported childcare (SCC) services to Aboriginal children and families, including the SCC Refocus initiative. A meeting was held with the Aboriginal Network to discuss SCC, the new federal funds and the SCC Refocus initiative, and this would apply in an Aboriginal community governance context. FRAPC was still in development. The Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network decided that Aboriginal ECD service providers who had the capacity would pursue this initiative. This planning for aboriginal ECD supported the idea of bringing together the various Aboriginal ECD service providers in the Upper Fraser to plan for our children.

In the spring of 2004, the western and eastern network tables decided to come together and integrate into one group.

However, by this time, the governance of the committee had changed. That is, the committee would now operate as an autonomous committee (or “network”) linked to FRAPC through a partnership. This development occurred because membership in the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network is made up of agencies supported by either provincial and/or federal departments; therefore, given that FRAPC’s influence is over provincial spending and not federal, this seemed appropriate.

 

3. Accomplishments

The following items have been accomplished to date:

• Launching the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network: In November 2003, the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network was launched with the support of its founding members. In February of 2004, members again agreed to have it continue for 2004-2005.  Currently, in the year of 2009, the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network continues partnership's with founding Network members and with newly joined Network members.

• Uniting Urban & Rural First Nations & Urban Aboriginal ECD agencies: The Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network has succeeded in bringing together participating agencies from across the region, regardless of community origin or jurisdictional domain.

• Supported Child Care to Aboriginal Communities - Consultation Report: In November, the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network produced a consultation document that was used by the Supported Child Care Refocus Working Group in its determinations for the revamped provincial SCC program.

• Supported Child Care (SCC): Since the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network’s inception, positive relationships have been established with local, regional & provincial SCC stakeholders, leading to:

- increased identification of children requiring extra supports;

- increased service delivery capacity for some Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network members;

- improved relationships between existing service providers and Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network members;

- first-time services to more on-reserve, rural, and urban children and families; and

- on-going consultation between the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network and key stakeholders on important planning and relationship-building, e.g. regional transition planning, provincial Refocus planning, and on-going local relationships.

• Letter to Sheila Wilkins: In May, after much consultation, the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network endorsed a letter to Sheila Wilkins, Aboriginal Services Manager, MCFD – Fraser Region, requesting a ministry staff person to take on Aboriginal ECD and SCC planning exclusively.

• 2006 Partnerships & Relationships: The Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network has established working Partnerships or else have an open invitation to communicate with:

- Fraser Region Aboriginal Planning Committee

- Ministry of Children and Family Development – Fraser Region

- Ministry of Children and  Family Development – Head Office, re: SCC Refocus

- Fraser Health Authority

- Make Children First (Provincial Office, Upper Fraser, Surrey/White Rock,

Burnaby, New Westminster, Tri-Cities, Ridge Meadows)

- Public Health Agency of Canada

- BC Aboriginal Child Care Society (“Moe the Mouse” – S & Workshop)

- Success by Six (United Way of the Fraser Valley)

- MCFD – Head Office, Aboriginal Services Branch

- BC Council for Families (Nobodies Perfect/Mother Goose)

- BC/Yukon Transition House Society (Children Who Witness Abuse Program)

 

• 2009 Partnerships & Relationships:

- Centre for Ability, Burnaby

- Fraser Valley Child Development Centre, Mission, Abbotsford and Chilliwack

- Katzie First Nation

- Kla-How-Eya Aboriginal Centre Society, Surrey

- Kwantlen First Nation

- Langley Child Development Centre

- Ministry of Children and Family Development, Aboriginal Community Services

- Ridge Meadows Association for Community Living

- Seabird Island First Nation

- Simon Fraser Society for Community Living, Coquitlam and Tri Cities

- Spirit of the Children, New Westminster

- Sto:lo Nation

- Sumas First Nation

- Tsawwassen First Nation

• Terms of Reference: Since the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network’s inception, members have worked diligently in drafting a terms of reference to everyone’s satisfaction. This guiding document was completely drafted in May 2004, and is now being revised to fit in with the vision and mission of the Network. Revised again in 2008.

• Awareness & Accessibility to the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network: Since the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network’s inception, the coordinator has promoted awareness of the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network’s vision to ECD stakeholders across the provincial and regional spectrum. This has led to invitations to participate in various local, regional, and provincial processes, such as conferences, information sessions, planning process, etc. In addition, standing and selected invitations have been extended to outside agencies and persons to participate in or present at Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network meetings.

• Developed Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network website: www.fraecdn.ca

 

4. On-going Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network Initiatives:

The following items are initiatives in-progress:

• Increasing Participation: The Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network has a strategy to increase participation in the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network from as many interested Aboriginal ECD service providers from across the region as possible.

• ECD & SCC Consultations & Planning: On-going consultations and planning in conjunction with the MCFD – Fraser Region is occurring, leading to new and/or enhanced relationships with existing service providers and informed decisions by the ministry.

• Training and Information Sessions: The Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network is currently investigating a number of training and information session opportunities in these areas. A new list will be developed based on information provided by Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network members from the Strategic Planning session.

Additional training and information session opportunities have been informally discussed, such as professional development in Supported Child Care and Aboriginal Infant Development Programs.

In April 20th & 21st, 2009, the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network provided Dr Lee Brown’s Emotional Education: Creating Emotional Competency in the Classroom Training, provided in Seabird Island First Nation and Kla-How-Eya Aboriginal Centre in Surrey.

The Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network provided Making the Most of Moe, a workshop for parents and Early Childhood Educators, facilitated by a Speech and Language Pathologist.

The workshop is six hours and utilizes audio-visual equipment as well as prints resources to train Early Childhood Educators and parents how to use the Moe the Mouse™ Curriculum Box. The workshop is presented by the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society.

Training locations were at Seabird Island Millennium Hall 2895 Chowat Road, Agassiz, BC on Friday, April 24, 2009. The other Making Most of Moe was presented at the Langley Child Development Center, #103 — 5171 221A Street, Langley, on Saturday, May 30, 2009.

• Consultation Protocol: The Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network is currently a venue for outsides agencies, groups, or persons wishing to consult with the Network.

• Member and Agency Profiles: Since its inception, the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network has endeavored to compile brief agency and participant profiles in order to promote the Network’s advisory capacity. This list is currently being updated to reflect new and old members of the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network.

• Forwarding Issues & Concerns to Provincial Advisors: The Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network has raised some important issues and concerns in the past that are intended to be forwarded and discussed with the respective provincial advisors for Success By Six, Make Children First, and Supported Child Care.

• Cultural Materials: The Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network contracted Coqualeetza Cultural and Education Center to develop 16 Cedar Kits for children ages 0 6. And additional cultural materials have been discussed and needs more discussion for the next cultural material project that is in need within Aboriginal ECD programs.

The Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network purchased 16 Moe the Mouse Curriculum Box’s for Network Members. Curriculum Box is an innovative early speech and language resource kit that uses Aboriginal toys and stories to enhance language development in children. The activities in the curriculum box help parents and educators provide opportunities for children to practice language skills in a child care centre, preschool and home setting.

5. Concluding Remarks

The Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network has always intended to be organic, meaning its growth and on-going development was intended to be guided from the ground up and it was always intended to be owned and shaped by its membership – the community ECD agencies and programs and their respective representatives.

In reviewing the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network’s accomplishments and activities, it becomes clear just how far the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network has come in such a short time, and just how far it has yet to go in terms of achieving its vision “to constructively engage all parties supporting ECD programs and services throughout the region to ensure that all Aboriginal children, families, and communities in the region obtain outcomes comparable to the rest of Canadian society.”

We have many voices, however; we have ONE plan that will be our guide in achieving the goals that we have collectively identified for the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network. In the year ahead, it is the hope that the Fraser Region Aboriginal ECD Network will collectively enhance existing processes and systems and will move forward in meeting the needs of the Aboriginal community, children and families.

Revised June 13, 2006
Revised July 24, 2009

Summary of what we have done:

  • Network launched in 2003
  • Developed partnerships and relationships with the Ministry of Children and Family Development and other stakeholders
  • United urban and rural Aboriginal Early Childhood Development service providers
  • Worked to deliver Aboriginal Supported Child Development and Aboriginal Infant Development Programs in Aboriginal communities in the Fraser Region
  • Worked to increase awareness and accessibility of AECD, ASCD and AIDP in the Aboriginal community
  • Developed Terms of Reference for the Network
  • Completed strategic plan for the Network
  • Developed cultural materials
  • Developed network website

Ongoing Network Initiatives:

  • Increase Aboriginal participation in AECD, ASCD and AIDP
  • Facilitate ongoing consultation and planning sessions
  • Promote consultation with Aboriginal communities
  • Work collaboratively with stakeholders
  • Continue to develop cultural materials
  • Provide ongoing opportunities for professional development
  • Support pilot projects that enhance services to the Aboriginal communities