Useful websites

Aboriginal Children's Circle of Early Learning
ACCEL is a bilingual web-based clearinghouse and network for Aboriginal early childhood development. This virtual meeting place provides an opportunity for Aboriginal early childhood service providers to access current research, discuss best and promising practices, and identify and respond to the emerging needs of their communities with timely, culturally sensitive solutions.

Aboriginal Head Start On-Reserve
This website outlines the Health Canada-funded Aboriginal Head Start on reserve initiative. The initiative is designed to "prepare young First Nations children for their school years, by meeting their emotional, social, health, nutritional and psychological needs".

Aboriginal Head Start (AHS) in Urban and Northern Communities
This website outlines the Health Canada-funded early childhood development program for First Nations, Inuit and Métis children and their families. The primary goal of the initiative is to demonstrate that locally controlled and designed early intervention strategies can provide Aboriginal children with a positive sense of themselves, a desire for learning, and opportunities to develop fully as successful young people.

Assembly of First Nations
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is the national representative organization of the First Nations in Canada. The AFN exists to promote the "restoration and enhancement" of this relationship and to ensure that it is mutually beneficial to the First Nations people. The Assembly of First Nations is a national aboriginal lobby organization.

BC Aboriginal Child Care Society
The BC Aboriginal Child Care Society is a non-profit provincial organization serving Aboriginal early childhood programs throughout BC. It seeks to help Aboriginal communities develop high quality, integrated, community child care services that are based in the children's culture, language and history.

Congress of Aboriginal Peoples
This major national organization represents off-reserve First Nations and Métis
people living in urban, rural and remote areas throughout Canada. Website offers information, resources, links and articles about and for Aboriginal Canadians living off reserve.

Early Childhood Development Intercultural Partnerships
University of Victoria website devoted to the health and development of children of indigenous populations in Canada and internationally.

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
ITK has represented the interests of the Inuit of Canada at the national level since its incorporation in 1972. Working primarily as an advocacy organization, ITK has been actively involved in a wide range of issues some of which have proven to be of critical importance in enabling Inuit to pursue their aspirations and take control of their destinies.

Métis National Council
The MNC represents the Métis Nation nationally and internationally. The MNC's central goal is to secure a healthy space for the Métis Nation's on-going existence within the Canadian federation.

Native Women's Association of Canada
NWAC seeks to "improve the economic, cultural and political well-being of Aboriginal women in Canada". The site was developed to provide a "valuable tool in the fight to advocate, educate and promote gender issues". Includes links to programs, resources and news.

Pauktuutit
Pauktuutit is the national non-profit association representing all Inuit women in Canada. Its mandate is to foster a greater awareness of the needs of Inuit women, and to encourage their participation in community, regional and national concerns in relation to social, cultural and economic development.