Indigenous early learning and child care: Environmental scan- Alberta region

Excerpts from Introduction

The Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre (AFNIGC) is a not-for profit, First Nations-owned organization that promotes, protects, and advances the First Nations´ Ownership, Control, Access and Possession (OCAP®) principles; the inherent right to self-determination and jurisdiction in research and information management.

AFNIGC facilitates OCAP® principles by:

• Increasing the impact of research and information that measures the state of First Nations health and wellbeing;
• Providing sound governance and oversight to research initiatives and specialized surveys;
• Providing stewardship of data; and
• Building the individual and systemic capacity for respectfully engaging in data collection, analysis and utilization through professional development, training and tools, standards of excellence, and access to equitable funding.
• The governance structure of the Alberta FNIGC is entrenched as an incorporated entity and includes:
• The Assembly of Treaty Chiefs as members of the corporation
• Treaty No. 6, Treaty No. 7, and Treaty No. 8 appointed Chiefs Senate, and delegates from First Nation communities to serve as Board of Directors.

Cora Voyageur Social Research Ltd.

Cora Voyageur Social Research Ltd. was contracted by the Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre (AlbertaFNIGC) in Spring 2019 to gather information for a series of reports regarding the state of Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care (IELCC) in Alberta.

The National Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Initiative (IELCC) was allocated $1.7 billion from the Government of Canada over a period of ten years (2018 – 2028). This funding is above and beyond existing funding and intended to facilitate the implementation of the IELCC Framework, as well as comprehensive engagement between government and First Nations.

Alberta specifically has been allocated $11.2 million for 2018/2019 and $11.2 million for 2019/2020 for Alberta First Nations IELCC programs. Core programs that fall under the IELCC umbrella include: Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities (AHSUNC) Aboriginal Head Start on Reserve (AHSOR) and First Nations and Inuit Child Care Initiative (FNICCI). The overall goal of the increased funding is to provide Indigenous children with high-quality and culturally appropriate early learning and child care.

The Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care (IELCC) Research Project

The IELCC research project has three objectives:

1. Participate in engagement sessions in Treaty No. 6, Treaty No. 7, and Treaty No.8 regions;
2. Conduct a literature review of demography, health trends, and best practices; and
3. Conduct an environmental scan of Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities (AHSUNC), Aboriginal Head Start on Reserve (AHSOR), and First Nation and Inuit Child Care Initiative (FNICCI) in Alberta to support current capacity around six components.

Program Governance and Data Sharing

In addition to these three objectives, two other issues arose with regard to governance and data sharing that also needed to be included in the project:

1. To obtain ratification for a Data Sharing Agreement from the Assembly of Treaty Chiefs of Alberta (AOTC) IELCC Table. Ratification was obtained June 12, 2019 in Edmonton, Alberta.
2. To obtain ratification for a Resolution from the Assembly of Treaty Chiefs of Alberta (AOTC). Ratification was obtained June 12, 2019 in Edmonton, Alberta.