Six Nations Health Services

Early Childhood Development plans, develops, co-ordinates and provides wholistic well-being to elementary students of the Six Nations community by promoting and advocating a healthy lifestyle within the family and individual.

The program was initially established in 1995 as a two-year pilot project and implemented in response to a significantly high and increasing level of in-school behavioural problems that had been identified by both teachers and parents. There are problem behaviours that are interfering with the ability of teachers to teach and the ability of our children to learn and grow.

It was recognized by community members that there has been a long standing very serious growing problem within our schools that seriously threatens the proper development of a large number of children.

The Early Childhood Development Services recognizes that clients and their families are the most important individual in our organization and shall receive high quality services.

The Early Childhood Development has evolved into a mainstay of interventive and preventative support services.

The Early Childhood Development has been established within the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory Schools since September 1995. There are currently 6 elementary schools located on Six Nations that serve 1340 First Nations students total, the schools are:

Jamieson (Grades JK – 8) average yearly enrolment is 200 students
Oliver M. Smith (Grades JK – 8) average yearly enrolment is 290 students
Emily C. General (Grades JK – 8) average yearly enrolment is 280 students
J.C. Hill (Grades 7 & 8) average yearly enrolment is 135 students
I.L. Thomas (Grades JK – 8) average yearly enrolment is 360 students (also included is Cayuga Language Immersion Program)
Kawenni:io Elementary School (Grades Jr. Kindergarten – 8) average yearly enrolment is 75 students (Mohawk Language Immersion School)

Before the establishment of this program, parents and teachers were expressing concern for the children within the Six Nations school system and the lack of emotional, mental and behavioural help that was available to the children in the schools during school hours. There were a number of behaviour difficulties that were becoming unmanageable and too many calls were being made to the Children’s Aid Society. A committee of concerned teachers and parents worked to develop a proposal requesting school counsellors for each school, as well as developing a program. Funding was received from Grand River Employment and Training (GREAT) for tree years, with the agreement that Six Nations Health Services supervise and monitor the program. In 1999, funding was provided by the Aboriginal Healing foundation (AHF) on a yearly basis from 1999-2002. Multi-year funding was provided in 2003-2005 by AHF. The current funding for this program will cease at the end of January 2005. As of October 1, 2005, funding was secured from First Nations Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) under the Early Childhood Development Fund.

The Counsellors work within the community in particular 0-6 aged population. Other community based involvement is working with Six Nations Child Care Resource Centre. The Counsellors work within various strategies to reduce the incidents of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and to work with families who have FASD children to improve the quality of their life.

The program functions within the combination model of intervention. The combination model adheres to the program requirements using Aboriginal Head Start on Reserve principles guidelines as well as the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The Aboriginal Head Start on the Reserve existing child care programs depending on the needs of the community.