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15TuesdayFebruary112014ByMEAGANWOHLBERGFouryear-oldswillsoonbeattendingeveryschoolintheNorthwestTerritoriesthankstoareallocationoffundingwithinthedepartmentofEducationCultureandEm-ploymentaimedatboostingtheterritorysearlychildhooddevelopmentprogramming.Announcedinthe2014-15budgetreleasedlastThursday1.8millionofexistingschoolcontributionfundingwillbetransferredwithinthedepart-menttoestablishjuniorkin-dergartenclassroomsineverycommunityintheterritorystartingthisfallinthe29small-estcommunities10ofwhichcurrentlyhavenolicensedearlychildhoodprogramming.Thefollowingyearwillseesimilarkindergartenses-tablishedinallfourregionalcentreswithYellowknifesschoolsfollowingin2016-17.All49schoolsinall33communitieswewanttocoverthemwithjuniorkindergartenintoourexistingschoolsystem.ThatsouroverallobjectiveEducationMinisterJacksonLaffertytoldTheJournal.HesaidthenewinitiativeispartofthedepartmentsongoingAboriginalStudentAchievementInitiativeandtheEarlyChildhoodDevel-opmentFrameworkwhichinvolvesthedepartmentofHealthandSocialServices.WeveheardideasandvoicesandsuggestionsfromthosepeoplethatweengagedwithcommunitymembersandparentssowewantedtoprovidesomeoptionsfortheparentsandalsoqualityearlychildhooddevelopmentintoourschoolsLaffertysaid.SofarIvebeenhearingpositivecommentsonthisparticularsubjectespeciallyinthesmallisolatedcommuni-ties-verypositivefeedback.Itcamedirectlyfromtheparentsthegrandparentsandtheedu-catorsinthe33communitiesthatwehave...especiallythe10communitiesthatdonothavelicensedearlychildhoodprogramming.Theinitiativeisalsosup-portedbytheworkofworld-renownedexpertsinearlychildhooddevelopmentoneofwhichrecentlyvisitedtheNWTtoprovidehisinsightswhichincludedestablishingajuniorkindergartenprogram.Thisjuniorkindergartenisveryexcitingbecauseitwillprovideparentsandfamilieswithopportunitiesfortheir4year-oldchildrentoparticipateinsafehighqualityplay-basedprogramminghesaid.Itsalsohands-onprogrammingfocusedonhelpingourkidsdeveloptheirlanguageandso-cialskillsandphysicalhealth.Thejuniorkindergartenstudentswillbecombinedinclassroomswiththekinder-gartensusingexistingstaff.Intheregionalcentrestheterritoryhasqualiedpeo-plealreadyemployedintheschoolsystemalongwith120earlychildhoodworkersacrosstheterritory.Oncewetakethe4year-oldsoutofthedaycarees-tablishmentsthedaycaresprimaryfocuswillbeages0-3Laffertysaid.Ouroverallenrollmentisdownsothatleavesplentyofspaceforthese4year-oldstoenterourschoolsystem.CurtisBrownsuperinten-dentoftheSouthSlaveDi-visionalEducationCouncilSSDECsaidhesexcitedaboutthenewprogram.Imreallypleasedtoseetheadditionofjuniorkindergartentoourschools.Itsbecomingmoreandmoreobviousthatearlychildhoodeducationiscriticaltothedevelopmentofchildrennotonlyfortheirliteracynumeracytheirso-cialresponsibilitybutgeneralreadinessforschoolhesaid.Thatsaidheisconcernedabouttheaffordabilityofanadditional100studentsperyearafterfullimplementa-tion.ThoughthenewstudentswillbecapturedaspartofthefederalformulafundingwhichwillhelptoincreasefundsforthedivisiontheSSDECwillexperienceanetreductionof200000.Werepleasedtohaveac-cessto4year-oldsbutcon-cernedthatitisnotcomingwithnewfundingBrownsaid.Thedepartmentexpectsaround600newyoungsterstoentertheschoolsysteminjuniorkindergartenthisfall.JuniorkindergartenstospringupacrossNWTEveryschoolinterritorytoinclude4year-oldsby2017Thisjuniorkindergartenisveryexcitingbecauseitwillprovideparentsandfamilieswithopportunitiesfortheir4year-oldchildrentoparticipateinsafehighqualityplay-basedprogramming.MinisterJacksonLaffertyEducationCultureandEmploymentEducationEarlyChildhoodPhotocourtesyofGNWTByMARIACHURCHAnewliteracyinitiativebytheTlichoGovernmentthatischallengingstudentstoreadasmanybooksaspos-siblehasbeenembracedbyteachersandstudentsalike.CalledtheBookPassportReadingChallengestudentsinallveschoolsintheTli-choregionhavereceivedabookpassporttorecordtitlesauthorsandsignaturesfromtheirteachers.Thestudentswiththemostbooksreadre-ceiveprizes.AndreaAdamsateacheratElizabethMackenzieEle-mentarySchoolinBehchokosaiditsexcitingtoseetheuniquewaysteachersareencouragingtheirstudentstocompletethechallenge.OneofthebestpartsthatIlikeaboutitiseachclassisdoingitinadifferentwaydependingontheteachingstyleshesaid.Someteach-ershaveincorporatedthepassportsintoindependentreadingblocksduringclasssomearereadingbooksto-getherandsomearegiventhepassportstotakehome.Thestudentsseemtobeex-citedbythechallengewhichEducationLiteracystartedonJan.27andrunsuntilFeb.28andarehappilyllingoutthepassportswitheachnewbooktheytackleAdamssaid.Theyresmilingastheyllitoutshesaid.ThebookpassportsareaninitiativeoftheTlichoGov-ernmentandfeaturetheTlichoagonthefrontandbackcover.TheinsidepageshavepicturesofbeadworkandotherculturalimagesthroughoutwhichishelpingstudentsidentifywiththematerialAdamssaid.Itsnotsomethingthatyouwouldpickupatastoreorthroughaschoolcatalogshesaid.Itsreallyuniqueandrelatable.WhileliteracyinitiativesarenotnewtotheTlichoschoolsAdamssaiditsnicetoseeboththecommunityandthegov-ernmentencouragingliteracy.Itsawayoftrackingtheirprogressanditsadifferentwaythatsnotcomingfromtheteacherssothatskindofnicetooshesaid.Thechallengeishopefullyanotherwayofgettingstu-dentsinterestedinreadingandthroughthatgainingliteracyskillsAdamssaidwhichtranslateintoallareasoflearning.Theyllbemorecondentintheirlearningsotheyllat-tendschoolshesaid.GiselleMarionorganizedthebookpassportreadingchallengeonbehalfoftheTlichoGovern-mentandsaidwhileshecantspeakforthegovernmentitswidelyknowthatliteracyisanimportantpartofeverydaylife.WhetheritisinEnglishorinTlicholiteracyisaneces-sarytoolfordevelopment.Pro-motingandsupportingliteracyincreasesawarenesseducatesandprovidestheskillsneces-saryforachildtoourishinschoolshesaid.Thebookpassportshaveroomfor36bookstobere-cordedbutitsnotlikelyastudentwillbeturnedawayiftheyrunoutofroomandaskforanotherone.Withamonthtoreadandunlim-itedaccesstotheirschoolslibrariestheresnolimitontheyoungbookworms.WinnersofthepassportchallengewillbeannouncedonMar.1duringtheTlichoGovernmentsAboriginallanguageawarenessmonthlaunchevent.TlichogovernmentchallengesyouthtoreadEducationMinisterJacksonLaffertysaysthemovetobring4year-oldsintoNWTschoolscomesfromexpertandcommunityfeedback.PlanningthePerfectWeddingYoullneedInvitationsandCascadeGraphicshasthemDropinorgiveusacallfordetails.888355-6729207McDougalRd.FortSmith