Daycares awarded funding for Indigenous programs

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This article was published 28/09/2022 (1282 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The provincial and federal governments will spend $300,000 to help 24 Manitoba daycares implement Indigenous cultural programs.

The grants come from a four-year child-care agreement, worth $20 million annually, which was signed in 2021.

“All children in Manitoba need access to inclusive, culturally appropriate child-care programming,” said Education Minister Wayne Ewasko, who was joined by Indigenous Reconciliation Minister Alan Lagimodiere at a Furby Street daycare Wednesday.

The cash will be used for equipment, resources and supplies, Ewasko said, as well as professional development for staff.

Ewasko said the grants are part of the provincial government’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls to action, specifically the 12th, which asks for culturally appropriate education programs for Indigenous families.

Fernanda Hodgson, executive director of Day Nursery Centre, which has five inner-city facilities including the Furby Street daycare, said the $25,000 it received will pay for books, toys and other materials.

Hodgson said the centre hopes to buy local and Indigenous-made items where possible, so children “can see themselves, their families and their friends reflected.”

The money will be used for training and professional development so staff learn about Indigenous culture and history, and understand the effects of colonization, she said.

Lagimodiere said Indigenous reconciliation involves “bringing the culture back to the community… culture that has unfortunately, over the years, has certainly been suppressed.”

“(This is) starting the kids off the right way, learning their culture, learning the importance of their culture and where they come from.”

The 24 facilities, most of which are in Winnipeg, were among 50 that applied for the grants in 2020-2021.

This round of grants, which range from $5,000 to $25,000 depending on the number of spaces for infants and children offered, means all facilities that applied have received funding.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera