2. GOVERNMENT OF CANADA EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD CARE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

ACTIVITIES AND EXPENDITURES

Health Canada

Aboriginal Head Start On Reserve

Aboriginal Head Start On Reserve (AHSOR) is an early intervention program for First Nations children (age zero to six) living on reserve, and their families. It is intended to prepare these children for their school years by meeting their emotional, social, health, nutritional and psychological needs.

There were no major changes in the program's objectives, target population, mandate, delivery or design during 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, nor were there any changes reported with regard to the regulation of projects.

Website: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fnih-spni/famil/develop/ahsor-papa_intro_e.html

Availability

The AHSOR program in 2004-2005 provided services to 9 415 children at 332 project sites serving 365 communities.

The British Columbia and Manitoba regions of AHSOR have implemented a Home Visiting/Outreach project. The Home Visiting/Outreach project has the following benefits:

helps to close the 0-2 age gap for programming;
provides program resources to children who cannot directly access Head Start centres or are on a Head Start waiting list; and
helps to link the wider family to the Head Start program.

Affordability

There has been no change. All AHSOR programming is provided at no cost to the parent. In fact, it is against policy to charge for participation.

Quality

The national principles and guidelines of AHSOR were described in the 2002-2003 Baseline Report, and there have been no changes. The caregiver-to-child ratios and the maximum group size for projects are determined by provincial or territorial licensing requirements.

Quality of service for AHSOR is addressed continuously through regional and community-based training opportunities. The communities and regions determine their own priorities for professional development.

Examples of other steps taken by AHSOR to improve quality of service during 2004-2005 include the following:

In the BC region there was an increase in the number of sites with certified early childhood educators who have the expertise to be capable of tailoring their programs to meet the unique needs of the children and community.
Parent focus groups were conducted to learn more about the barriers that affect parental involvement in AHSOR programs. The parents, grandparents, foster parents, and Elders who took part in the focus groups identified a number of ways to increase parental involvement, including the following:
- providing parents with reliable transportation;
- helping parents develop new skills that will get them involved, through such means as offering training on how to organize parent collectives;
- offering father-only meetings or other activities that encourage men to participate;
- hosting parent lunches on a regular basis; and
- starting a bi-monthly awareness or recognition program for parents.

These findings will help AHSOR to develop policies and resources that will encourage parents to join their children in program activities.

Aboriginal Head Start On Reserve (AHSOR)

Expenditures		Regulated Spaces
2002–2003	$34,727,000	For AHSOR programs, the measurement of “regulated spaces" is not an appropriate indicator as individual programs have a variety of means of setting and monitoring standards, which may or may not include regulation by provincial authorities. In addition, programs are described in terms of the number of children served, rather than the number of spaces.
2003–2004	$35,095,244
2004–2005	$41,462,356
2005-2006	$50,165,212
Expenditures include grants and contributions; operations and management costs, and salaries. 2002–2003: Due to the late announcement of the Federal Strategy (October 2002), full annual funding of $46.5 million could not be expended in this fiscal year. All available funding was allocated to meet regional health program needs, including support for those services First Nations have identified as priorities. 2003 to 2005: Full annual funding of $46.5 million could not be expended in these fiscal years. All available funding was allocated to meet other regional health program needs, including those services that First Nations have identified as priorities.

Human Resources and Social Development Canada

First Nations and Inuit Child Care Initiative

The First Nations and Inuit Child Care Initiative (FNICCI) supports First Nations and Inuit communities in developing and implementing child care programs designed to address their local and regional needs. The objective of the initiative is to increase the supply of quality child care services in First Nations and Inuit communities.

There were no major changes in the program's objectives, target population, mandate, delivery or design during 2005-2006. Licensing and monitoring procedures for the program were described in detail in the 2002-2003 Baseline Report, and no changes have been reported since that time.

Website: http://srv119.services.gc.ca/AHRDSInternet/general/public/ChildCare/ChildCare_e.asp

Availability

There was no change reported for 2005-2006. As in the previous year, FNICCI subsidized 7 500 child care spaces at 407 different sites. Most of the spaces are dedicated to children under six; however, children age seven to 12 are eligible for after-school care.

Affordability

Information about fees, subsidies and access to spaces was outlined in detail in the 2002-2003 Baseline Report. In 2002-2003, the subsidy per space, which goes to the child care facilities, was increased from $6,000 to $6,500. This enhanced subsidy rate continued to apply to all 7 500 spaces in 2004-2005.

Quality

There has been no change to the guiding principles for child care centres funded by FNICCI. The principles ensure that the centres provide quality, affordable and culturally appropriate care for children.

In 2005-2006, most FNICCI centres used their enhanced funding on infrastructure, supplies and human resources, resulting in improved quality of service. Some centres upgraded their buildings or properties, or made modifications to accommodate children with special needs. Others bought toys, furniture or vehicles. Some centres were able to hire new staff, increase salaries and/or provide training.

Also, FNICCI representatives joined in the discussions and activities led by the federal departments working towards a "single window" approach for Aboriginal early childhood development programs. These activities are part of the Federal Strategy on Early Childhood Development for First Nations and Other Aboriginal Chidren, which is described in Section 1, Chapter 6.

First Nations and Inuit Child Care Initiative

Expenditures		Regulated spaces
2002–2003	$50,140,000	7 000 spaces
2003–2004	$50,140,000	7 500 spaces
2004–2005	$50,140,000	7 500 spaces
2005-2006	$57,140,000	7 500 spaces
Expenditures are budgetary allocations and include program and operating resources (including Employee Benefit Plan). Also included are infrastructure dollars. All amounts are for children under age 12, but are mostly for children under 6 years of age. Data about the number of children served is not available. 2002–2003: Funding was increased by $9 million under the Federal Strategy on Early Childhood Development for First Nations and Other Aboriginal Children. 2005-2006: Funding was increased by $7.0 million under the Enhanced Early Learning and Child Care for First nations Children Living on Reserve and Working Towards the First Phase of a Single Window, to support joint planning, training, and capital.

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

Child/Day-care Program-Alberta

The Government of Canada has a financial and administrative agreement with the Government of Alberta through which Canada directly funds more than 800 First Nations child care spaces on reserve. The purpose is to provide early childhood development programming and learning services that are comparable to the services offered by the provincial government to people living off reserve.

There were no changes reported for 2005-06 with regard to licensing requirements, program objectives, target population or mandate.

Website: http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca

Availability

The overall figure for 2005-2006 was 812 spaces at 17 sites. A total of 1 157 children under the age of 12 shared the available child care spaces in 2005-2006.

Affordability

No change in affordability was reported for 2004-2005 or 2005-2006.

Quality

No changes were reported for 2004-2005 or 2005-2006 with regard to the quality of the Child/Day-care Program-Alberta.

Child/Day-care Program—Alberta

Expenditures		Regulated spaces
2002–2003	$2,665,000	812 spaces
2003–2004	$2,502,620	762 spaces
2004–2005	$3,418,135	812 spaces
2005–2006	$4,058,657	812 spaces, 1 157 children
Expenditures are allocations and include grants and contributions only. Some of the children accessing the services are between the ages of 6 to 12. 2003–2004: Expenditures decreased due to two day care centres not meeting provincial licensing standards. Day care centres are not funded unless provincial standards are met. 2004–2005: Expenditures increased as the two day cares that were not licensed in 2003–2004 received their provincial licence for 2004–2005. Day care centres are not funded unless provincial standards are met. In addition, the 2004–2005 figure includes the provincial bill of approximately $750,000 for First Nations children who are ordinarily resident on reserve, but are accessing day care services off reserve. 2005-2006: Figure includes INAC expenditures of $2,668,135 and an increased provincial bill of $1,390,522 for which INAC reimburses the province for daycare subsidies for First Nations children who are ordinarily residents on-reserve, but are accessing daycare services off-reserve. Provincial bill also includes the cost of provincial licensing fees.

Child/Day-care Program-Ontario

The Government of Canada has a financial agreement with the Government of Ontario to support child care services on reserve. The purpose is to provide early childhood programming and learning services comparable to those offered by the provincial government to people living off reserve.

There were no changes reported for 2004-2005 or for 2005-2006 with regard to licensing, program objectives, target population or mandate.

Website: http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca

Availability

In 2004-2005, 2 799 children received services at the 57 program sites. Although the number of program sites remained constant at 57, these sites provided services to 52 First Nations in 2004-2005 compared to 51 First Nations in 2003-2004. In 2005-2006, 52 First Nations with 57 programs provided services for 2 951 children.

Affordability

No change was reported for 2004-2005 or 2005-2006 with regard to the manner in which eligibility is determined for program subsidies.

Quality

No changes were reported for 2004-2005 or 2005-2006 with regard to the quality of the Child/Day-care Program - Ontario.

Child/Day-care Program—Ontario

Expenditures		Regulated spaces
2002–2003	$14,291,000	3 018 children
2003–2004	$15,367,292	2 797 children
2004–2005	$15,517,348	2 799 children
2005–2006	$15,582,150	2 951 children
Expenditures are allocations and include grants and contribution funding only. Data about the number of regulated spaces are not available. 2001–2002: Expenditures do not include the provincial share of expenditures.

First Nation Child and Family Services Head Start-New Brunswick

The main objectives of this program are to maintain the strength of the family unit; assist children with physical, emotional, social and/or educational deprivation; and support and protect children from harmful environments.

The First Nation Child and Family Services Head Start-New Brunswick program operates at 15 different sites and offers centre or home-based care for children under six as well as services for parents.

There were no changes reported in 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 regarding the program's objectives, target population, mandate, delivery, design or guiding principles. Since Head Start in New Brunswick is part of an integrated Child and Family Services program, no specific breakdown of Head Start data is available.

Website: http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca

Availability

Entry to this program is determined by a risk assessment of the child. The program continued to operate at 15 sites during 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, but no information is available regarding the number of children involved in the program.

Affordability

As in previous years, there was no fee for program services in 2004-2005 and 2005-2006.

Quality

Quality requirements for this program were described in the 2002-2003 Baseline Report, and no changes have been reported since then.

First Nation Child and Family Services Head Start—New Brunswick

Expenditures		Regulated spaces
2002–2003	$1,408,000	NA
2003–2004	$1,408,000	NA
2004–2005	$1,408,000	NA
2005–2006	$1,408,000	NA
Expenditures are allocations and include contribution funding only. Data about the number of regulated child care spaces is not available. This funding is calculated using the registered on-reserve population 0 to 6 years of age. If a child becomes 7 years of age prior to completion of the case plan, his or her case is still included.

National Defence

Military Family Services Program

The objective of the Military Family Services Program (MFSP) is to promote and facilitate community-based family services that strengthen Canadian Forces families and communities. The program is delivered by 41 Canadian/Military Family Resource Centres (C/MFRCs) which are third-party, independent, not-for-profit organizations. C/MFRCs are located on bases, wings and units. These Centres provide a wide variety of programs for families, including information and referral, services for children and youth, and prevention and intervention services related to deployment, including emergency child care, respite child care and casual child care.

There were no changes reported in the program's objectives, target population, mandate, delivery, design or licensing arrangements during 2005-2006.

Website: www.cfpsa.com/en/psp/DMFS/index.asp

Availability

As in previous years, the child care services provided depended on demand. It is estimated that the C/MFRCs provided services for approximately 8 000 children under age six during 2005-2006. Specific information on the number of children accessing emergency child care, respite child care and casual child care is not currently available.

Affordability

The fee structure for programs is not available for 2005-2006.

Quality

As a step towards increasing the quality of services and to strive to meet the very unique needs of CF families related to child care, DMFS in partnership with Director Quality of Life (DQOL) is engaged in research activities to determine the actual child care needs of CF families with a view to develop recommendations for a potential comprehensive child care services policy.

Military Family Services Program

Expenditures		Regulated spaces
2002–2003	$4,000,000 (estimate)	NA
2003–2004	$4,000,000 (estimate)	8 000 children (estimate)
2004–2005	$4,000,000 (estimate)	8 000 children (estimate)
2005-2006	$4,000,000 (estimate)	8 000 children (estimate)
Expenditures include grants and contributions, operations and management costs, and salaries and are estimates for children from birth to age six. Data about the number of regulated child care spaces is not available. 2003–2004: Number of children was revised in the 2004–2005 report to indicate individual participation. 2004–2005: Number of children indicates individual participation. Note: Comptroller approval was not received for these expenditures.

Public Health Agency of Canada

Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities

Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities (AHSUNC) is a comprehensive early intervention program for First Nations, Inuit and Métis children and their families living in urban centres and northern communities. It is primarily a school readiness program that prepares young Aboriginal children for school by meeting their spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical needs.

There were no major changes in the program's objectives, target population, mandate, delivery or design during 2005-2006. The projects are required to follow provincial or territorial child care regulations.

Website: www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/dca-dea/programs-mes/ahs_main_e.html

Availability

The number of children enrolled in AHSUNC programs in 2005-2006 was approximately 4500. Participation was up from 2004-2005, as new sites were developed and additional spaces were created in some of the existing sites. AHSUNC reaches about 10% of eligible Aboriginal children, and most sites have long waiting lists.

Affordability

There has been no change. As in previous years, all AHSUNC programs were provided at no cost to the parent.

Quality

There have been no changes to the national principles and guidelines of AHSUNC, which were described in the 2002-2003 Baseline Report. Requirements for staff training and caregiver-to-child ratios vary according to provincial and territorial regulations.

The AHSUNC program continues to invest in training and other initiatives, both nationally and regionally, to improve the quality of services. For example, AHSUNC co-hosted Growing Together Under One Sky. This was a national joint training workshop in Winnipeg in November 2004, attended by more than 1200 frontline workers from federal Aboriginal early childhood development programs.

During 2005-2006, AHSUNC also engaged participating communities in ongoing consultations regarding enhancement of program quality. Other developments related to program quality included the following:

In Saskatchewan, AHSUNC staged a workshop for project directors and staff on such topics as AIDS, working with families and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and provided information about boards and grants.
AHSUNC projects in British Columbia carried out focus testing of a tool to improve the collection of data from parents whose children are graduating from the program.
The initial data came in from the pilot project to measure the effects of an iron-rich diet on children in Nunavik, Québec. The iron-rich diet is composed of mostly traditional foods, such as caribou. The results are being evaluated to determine whether this approach can help prevent iron deficiencies. In the meantime, the community has shown a great deal of interest in seeing traditional practices adapted to today's realities.

Finally, the quality of AHSUNC programs is monitored regularly through national, regional and local evaluations. More than 200 AHS early childhood educators have been trained in child observation and evaluation, and about 20 community members were trained as community evaluators to carry out the Impact Evaluation tasks, thereby enhancing community participation and capacity building.

Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities
Expenditures		Regulated spaces
2002–2003	$25,821,117	For AHSUNC programs, the measurement of “regulated spaces" is not an appropriate indicator as individual programs have a variety of means of setting and monitoring standards, which may or may not include regulation by provincial authorities. In addition, programs are described in terms of the number of children served, rather than the number of spaces.
2003–2004	$31,241,000
2004–2005	$31,466,853
2005-2006	$31,214,713
Data about the number of spaces is not available. 2002–2003: Due to the late announcement (October 2002), full annual funding of $35 million could not be fully allocated in the fiscal year. Actual expenditures for contributions were $25,821,117. Expenditures for 2002–2003 have been revised from allocations to actuals in the 2003–2004 report. 2003–2004: Expenditures include actual contributions (including regions), salaries and other operating costs for the national office only. The number of sites increased to 128 from December 2003 to March 2004, but most of the new sites did not enroll children until the fall of 2004. 2004–2005: Expenditures include actual contributions, salaries and other operating expenses for the national office and regions with the exception of the Northern Secretariat. Northern Secretariat expenditures are not available by program. The participation rates for 2004–2005 are slightly lower because four sites experienced temporary closures. They will re-open under new sponsorship. In addition, there are a number of new sites to be launched in fall 2005. With these new developmental spaces, AHSUNC will host a total of 4500 child spaces. 2005-2006: Expenditures include actual contributions, salaries and other operating costs for the national office and regions with the exception of the Northern Secretariat. Northern Secretariat expenditures are not available by program. Note: Comptroller approval was not received for these expenditures.