The EYES Child Care program is committed to being culturally responsive and actively participating in Truth and Reconciliation efforts, particularly in response to Call to Action #12 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Here’s how we will address this call to action and ensure that our early childhood education programs are culturally appropriate for Aboriginal families:

  1. Culturally Relevant Curriculum: We will develop and implement a curriculum that reflects the culture, traditions, and histories of Indigenous peoples in Canada. This includes incorporating Indigenous perspectives, stories, languages, and teachings into our programming to ensure that Aboriginal children see themselves represented and valued in their learning experiences.
  2. Cultural Competency Training: We will provide cultural competency training for our staff to increase their understanding of Indigenous cultures, histories, and worldviews.
  3. Community Partnerships: We will collaborate with local Indigenous communities, Elders, knowledge keepers, and cultural organizations to ensure that our programs are culturally appropriate and responsive to the needs and preferences of Aboriginal families.
  4. Language Revitalization: We will support efforts to revitalize and preserve Indigenous languages by incorporating language learning opportunities into our program.
  5. Indigenous Leadership and Governance: We will strive to ensure that Indigenous voices are represented in our program’s leadership, governance, and decision-making processes.
  6. Truth and Reconciliation Education: We will incorporate age-appropriate discussions and activities about Truth and Reconciliation into our program to help children develop an understanding of Canada’s colonial history, the legacy of residential schools, and the ongoing impacts of colonization on Indigenous peoples. This may include reading Indigenous-authored children’s books, sharing stories from residential school survivors, and engaging in reconciliation-focused art projects and discussions.

By actively participating in Truth and Reconciliation efforts and developing culturally appropriate early childhood education programs for Aboriginal families, we aim to contribute to healing, understanding, and reconciliation in our community. We recognize the importance of centering Indigenous perspectives, knowledge, and experiences in our work and are committed to building respectful and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous peoples based on the principles of mutual respect, reciprocity, and collaboration.