GNWT and Aboriginal Leaders Discuss Child Development and Wellness

Communiqués de presse

YELLOWKNIFE (October 6, 2014) – Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty met with Northwest Territories Aboriginal leaders last week to talk about the future of our youth, school readiness and wellness, and how children’s education will determine their success.  Minister of Health and Social Services Glen Abernethy joined the meeting in the afternoon to present the results of a recent assessment of children who entered school in the fall of 2014.

Among the issues discussed were the results of the Early Development Instrument tests, reporting on the wellness of 5-year olds.  This is the third year this information has been collected by kindergarten teachers.  The trends clearly demonstrate that many children in NWT communities are disadvantaged when it comes to school readiness and overall development, particularly children in small communities.  Leaders discussed this troubling information and put forward some suggestions on how to share this information in communities, and how governments can work together to help and support very young children as they grow.  Leaders also talked about the role of the family and the community and how they contribute to the wellness of the child.

“The wellness and development of our children is of great concern to us all,” said Minister Lafferty.  “I agree with all the Aboriginal leaders when they say that this is an issue we cannot ignore.  We must draw on the wisdom and experience of our Elders and the data that this research is providing us.  We must draw on the advice of experts, but the real solutions will come from Northerners working together.”

“What happens during a child’s early years affects them for the rest of their life, and the first five years are the most important,” said Minister Abernethy. “To succeed at improving the healthy development of all NWT children, we need to change the way we do business and improve our ability to reach families at risk. Our early assessment tools, combined with key learnings from Elders, will guide our path and shape our vision of healthy, educated people contributing to a strong and prosperous Northern society.”

Media inquiries:

Brenda Norris
Media Liaison
Government of the Northwest Territories
Tel: (867) 669-2302
Email: brenda_norris@gov.nt.ca