Aboriginal Head Start
Urban & Northern Communities
In 1995, the Government of Canada established Aboriginal Head Start Urban & Northern to help enhance child development and school readiness for First Nation, Métis and Inuit children living in urban centres and large northern communities. Health Canada currently funds 134 early childhood development programs for First Nations, Inuit and Métis children and their families across Canada.
The primary goal of the initiative is to demonstrate that locally controlled and designed early intervention strategies provide Aboriginal children with a positive self-identity, a desire for learning, and opportunities to develop fully as successful young people. The program is aimed at serving preschool children ages 3–5 years of age.
Kihew — the Eagle
Six program components
AHSUNC programming is built on six components, delivered through a culturally enriched curriculum.
Culture and Language
Education and School Readiness
Health and Safety Promotion
Nutrition
Using the Canadian Aboriginal Food Guide.
Social Support Networking
Parental Involvement
Guided by SPICE
Our commitments
The organizations that fund our work
Public Health Agency of Canada
The Public Health Agency of Canada provides the primary funding for the Aboriginal Head Start program. Their overall mission is to help the people of Canada maintain and improve their overall health outcomes for all people. The mandate focuses on three broad areas: National Health policy systems, including health care; Health promotion and protection, including disease, illness and injury prevention; and First Nation, Métis and Inuit Health.
Amiskwaciy Cultural Society
The Amiskwaciy Cultural Society will nurture the children and students’ gifts and talents by providing them with a strong support system that is committed to incorporating Aboriginal perspectives into their everyday lives.
The Amiskwaciy Cultural Society was created in 2013 with the original intent to support Aboriginal students entering into post-secondary education with financial and counseling supports from the Amiskwaciy Academy School to ensure their success as they focus on their post-secondary studies. Upon review of this process, the society decided it would be best to broaden their catchment population to include children and youth as part of their demographic to encompass all Aboriginal youth to succeed in not only mainstream education, but to develop as successful individuals in life as well. To have the proper role models and supports to make them all feel valued, supported and proud to be who they are.
Alberta Education
Through safe and caring schools for all students, Alberta’s government is making life better by investing in education — one of the most important investments we can make in our future. The Ministry has the following responsibilities: develop curriculum and set standards; evaluate curriculum and assess outcomes; teacher development and certification; support students with diverse learning needs; fund and support school boards; First Nations, Métis and Inuit and Francophone education; oversees basic education policy and regulations.
Community partners we work with
Edmonton Catholic Schools
“Our mission is to provide a Catholic education that inspires students to learn and that prepares them to live fully and to serve God in one another.”
My Data Vault
Smaller businesses can enjoy the level of data protection that was once afforded only by large corporations. We help protect your business by sending copies of your critical data files to our secure offsite data storage facility every night. There’s nothing you have to do.
Nurturing the Seed (IEMHP)
The NTS tool is at the heart of the Nurturing the Seed service model created for Indigenous infants, toddlers and young children and their parents/caregivers. Indigenous Elders, service providers and content experts worked on the model with IEMHP, keeping Indigenous culture, traditions, and ways of being and knowing front-and-center in the planning and design.
Edmonton Community Foundation
Edmonton is full of passionate people dedicated to building a vibrant community. Connecting people is what we do best.
North Edmonton Gymnastics Club
At North Edmonton Gymnastics, we believe in the benefits of exercise, challenge and working together.
Edmonton Public Library
Our mission is simple: We Share! We share expertise, information, technology and space with Edmontonians for learning, connecting, creating, discovering, enjoying and enriching communities.
Kids Up Front
Kids Up Front is an organization dedicated to ensuring that ALL kids have access to fun, enriching experiences. In 1989, the UN identified that it’s a basic children’s right to be able to engage in arts, culture, sports and recreation activities.
CASA Foundation
CASA Foundation is the fundraising arm of CASA Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health. It was formed in 1998.
KidSport (Alberta)
KidSport supports children who need financial assistance with sport registration fees.
City of Edmonton
The City of Edmonton’s strategic vision and plans all work together and direct the growth and evolution of Edmonton.
Alberta Health Services
Healthy Albertans. Healthy Communities. Together.
Nobody’s Perfect
Trained facilitators offer Nobody’s Perfect using a participant-centered, strengths-based approach to: promote positive parenting; increase parents’ understanding of children’s health, safety and behaviour; help parents build on the skills they have and learn new ones; improve parents’ self-esteem and coping skills; increase self-help and mutual support; bring them in contact with community services and resources; and help prevent family violence.
Sport Central
Empowering kids, one piece of sports equipment at a time. Our primary goal is to retrieve, repair, recycle and redistribute sports equipment to kids aged 4–17 in families facing financial hardship.
United Way
Across Canada, United Way is putting your donations to work where they get the greatest results. Together, we are creating lasting change in local communities from coast to coast to coast.