The department does not operate early childhood programs in the NWT. However, the department does license, and we also fund, not-for-profit organizations who administer early childhood programs and centres as such. Under the child daycare standards, regulations require licensed early childhood programs to engage in community involvement, which would include connecting with community elders.

As I mentioned, elder participation is highly encouraged in all forms of education right from early childhood to post-secondary, and I know that, in some cases, elders work with some of the daycares and schools in terms of teaching traditional skills, sewing, culture camps, language instruction, storytelling, even, and in our unique small communities, it is a lot easier for our elders and our youth to get together on more of a regular basis, and we do promote that and encourage that.