WHEREAS the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) plans to roll out a new Junior Kindergarten Program in 22 communities in the fall of 2014;

AND WHEREAS in some of these communities there are well-established Aboriginal Head Start programs with only four students per teacher, delivered at no cost to NWT residents or the Government of the NWT;

AND WHEREAS Aboriginal Head Start programs will be impacted by the new Junior Kindergarten Program;

AND WHEREAS funding from ECE is being reduced in some education districts and allocated to others in order to implement junior kindergarten;

AND WHEREAS it is important to supply proper resources to support the play-based environment of junior kindergarten;

AND WHEREAS the success of junior kindergarten is known to depend on expertise in early childhood development;

AND WHEREAS hybrid junior kindergarten/kindergarten programs are potentially harmful to early childhood development;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, that the Legislative Assembly strongly recommends that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment identify and seek new funding to support the

implementation of junior kindergarten instead of reducing funding to any education districts;

AND FURTHER, that the department ensure that the Junior Kindergarten Program be professionally designed and delivered by properly trained staff;

AND FURTHER, that the Junior Kindergarten Program be oriented to early childhood development, not a hybrid junior kindergarten/kindergarten program;

AND FURTHER, that the department’s rollout of junior kindergarten be focused in communities without an Aboriginal Head Start program;

AND FURTHERMORE, that the government provide a comprehensive response to this motion within 120 days.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.