BAÑOS CON LECHE (LA VACA MALU) EFUN, ORI, OÑI, AGUA BENDITA Y ANTES DE SECARSE SE RESTRIEGA CON SAUCO

Yes No

- 23 - Lutra Associates Ltd. have a baccalaureate in education or early childhood. In the Tlicho Region, most early childhood staff are older (45+ years of age). Although many of these individuals have early childhood education certificates and strong language and cultural skills/

knowledge, informants in the Region suggested that staff tend to lack confidence and literacy skills to integrate early childhood methods/approaches. In particular, two years ago the early childhood employer in the Region, the Tlicho Community Services

Agency (TCSA), introduced and trained staff in the curriculum ‘Growing Great Kids for Child Caregivers’ but some staff were/are unwilling/uncomfortable following this new curriculum. Young staff (18 to 35 years of age) in the Tlicho Region tend to have high school or an equivalent level of education but lack strong language skills and cultural knowledge or experience in early childhood development.

In the NWT, early childhood practitioners tend to develop skills/knowledge through training on the job including First Aid/CPR, occasional workshops or other professional development opportunities, and Aurora College courses. ‚The process is often that the worker gets into the workplace and then starts taking the training available.‛ Several informants agreed that ‚once an individual has had some training they are more

employable. It shows that they are stable and responsible. They have basic knowledge. Also, it builds confidence.‛ This may be a reason that some individuals are noticing ‚more and more people are asking for more training opportunities.‛

A Qualified Early Childhood Practitioner

Informants described a ‘qualified early childhood practitioner’ as someone with early childhood training (e.g. level three provincial certification with up to date safety and First Aid), good with the children, and aware of how young children learn. A qualified early childhood practitioner requires formal training to understand and practice:

the broader concepts of child development and development delays, opportunities for brain development, learning, and growing,

the importance of play, and

- 24 - Lutra Associates Ltd. ‚The more skills and training they (practitioners) have the more confident they are and the more prepared they are to respond to different situations well.‛

Key informants also described a qualified early childhood practitioner as a person who has the attributes that employers seek, namely:

A balance of child centred practical experience and understanding of early childhood development (e.g. promising practices, basic theories), and able to apply knowledge on-the-job.

Open, willing, and committed to ongoing learning and implementing new approaches and strategies.

A passion for working with, and an ability to positively interact with young children.

Responsible, respectful, strong language skills, and a good communicator (e.g. good communications/relationships with parents, other staff, and children). Healthy and able to create a loving, stress-free, educational environment for young children.

Potential to become a program director. Program directors need to have

financial and planning skills, the ability to ‘wear many hats’, and supervise and mentor staff.

Some informants also described a qualified early childhood practitioner as ‚a person who is recognized in the community as conducting themselves in such a way that it is appropriate to work with small children and having that patience and understanding and respect for the whole child as well as having some formal education, probably at a certification level, a one year postsecondary program… I don’t expect early childhood workers to spend more than one year of time in training. The basic salary level is not a good return on their investment.‛

In the Tlicho Region, a ‘qualified early childhood practitioner’ is ‘strong like two people’. This means that the individual has a solid grounding in the Tlicho language and culture and formal education/training to be able to implement a program

- 25 - Lutra Associates Ltd. have difficulty recruiting staff with strong language and cultural skills and formal early childhood education/training.

Skills and Competencies Sought by Early Childhood Employers

Informants said that employers seek to hire managers who have a baccalaureate with a focus on early childhood as well as experience running a program. They agreed that non-competitive salaries and benefits, and a dearth of individuals with these

qualifications mean that it is difficult to recruit early childhood program managers.

Employers seek to hire early childhood staff who have a certificate and practical experience. ‚I have hired teachers with and without early childhood education and it really does make a difference. Early childhood training is very important.‛ Some informants said that employers are not interested in hiring individuals ‚who have achieved their certificate online because they may not have any practical experience.‛ Employers in the NWT also look for early childhood staff with formal training and skills in the community’s language, and who know how to facilitate child development within the context of the family and community (e.g. social and language skills). For example, the Tlicho Community Services Agency (TCSA) looks for individuals with good literacy skills or Grade 12, strong Tlicho language skills, First Aid/CPR, and no criminal record. They look for patience, dedication, passion and a love of children, and an openness to learning new skills and techniques. TCSA recognizes that early

childhood staff need formal training to understand and do the work but a main factor in recruitment is the individual’s philosophy about child development.

When trained, experienced early childhood staff cannot be recruited, employers look for individuals with good references and pertinent skills derived from other work/life experiences. Many of the skills employers seek are consistent with the 2009 standards developed by the Child Care Human Resources Sector Council (summarized in

Appendix D). Employers look for staff who have experience and/or some knowledge of brain development and early literacy, learning through play, and safety or a willingness to get safety training (First Aid, CPR). However most often the main quality employers seek is a natural gift to positively interact with children or an ability, enthusiasm,

- 26 - Lutra Associates Ltd. energy, interest, and tolerance for working with young children. Early childhood

employers seek employees who have common sense, flexibility, patience, creativity, good communication skills and the capacity to foster strong, positive relationships with children, parents, and other staff. They look for people who are reliable and consistent, can follow directions, are self-motivated/work without direction, take constructive criticism, willing to learn, open to new ways of doing things, and work well with others. They seek staff with positive self-esteem and an appreciation of a child’s whole environment. ‚ECE workers have to have a good understanding of where our kids are coming from – a lot of our children come from homes with abuse and trauma.‛

In many NWT communities, it is difficult to recruit staff with the appropriate education and experience. As a result, some employers have lowered their requirements in order to fill vacancies …‛now we are just looking for a ‘warm body’, hopefully someone with First Aid‛ or someone with some experience working with children. As an example, in one facility with 10 staff there are currently only three employees with early childhood education certificates. Last year, there were four.

Informants overwhelmingly agreed that the demand for qualified early childhood staff is greater than the supply. ‚It is a bit shocking how few trained workers there are.‛ More than one informant noted that the availability of skilled practitioners will become a much more serious issue in the future if new legislation requires at least one staff member in each early childhood facility/program to have early childhood training.11

The demand for qualified early childhood staff is impacted by year to year and/or inadequate funding for early childhood development programs and services,

particularly within the non-profit organizations that often run them. Due to lack of ‘roll over’ contracts, many programs continue to lay off stable employees each year (e.g. May/June) and restaff positions prior to restarting the program later in the year (e.g. September). Delays and reductions in funding allocations contribute to similar actions that negatively impact the supply of qualified early childhood staff.

11_{The 1994 NWT Child Care Act is out of date. New child care regulations are under consideration by the GNWT} Department of Justice. At this time, the content of the regulations and a timeframe for review and enactment are unknown but a small number of informants did speculate on possible changes expected as a result of these regulations.

- 27 - Lutra Associates Ltd. Changes in the Skills and Competencies Required by Early Childhood Employers

Key informants had mixed views about changes to the skills/competencies required by early childhood employers in the last five years. Some said that early childhood

practitioner skills/competencies have ‚gone down because now some programs are just looking for ‘warm bodies’.‛ These informants said that they have observed a dearth of qualified applicants for early childhood positions and have ‚come to expect that

workers will not be fully educated.‛ ‚I’ve had to lower my standards because of lack of applicants… I look to see if they have competencies and experiences in place of the formal education.‛ ‚There are more trained early childhood workers out there, yet the majority are not working in the field.‛

Other informants said that early childhood employers have more awareness of the public’s growing understanding of the importance of early childhood development. More employers are looking for practitioners with strong skills/competencies and in some cases, specialist skills. ‚I have noticed an overall tightening up by employers. They are seeking more trained workers. They want to see that standards are met and the workers have experience.‛ Others commented that changes in the skills and competencies are related to a greater school focus to early childhood programs. ‚I’ve seen a lot of change particularly for preschools housed in schools. The expectations are different. There is more focus on readiness skills because of knowing what lies ahead for kids in the school system. Other daycare centres are focused on zero to five, not so much on school readiness.‛

Informants also observed three main changes over the last five years in the skills/ competencies required by early childhood employers:

1. A greater demand for staff with skills to respond to children with special needs (e.g. FASD, autism, and behavioural, speech and other developmental issues). ‚Early childhood workers need to know how to observe and identify

developmental delays…because children come into programs with no speech.‛ 2. Much more expertise to respond to children in trauma. One informant said that

- 28 - Lutra Associates Ltd. children, they are always stressed. They need a safe place and they need to be safe here! Some of our kids arrive with anger issues and trauma.‛

3. More emphasis, awareness, and expectations to provide Aboriginal language and cultural instruction. ‚There is a demand to include Aboriginal language and culture (but) not so much from the parents. They just want their kids to be ready for kindergarten. There is a real push from the Band to include culture so we have to balance that.‛ ‚The GNWT wants programs to include more cultural activities, but no guidelines are provided by the GNWT.‛ ‚Early childhood programs that are rooted in peoples’ values and languages and identity are going to provide them with a stronger foundation through which they can be more successful in school.‛

Informants also said that in recent years there has been more concern among both early childhood employers and practitioners about the lack of benefits, poor working

conditions (e.g. long hours and intense work), and burnout rates.

Some informants expressed frustration about the lack of change in the past five years to address early childhood practitioner skills and competencies. These informants said that there are still no regulations that require early childhood staff to take training. Others said that while the demand for early childhood practitioners has increased, there has been little if any change in investment or infrastructure support for early childhood work. ‚The most important education is early childhood education yet it is not

recognized as an important profession like a college professor or high school teacher… Legislation is a critical piece… Early childhood workers are not a legislated profession and there is no legal vehicle for accreditation… Without legislation, it is unlikely that people are going to choose a career that has no defined pay levels, no professional body to support it or advocate for it when it is a very demanding profession.‛ While there is general frustration with the lack of effort to professionalize the occupation, there is some recognition that school boards are doing a better job of attracting higher educated early childhood staff – ‚schools have better resources, better wage/benefit package, and job security.‛

- 29 - Lutra Associates Ltd. Informants said that there have been some changes in health and safety standards for early childhood facilities that have impacted on the skills of early childhood staff. These standards are regularly applied in larger centres but less so in smaller communities. While health and safety standards are applauded, there is some concern about the applicability of these standards in facilities that prepare traditional foods given that preparation methods may not conform to standards. Some informants worry that health and safety standards could be barriers to ‚early childhood workers who are supportive of cultural approaches or approaches that are more relevant to the community they are working in.‛

Demonstrating and Measuring Skills and Competencies

The evaluation sought to determine if early childhood staff in the NWT particularly those who have not completed an accredited early childhood training program, can demonstrate the core knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the job in a competent fashion and follow the standards of ethical practice expected in the

occupation. The evaluation also sought to uncover the methods used to measure worker competencies.

Most (94%) early childhood students and practitioners with some training who were surveyed said that the program(s)/course(s) taken had given them the ‘right’ skills to more confidently work with young children.

n=47

94% 4% 2%

Training Gives the 'Right' Skills to Confidently Work with