Aboriginal Head Start 6 Component Areas

The purpose of the Culture and Language Component is to provide children with a positive sense of themselves as Aboriginal children and to build on the children's knowledge of their Aboriginal languages and experience of culture in their communities.

The purpose of the Education Component is to support and encourage each Aboriginal child to enjoy life-long learning. The ultimate goal is to engage children in the possibility of learning so that they carry forth the enthusiasm, self-esteem and initiative to learn in the future.

The purpose of the Health Promotion Component is to empower parents, guardians, caregivers and those involved with AHS to increase control over and improve their health. The ultimate goal is for those involved with AHS to take actions that contribute to holistic health.

The purpose of the Nutrition Component is to ensure that children are provided with food which will help meet their nutritional needs, and to educate staff and parents about the relationship of nutrition to children's ability to learn, physical development and mental development. The ultimate goal is to empower children and parents to develop or enhance nutritional eating habits that will be maintained following the children's AHS experience.

The purpose of the Social Support Component is to ensure that the families are made aware of resources and community services available to impact their quality of life. The project will assist the families to access resources and community services. The ultimate goal of this component is to empower parents to access assistance and services which will support them to be active participants in their children's lives and AHS.

The purpose of the Parental and Family Involvement Component is to support the parents' and family's role as children's primary teachers. This component provides the opportunity to empower parents to bring forth gifts and further develop as role models for children and in their communities. The ultimate goal is for parents and caregivers to complete the program being more confident and assertive and having a deeper understanding of their children than when they began the program.