Qeq College Transition Year Project

Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre

and the Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools

June 2017

Researcher: Lyana Patrick, PhD (ABD)

University of British Columbia

Nurturing Capacity

Founding Sponsor

2

Preface

Nurturing Capacity: Building Community Success

Indspire supports communities to improve educational outcomes through the documentation and evaluation of their innovative practices. This community-led process is supported by an Indspire-funded Indigenous scholar, who works with programs on the ground to provide training on data collection and evaluation methodology. For more info, please contact nurturingcapacity@indspire.ca | 1.855.463.7747 x230

Project Abstract

Qeq College is a kindergarten transition program for Indigenous families whose children will be entering kindergarten in the fall. It is a partnership between the Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre (TLAFC), Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools and Vancouver Island University with support from early childhood educators, researchers and community organizations. Through an Early Childhood Development Working Group, the community partners have a shared vision for providing culturally-safe and appropriate early childhood education based on sound principles of early learning. An advisory group provided guidance so that Indigenous language, culture, worldviews and ways of knowing are clearly expressed and integrated throughout the curriculum. Experienced early learning educators contributed practical ideas for activities to engage children and families, and extra support is offered throughout the school year to maintain and enhance individual progress plans. The findings of this evaluation reveal that the presence of Elders in the classroom to weave language and culture throughout the program is vital to the program’s success. Building relationships with children and families and among staff and administrators is also crucial to the positive impact Qeq College has on children and families as well as in the broader Indigenous community.

3

Project Holder

Qeq College Transition Year Project

Contact Person: Grace Elliot Neilson, Executive Director (Inga Cooper in Grace’s

absence)

Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre

602 Haliburton Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 4W5

Telephone: 250-753-4417Fax: 250-753-6560

Email: Grace Elliot Neilson: educationcentre@tillicumlelum.ca Inga Cooper:

icooper@tillicumlelum.ca

Website: http://www.tillicumlelum.ca/

Project Administrator

Qeq College Transition Year Project Contact Person: Grace Elliot Neilson/Inga Cooper, Tillicum Lelum Management Team Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre 602 Haliburton Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 4W5 Email: educationcentre@tillicumlelum.ca

Project Lead

Contact Person: Phoenix Alexandra, Qeq College Coordinator Qeq College Kindergarten Transition Project 972 Haliburton Street Email: qeqcollegecoordinator@tillicumlelum.ca Telephone: 250-753-8291

Acknowledgments

The author would like to express sincere gratitude to the Qeq College Coordinators, Phoenix Alexandra and Carrie Lundgren, for their generous assistance with this evaluation process. Thanks also to the Elders, parents, staff and administrators who contributed their time and energy to give feedback on the Qeq College Transition Year Program, and most importantly thank you to our future leaders, the littles ones who attend Qeq College.

4

Table of Contents

Preface 2

Project Abstract 2

Project Holder 3

Project Administrator 3

Project Lead 3

Acknowledgments 3

Executive Summary 5

Description of the Program 7

Brief History of the Project: 10

Activities Accomplished 11

Materials Developed 13

Logic Model Used for the Project 13

Performance Indicator and Measures 13

Evaluation - Methodology 13

Outcomes: Most Significant Accomplishments and Lessons Learned 14

Next Steps for the Project 20

Appendix I: Logic Model 22

References 24

5

Executive Summary

Since 2011, Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre (TLAFC) in Nanaimo, BC, has collaborated with Vancouver Island University’s BC Regional Innovation Chair for Aboriginal Early Childhood Development and School District 68 to develop and deliver Qeq College Transition Year (Qeq), a supportive program for young children and their families who are transitioning from early childhood settings to kindergarten. “Qeq” means “baby” in the Hul’qumi’num language of the Coast Salish people. Students are recruited from the surrounding urban area and come predominantly from the three Indigenous groups on Vancouver Island: Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Kwakwaka’wakw. The program takes place over four weeks each summer, just prior to the start of the school year. For the first two years, twenty students participated in the program. In 2016, participation

doubled to forty students, with two classes running concurrently in the same location at Bayview Elementary School. With low Aboriginal high school graduation rates in the Nanaimo area, the community partners all saw a need for early intervention to ensure the long-term success and wellness of Indigenous students and families. By doubling the number of participants last year, the program will reach more families and grow the community impacted by the Qeq program. Program staff also provide community support and outreach for the students and their families year-round. Qeq is currently supported through funding from the Coast Salish Employment and Training Society, Ministry for Child and Family Development, and a small grant through Vancouver Island University. This evaluation was conducted using qualitative methods through interviews and focus groups with Elders, staff, parents and administrators. It also references the qualitative findings of an evaluation conducted on the program’s first two years by a research team from Vancouver Island University. This evaluation covers all three years of the program, with a particular focus on the third year. Major achievements of the program include:

Doubling number of children attending the program in the third year

Strong presence of language (Hul’qumi’num) and culture in all aspects of the

program

Development of supportive community services for children and families year-

round

Noticeable growth and development in children who attended Qeq College

Active engagement of parents in the program to address structural and systemic

barriers

Qeq College borrows classroom space during the summer time at Bayview Elementary School. Program staff spend considerable time clearing out materials and arranging the classroom to best meet the needs of Qeq College students. A dedicated space would

6

free up time currently spent dealing with logistics. Staff are also committed to exploring ways of engaging with parents ahead of the program and keeping them actively involved throughout curriculum delivery. This is important for parents who may have limited contact with the school system or whose work schedules make it difficult for them to attend regularly scheduled events and activities.

7

Qeq College Transition Year Project

Description of the Program

The Qeq College Transition Year project is run by Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre (TLAFC) in Nanaimo, BC. Nanaimo is on the east coast of Vancouver Island in the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation, part of the Coast Salish tribal region. TLAFC serves all Indigenous peoples in the Nanaimo area, which is predominantly made up of Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Kwakwaka'wakw peoples. Qeq College is a kindergarten transition program designed for Indigenous children preparing to enter kindergarten. It runs for four weeks every summer in August. In the Hul’qumi’num language, qeq means “baby.” As one Elder explained, qeq describes children before the age of five or six: “They haven’t developed in their little bodies, their physical form. They’re spirit beings. At that age, we’ll call it qeq. They’re not really babies, but we use the word to describe as they’re changing age and development.” Qeq College started in 2014 with seventeen children and was run out of the Princess Royal Family Centre. In 2016, the number doubled to forty children supported by two Elders, one kindergarten teacher, three early childhood educators, an education assistant, support staff and youth mentors. Starting last year, the program has been run out of Bayview Elementary School. In 2016, 25% of the available spots were given to Qeq alumni which allowed the returning children to show their leadership skills and helped develop greater confidence and sense of belonging for the children. The rest of the children are four and five years old. Based on existing data and discussions with the project team, all the children who attend Qeq College are Indigenous. The learning environment supports the transition of children to kindergarten through building stamina, awareness of self and environment, increasing confidence and self-esteem, and teaching school readiness skills such as reading, writing, numeracy, and interpersonal skills, while emphasizing cultural teachings through Hul’qumi’num language, songs, storytelling, and talking circles. The guiding principles of learning through play and emergent curriculum are important aspects of the program’s approach to early childhood education. They also incorporate field trips and nature walks which are then converted into learning opportunities in the classroom. The children are picked up and dropped off and have breakfast, lunch, and snacks provided.

Many of the families that participate in the Qeq College Transition Year program are marginalized by structural and systemic inequalities and feel profoundly disconnected from the school system. This is due in part to the history of Indian Residential Schools in British Columbia. As Chansonneuve (2007) wrote, the Indian Residential School system “brutally severed generations of Aboriginal children’s attachments to family and community, placing them in sterile institutions among strangers.” As a result, many families lack trust in the school system and are reluctant to get involved in their child’s education. Many parents don’t even feel safe walking into the school buildings. The Qeq

8

Transition Year program was designed to begin breaking down these barriers for children and their families. A community working group identified a number of core values and learning intentions that guide the curriculum framework (see Figure 1 below).

Figure 1.

Group Learning Intentions Core Values

Children That they have a voice in their learning.

To be excited about learning.

To feel comfortable in the classroom/school.

To connect learning to their lives and prior knowledge, e.g., community, nature, family history, authenticity.

To understand what they need to learn.

To understand how they learn.

To interact respectfully with nature.

How to participate in school routines – the “nuts and bolts.”

Self-regulating strategies.

Turn-taking.

Oral language, e.g., “I can share what I learned today about…”

Numeracy, e.g. “I can explore measurement.”

Foundational skills in a play-based and culturally-safe environment.

Pre-literacy skills, e.g., “I can hold a book, I can turn the pages from front to back”, etc.

Collaboration Community

Relationships Cultural Knowledge and Identity Aboriginal Ways of Knowing Spirituality Learning Through Play The Value of Emergent Curriculum The Value of Self-Regulation The Value of Assessment and Reflection

Families That their children are OK.

That they have a voice in their child’s education.

That they can share information about their children and family history to support the child’s learning.

That they can support their child in their learning by asking open-ended questions.

That children need to be outside engaging with the natural environment.

That self-regulating strategies are important for everyone to learn.

How to help their children develop self-regulation.

9

Group Learning Intentions Core Values

Educators That there are multiple options for learning environments.

To learn about Aboriginal culture and issues.

To value the cultural and community experience of ALL children and families, e.g., “I can show families and children that I value their stories and history.”

To develop learning experiences that are culturally relevant and appropriate.

To learn from the children through reflection, e.g., “I can learn from the children what I should teach next.”

How to be flexible and responsive to children’s learning styles and interests.

How to use the gradual release model to support children’s development.

How to teach diverse groups.

How to step off the stage and support children and families in taking ownership of learning.

How to be flexible and responsive to children’s learning styles and interests.

How to teach self-regulation strategies.

How to model asking open-ended questions.

Community To build trust.

To communicate effectively.

To be part of a group and to support one another.

To learn together.

To be successful and take pride in our success.

To understand the importance of the child’s learning and development.

To understand that play is learning.

To understand that education is a shared responsibility.

To understand Aboriginal early childhood development and the implications of culture.

To appreciate Aboriginal history and its impacts, including the consequences of colonization.

10

Group Learning Intentions Core Values

To embrace cultural competence, including Aboriginal traditions and ways of knowing and being.

To acknowledge and include Hul’qumi’num and other Aboriginal and Métis languages.

To practice cultural protocols.

Brief History of the Project:

Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre (TLAFC) partnered with a number of local organizations including School District 68, Success by 6, the BC Ministry for Child and Family Development, Coast Salish Employment and Training Society, and Vancouver Island University, to deliver a unique pre-school curriculum designed for Indigenous children preparing to enter kindergarten. The community partners – seeing low Aboriginal high school graduation rates in Nanaimo – recognized a need for early intervention and proposed a curriculum framework that would help transition children at a crucial time as they were preparing to enter school. In 2011, a community working group comprised of Elders, early childhood educators, researchers and community organizations came together over several meetings to identify core values and learning intentions for the curriculum framework (see Figure 1). TLAFC offers educational and training programs, health & counselling services, social service programs as well as a wide variety of special events and activities for children and youth, men and women, families, Elders and the community. As the administering organization for the Qeq College Transition Year, TLAFC staff are responsible for guiding the advisory committee, creating and organizing the four-week program, recruiting families, doing intake, organizing pre-summer activities, hiring program staff (including volunteer youth from an Aboriginal youth leadership program), and working with Elders to discuss how culture and language will be incorporated throughout the four weeks. Parents are actively involved in the program curriculum and welcome to join the program at any time. In addition, every Thursday there is a “celebration of learning” in which parents can attend the program to find out what their child has been learning that

week. The program thus responds to the aspirations and needs of the parents by sharing the children’s achievements in a welcoming, inclusive environment that emphasizes the central role parents play in their child’s well-being and development.

11

Activities Accomplished

The age range of children attending the program is four-six years old. There is

no wait list for the program. In 2016, program departures were minimal with

three children leaving because of time constraints related to the length of the

day. The Qeq program is structured to meet the needs of the children while

building their stamina to eventually attend day-long kindergarten. In 2016, the

program expanded to include forty children in two classes of twenty. Each

classroom has pods of four or five children who gather briefly once or twice a

day focusing on what can be expected of them when sitting and sharing in small

groups. They are divided up into small groups, or pods, of five children each

where they engage in academic activities such as reading, writing, and

numeracy, and come together again for big group activities like circle time and

outside play. Cultural activities are woven throughout the day by the two resident

Elders who participate in all activities with the children. They share songs and

drumming, bring the group together in circle time, and practice words in

Hul’qumi’num (e.g. action words, names of animals). Children have the

opportunity to practice their Hul’qumi’num words through Total Physical

Response (TPR), a method that gets the children acting out the word they are

learning (sit, stand, walk, etc.). One staff member described the impact of TPR:

“As a non-Indigenous person watching the children do protocol every morning

and our Elders sang it with us and [name] doing the TPR. You’re talking about

pride of who you are, that is their culture and not mine and I just got to be this

amazed witness to how valuable that is to personal development…it was really

powerful to watch that and participate and see the children thrive in it.”

The children also participate in field trips, have multiple opportunities to play outside with access to the school’s playground, and host weekly “celebrations of learning” in which parents attend the program to see what the children are learning. As the Qeq program coordinator explains, this is a very important aspect of the program: “Not every family can make it, so their family becomes your family. And so parent involvement is very supportive and empowering and stabilizing for the children. [It] builds a foundation that just feels rock solid.” In addition to the four-week program, the administrators provide wraparound services, a model of care that ensures a wide range of community resources are available for children and their families. The program administrator explained that this includes such things as home visits, ministry meetings, going to the doctors’ office, picking up groceries, standing in the food or bank lineup, or just having a

coffee, as well as outreach in schools.

12

Program Statistics: 2014, 2015, and 2016

2014 2015 2016

Number of children enrolled in summer program

17 19 40

Number of children completing summer program

16 17 32

Number of children

attending public school kindergarten

11 Bayview 2

Georgia 6 Rock City 1 Pleasant Valley 1 Chase River 1 Park Avenue 2

22

Number of children attending other kindergarten programs

Qwam Qwum 3 Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre 1

Qwam Qwum 2 Qwam Qwum 8, Queen of Angels 1 Boys and Girls Club 1

Number of schools involved

7 9 11

Number of kindergarten teachers

8 11 9

13

Materials Developed

The three partner organizations (TLAFC, Vancouver Island University, and School District 68) created a curriculum framework which includes a project overview and description of the project’s core values and learning intentions. The partners also developed culturally sensitive evaluation and assessment tools for early childhood education and are collaborating to create training materials for students at Vancouver Island University studying early childhood education among other programs.

Logic Model Used for the Project

The logic model is based on the core values identified by the Early Childhood Development Working Group: collaboration, community, relationships, cultural knowledge and identity, Aboriginal ways of knowing, spirituality, learning through play, the value of emergent curriculum, the value of self-regulation, and the value of assessment and reflection (see Appendix A).

Performance Indicator and Measures

This evaluation focused on the short-term and intermediate outcomes of the program. A longitudinal study is being planned to evaluate long-term goals of the program, for example whether there are improved graduation rates among students who attended Qeq College versus those who did not. It was beyond the scope of this evaluation to assess whether there are better overall outcomes for Qeq College students compared to those who did not attend. However, evidence from parents, staff, and Elders suggests that students are better prepared for kindergarten and well-supported in their physical, emotional, academic, and social development. Short and intermediate goals also include improved outreach to Indigenous students and communities, more parents involved in their children’s learning journey, and improved links to community organizations within the City of Nanaimo and local Indigenous communities. Based on interviews with staff, administrators, the school board liaison, and focus groups with parents and staff, there were positive outcomes connected to each of these objectives. This is described in greater detail below.

Evaluation - Methodology

The Tillicum Lelum Management team agreed to have the Qeq College Transition Year program evaluated for the 2016 year with additional information from an evaluation by Vancouver Island University provided as context. Program staff are hired from year to year, and staff from all three years of the program agreed to participate, as did parents

14

represented across all three years, three administrators and the school board liaison. Consequently, the evaluation reflects all three years the program has been running, with particular attention to the 2016 program year.

Phoenix Alexandra was responsible for setting up interviews with parents, staff, administrators and the school board liaison. The evaluator conducted interviews and focus groups in person and by phone with the following:

Project Holder – TLAFC (phone)

Program Administrator – TLAFC (phone)

Project Lead – TLAFC (phone)

Partner Agency (School District 68)

1 one-to-one interview with staff member

Focus group with six early childhood educators

Focus group with eight parents of Qeq College children

Focus group with three Qeq College Elders

Outcomes: Most Significant Accomplishments and Lessons Learned

Overall, this evaluation demonstrated that Qeq College Transition Year program plays a significant role in the successful transition of Indigenous children into kindergarten and primary programs in the Nanaimo area. In addition, the outreach and community support offered to children and families throughout the year is making a difference for those families and contributing to the health and well-being of the Indigenous community. Many staff members work in the schools the children will attend and Qeq program coordinators regularly visit the schools throughout the year. They see the difference in the children who have gone through the Qeq program. “It’s amazing to see the progress that the kids are having,” said one staff member who works at Bayview Elementary. “It warms my heart going into the kindergarten class; that cultural piece, you can see the pride in them.” Through on-going communication and dialogue with teachers and students in the feeder elementary schools, program coordinators can see the school-readiness of Qeq College students. Qeq staff members worked together very effectively and had positive suggestions for improving the program. Several staff talked about the challenges of working with vulnerable children and families, particularly those involved with the BC Ministry for Child and Family Development. What would be particularly helpful would be to get as much information as possible about the particular needs of each child in advance of the program start, as this would enable staff to better meet the needs of the child. They also valued the opportunity to debrief at the end of every day, to strategize around what worked and what didn’t, and what resources they could bring in to share with everyone.

15

Time for reflection was crucial as it enabled staff to think about each child’s strengths and challenges and how they could draw on everyone’s unique skills to best support the children. In addition, parents appreciated the high staff to child ratio, how staff created a welcoming, inclusive environment, and that they modeled healthy relationships. One parent explained that she “liked how many adults were present and that there were a variety of different adults and they shared things with each other, and that kids could see this is how grownups organize and plan things out. It was really helpful for [my child] to see that, this is how people work things out, how they plan things out, how they run things.” The following quotes from parents, staff, Elders and administrators demonstrates the importance of Qeq College for all those involved with the initiative. In honouring the voices of participants, the researcher highlights the value of storytelling for Indigenous

communities. In sharing the full breadth of experience that each participant brings to this evaluation, it is hoped that a greater understanding of the program’s impact will be realized.

Elders:

Importance of traditional teachings: “People learned the authoritarian ways of discipline and there’s punishment. So today when you tell the parents, that’s not how we parented, that’s not how I parented. So, if

you treat them good, they’ll treat you good, so you get along and you’re able to talk to them easier. When things get difficult, like teenage years then they have different environment. They’re vulnerable as they grow up, so the teachings is respectful and

those little ones they feel it. That’s the good part we can give back to them, the traditional ways.”

“The role the Elders have is we pretty much stand together, pretty well since we were a little kid till we grow old… [the Elders] were always there with your proper etiquette,

proper language. So, when an Elder goes to the school they carry all these things with

them. They carry the teachings, the culture, the traditions. I think an Elder’s very important in all the levels of education. It does stabilize a lot of things if you’re in a classroom and something is going to happen, you bet your boots the Elder is going to

be there to help if anything is going to happen. So, I think the Elder has many roles to go, to do for outside community, government community, to see that we’re the watch dogs of our community.”

Building trust and community: “I like it because the parents get to experience acceptance in the way that their children are treated so that we can build trust. A lot of times it’s not in the institutions. The little ones are going so it’s like giving them inner strength in their little beings, in how to enter

into class, being able to be stronger. That doesn’t happen when they enter kindergarten. So, the little bit of language that you can put in there builds their self-esteem and confidence. Especially in the parents because they have a negative experience when

16

they’re in school. It gives them fear when they put their little children in class, scares

them. What’s going to happen to my child? And then they move around, move around different schools. Trying to be accepted and feel good about going to school which is, we all suggest you go to school. Put your little ones in school and give them a good start. It doesn’t always happen, so the transition impacts all around, the child and future generation because it’s built upon acceptance and just to be loved. So, they can see their child is loved and they trust us to give us their child. So, you build around the negative that they experienced and build it up so they’re comfortable in their little setting.”

Parents:

Social/emotional development: “I found it helped really good for my niece. She was very quiet, shy, didn’t want to play with the other kids. When I see her now, I think holy cow what a change. It’s been so good for her.”

School-readiness: “I think how [name] is and I found out she’s really intellectual, she likes math and

numbers. She learned how to spell her name in Qeq College. She has that interest in

letters. I didn’t know what I was doing, but Qeq College showed me that she really loves letters and numbers. I was able to get things that helped her out [letters/numbers on the

fridge] so she was able to make pretend words. I think Qeq College was an opener for

her; daycare is a little bit more play. [Name] needed to learn this is what you do. She got to learn how to share more than she would in a school environment. It prepared her for

what school is going to be like.”

“I like that they transitioned my son. He was in a daycare setting and it transitioned him

into going to Qeq College which wasn’t completely the same as kindergarten but it was

a way where he could go and have almost the same kind of similar thing.”

“I learned that he needs a lot of variety and that he’s already got a really strong focus,

and that he doesn’t really want to do the repetitive things that they do in school. You do this until they say stop. All of that was good learning for me…”

Creating community: “We really appreciated the Thursday family days. We loved it because I phoned the

night before and asked how many people I could bring, and [name’s] brother, wife and three kids all came. They were made welcome and that was really wonderful.”

Importance of Elders: “It was a very grounding presence for everyone involved. As soon as [the Elders] came forward and started talking, they all listened.”

17

“When the Elders would start with the drum, and they would all listen and come to the

carpet. I was really happy with that because my son had a hard time keeping still and not playing with other kids and not sitting in the circle. The Elders calmed them being there.”

Creating safety in transition to kindergarten: “I thought it was great socially for [child’s name] – when we had to stand in line for kindergarten and she saw [child’s name], she loved him – and there’s all these kids that were there in Qeq College and she knew those kids so it was easier for her to transition. Then it’s not as scary…and she already knew [program administrator] so it was easier.”

Importance of staff: “They always got down to their level. They’d always be sitting or kneeling, not speaking

over the kids, but to their level. Showed that everyone had a say and had the power to speak. It was a unity, togetherness, it was spiritual too.”

Staff:

Creating school readiness: “You do see the growth because now the child is in kindergarten and that child has an understanding of her role and what she needs to do, to be able to understand rules and regulations.”

“Coming in circle and having each child learn how to have their turn, gave them an eagle feather and their turn to speak and everyone’s to listen. Benefit of them able to do

that is the cultural piece that we all have value and no matter what it’s worth hearing. It can translate to kindergarten classroom but being connected in circle. You don’t have to

say we’re all related, but you feel that sense of community and connectedness when we’re in the circle…It’s part of who we are as Indigenous people, we come together in circle.”

Importance of building trust: “We’re not just what they think a teacher will be. We truly for four weeks, love your child, and care for them, and nurture them, and educate them. We know that they come with a

whole family.” “For a lot of our families, they’ll have a support worker in their life and then that person is gone, literally gone. They never see them again. And I think that’s a super huge

disconnect in the services we’re providing for families.”

Creating community and sense of belonging: “I’ve picked up a mother and grandmother and taken them to the celebration of learning and got to hear the mother tell her mom ‘see school’s not so bad, is it’. I’ve taken

grandma to school on a games morning and played games and just laughed on the way there and laughed on the way home. There’s a benefit from having that experience where the sense of belonging is present for the family as well, where it’s understood. I

18

always tell the parents you are the most knowledgeable on your child, nobody knows

more about your child than you. You are the expert.” “It’s really quite beautiful…as a non-Indigenous person watching the children do protocol every morning and our Elders sang it with us and [name] doing the TPR [total physical response]. You’re talking about pride of who you are, that is their culture and not mine and I just got to be this amazed witness to how valuable that is to personal development…it was really powerful to watch that and participate and see the children thrive in it.”

Importance of strong team “A lot of the work we do is self-work and if you’re not rooted in who you are as a person and you’re working with kids who vibrate at a whole other frequency you’re going to get

thrown off. It’s a huge piece.”

“Person needs to be grounded in who they are and comfortable with a variety of

children…working with really vulnerable families in poverty and the impacts that colonization has had on our families. If you don’t have that front loading of knowledge of what you’re getting into, it can really change the vibration of that classroom so having

strong staff for me is really important.”

Administrators/Community Liaison

Creating community and sense of belonging “[The program] builds connections that last. When they see their instructors from Qeq at

school and they remember each other…there’s a greater sense of connection that they wouldn’t have otherwise.”

“We felt it was really important to have the traditional, holistic component because all programs were based on that from the beginning; the need for the little ones to start as

early as possible with teachers

and principals for connection and for them to connect to themselves and their families.”

Building trust “I think how important it is for the family support. Families come to class and historically Aboriginal peoples through colonization and the Indian Residential School system didn’t feel comfortable coming into the school. [Through Qeq College] the children started to

feel better and have better self-esteem.”

“For parents to feel trust and to feel that they were worthwhile and their input and knowledge that they didn’t feel they had before, that they could contribute. They wanted to stay in the class whenever possible. This transferred to the children and became a

circle of knowledge.”

19

“We’ve been impacted so much by residential school and been negatively impacted.

This is one way to make school a positive thing, feeling comfortable in the environment. Parents have involvement with the Ministry for Children and Families and are always being told what they do wrong and never what they do right. This program is strengths based and we focus on what they do right…we identify that the parents have a teaching role as well.”

Importance of culturally-appropriate early childhood education (ECE) “I think it’s really important for people in the program that are non-native to have more training and background in Aboriginal culture and tradition. I went into the program – first week and a half – and I felt what needed to be happening was a real blunt history lesson on Indian Residential Schools and colonization…we need to address that, and before we start, by having ECE workers that are trained.”

Significant accomplishments include:

Doubled number of children attending the program in the third year;

Strong presence of language (Hul’qumi’num) and culture in all aspects of the program;

Making supportive community services available to an increasing number of children and families year round;

Noticeable growth and development in children who attended Qeq College; and

Active engagement of parents in the program to address structural and systemic barriers.

20

Next Steps for the Project

TLAFC is constructing a new education building that will in part house the Qeq Transition Year program. This will provide much-needed stability for the program and allow staff to focus on issues other than setting up and taking down program materials in a borrowed space which is what they do each year at Bayview Elementary. In addition, many staff identified the importance of having a dedicated Qeq College van or bus so that staff could be involved with picking up students and to streamline pick up and drop off times. One suggestion from the school district liaison was to showcase the program more broadly so that other community agencies could see Qeq as a positive example of a multi-agency partnership working together towards a common goal. Relationships

between the school district, community-based organizations and the Indigenous community in Nanaimo have been long established. Qeq College is an excellent example of how these relationships can be mobilized to meet the needs of urban Indigenous children, families and the larger community. TLAFC will decide if the program will continue in future years with two cohorts of twenty students or go back to one cohort of twenty students. As the project lead explains, in expanding the program “we were meeting twice as many families and creating a larger Qeq College community.” Creating more spaces for children creates more points of contact for Indigenous families and children to benefit from year-round supportive community services while destigmatizing the school setting to promote Indigenous student success. All groups interviewed emphasized the importance of language and culture in the program. Program administrators are considering having a specific language and culture teacher who would go from room to room providing language and other cultural teachings. Another recommendation was to expand the first week of the program – which focuses specifically on learning through culture – to two weeks. Everyone interviewed for this evaluation said the project lead role is critical for the success of the program, particularly as demonstrated by the skills and competencies of the current project lead. Her dedication to building and managing complex relationships demonstrates the importance of strong leadership in delivering programs like the Qeq College Transition Year. Additional recommendations for the program:

Hire a language and culture teacher who will provide specific teachings to each pod.

Include learning modules at orientation for new staff on the history of colonization, particularly history of the Indian Residential School system.

Invite Elders from different communities (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous) to participate in the program.

21

Provide opportunities for more kindergarten teachers to engage with Qeq through program visits or meetings in advance of the program start.

Develop classroom tours for small groups of students to visit the school they’ll be attending in September to promote comfort and familiarity in the environment.

Continue to build trust with parents and encourage their involvement with Qeq.

Include staff in the intake process to facilitate sharing of information.

Include weekly reports to parents – possibly via e-mail – detailing what the child has learned that week and the next week’s topics.

Document the work of the children as they produce it via iPad or other technology.

Secure a dedicated van for the Qeq program.

Create opportunities for parents to participate in activities in smaller groups in addition to the large group gathering on Thursdays.

Host events at key holidays throughout the year (e.g. Halloween, Easter) to further engage with children and their families.

Appendix I: Logic Model

Planned Work Intended Results

Inputs:

Resources

Human &

Financial

Strategies /

Major Activities

Outputs or

Performance Indicators

Short Term

Outcomes or

Objectives

Inter-mediate

Outcomes or

Objectives

Ultimate

Goal/Impact

Tillicum Lelum

Programs for

Children staff.

Community

members and

parents.

Advisory

group

comprised of

retired

teachers,

School District

68, Elders and

local

community

agencies.

Early

Childhood

Education

research team

from

Vancouver

Elders interact

with children.

Wrap

around/support

services

provided to

children and

families from

September to

May.

Children are confident

and prepared to enter

kindergarten.

Parents are engaged

and involved with their

child’s education.

Valuing of Indigenous

knowledges/perspectives

in early childhood

education.

Student success as they

proceed through school

compared with children

who did not attend the

program.

Improved

outreach to

Indigenous

students and

communities.

More parents

involved in

their

children’s

learning

journey.

Improved

links to

community

organizations

within the

City of

Nanaimo and

local

Indigenous

communities.

Increase in

number of

children

accessing

the program.

Stronger

connections

between

community-

based

organizations

and school

support

services.

Increased

awareness of

culturally-

appropriate

early

childhood

education

initiatives.

Increase

in

graduation

rates for

those

children

who

attended

the Qeq

College

Transition

Year

Program.

Improved

quality of

life,

health,

social and

cultural

wellbeing.

Island

University.

Healthy

breakfast and

lunch

provided.

Transportation

provided to

the program.

Better

outcomes for

children who

attended the

program

physically,

emotionally,

academically

and socially.

References

Chansonneuve, Deborah. (2007). Addictive behaviours among Aboriginal people in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Aboriginal Healing Foundation. McDonell, Linda. (2016). Qeq College Transition Year: Final Evaluation Report (2015-2016). Vancouver Island University.