Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day across Canada, celebrating the rich contributions of First Nations people.
A Thunder Bay woman, Kyla Francis, is pleased with what her toddler has learned from a program called the Aboriginal Head Start Program at Shkoday.
“The cultural aspect of the program, and the things they teach the kids, the language, and they smudge with them everyday, they teach them a lot.”
The Thunder Bay woman adds this program enriches children’s appreciation for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
And a Thunder Bay grandfather of two children enrolled in the program is also pleased.
Vince McGuire tells us it helps children become more aware.
“They’re talking more and more about it, they’re picking up more and more Ojibway words, they do the smudging now.”
He adds he suggested the program to the kids’ mother, as she was in the program years ago.
And Sandra Jones, a Thunder Bay mother of a toddler, feels it ties perfectly with this day.
“He’s just learning to interact with the other kids, that’s was one thing we liked about coming here. And just getting the routine with the smudging, and washing his hands, and circle time especially after smudging.”
The Thunder Bay woman adds her son is looking forward to returning to the program in the fall.
There was a graduation for the kids at the school yesterday.
