Closing the education gap: A case for Aboriginal early childhood education in Canada, a look at the Aboriginal headstart program

Authors

  • Mai Nguyen York University

Abstract

This paper raises awareness concerning the education gap between Aboriginal youth and the non-Aboriginal youth population in Canada. It argues that the historical consequences of colonialism that resulted in diminished sense of self-worth, self-determination, and culture have placed Aboriginals at the low-end of the socio-economic strata. This continuing phenomenon has meant that Aboriginal youth perform far worse than non- Aboriginals in terms of their ability to obtain higher education and employment. Given this, using welfare-state theory and Indigenous-based theory I argue that early-childhood education which is culturally sensitive to the needs of Aboriginal children and controlled by Aboriginal communities will help to remedy and close the education gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth. The paper concludes with solutions to rectify the situation in Canada. Specifically, it discusses the current government initiative, Aboriginal Head Start (AHS), that has been making significant strides throughout the Aboriginal community.

Key words: Self-determination, culturally appropriate, Aboriginal control

Author Biography

Mai Nguyen, York University

PhD Candidate

York University

Department of Political Science

Published

2011-10-10

How to Cite

Nguyen, M. (2011). Closing the education gap: A case for Aboriginal early childhood education in Canada, a look at the Aboriginal headstart program. Canadian Journal of Education/Revue Canadienne De l’éducation, 34(3), 229–248. Retrieved from https://journals.sfu.ca/cje/index.php/cje-rce/article/view/572

Issue

Section

Articles