On Oct. 8, a ribbon was cut at Standoff in the Kainai Nation to signal the opening of the Kainipokyis centre.
The new building was five years in the making as a way to centralize early child education on the Kainai Nation.
It includes a full kitchen, classrooms, sensory rooms, speech centre to help children on developing their speaking skills, indoor and outdoor activity spaces.
Manager of the Blood Tribe Early Learning and Childcare program Jacinta Fox shares her hopes for the new facility.
“We continue to provide quality services for our children. To make sure they are well prepared for kindergarten.” Fox continues, “We want to build that confidence in them, the social skills that they learn here…. So that when they leave here, they are confident young people.”
This is re-enforced with each class room having every child matters banners as a reminder each day that each child on the Kainai Nation matter and is supported by the community.
The Kainaipokoyis building came out to a total cost of approximately $5.5 million dollars which can support approximately two hundred children in both the A.M. and P.M. childcare and HeadStart programs.
While the morning and evening childcare programs require guardians to drop off and pick up their children, those enrolled in the HeadStart program are bussed in from across the Kainai Nation.
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