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Aboriginal Early Childhood Development Regional Initiative

The Aboriginal Early Childhood Development (AECD) regional initiative supports Aboriginal communities in the delivery of culturally appropriate early childhood development (ECD) services, both on and off reserve, through Aboriginal agencies across BC. For more information on these ongoing programs, please contact your local MCFD office.

The goal of the initiative is to:

  • Increase the overall health and well-being of Aboriginal children;
  • Foster language and culture development as the basis of all programs and services available to Aboriginal children;
  • Strengthen the capacity of Aboriginal communities to deliver a full range of services with an emphasis on ECD; and
  • Increase awareness, outreach and access to a wide range of culturally appropriate ECD programs and services for Aboriginal children, families, and communities.

First Nations and Urban Aboriginal ECD $5 Million Initiative

Since 2010, the ministry has provided an additional $5 million in ongoing funding each year towards early childhood programs for Aboriginal children. Funding is for projects focused on early child development for BC First Nations, Métis and urban Aboriginal children, from birth to six years old both on and off reserve.

Priorities include Language and Culture programming, enhancements to existing programs and services, minor capital, and service planning and capacity building. These priorities are updated on an annual basis. Many of the projects focus on intergenerational learning, working with Elders to incorporate cultural and language education into early childhood education, care programs and services.

These projects help preserve the vibrancy of BC Aboriginal culture for future generations and support the strengthening of early childhood development programs and services.

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