Early Years Staff Roles
Charlene Rattlesnake, O’Chiese First Nation, AB, on her role as Family and Cultural Coordinator of Maskwacis Early Years. Charlene is a mother of five and a grandmother. She has worked as a nurse in Maskwacis since 2006:
"The beauty of this role has been having the flexibility and freedom to integrate as much culture into programming as possible which is much more meaningful than having an outsider tell us what is important and how to do it. I believe Indigenous people know what is best for them and have the means to do it to become strong healthy communities once again. I believe every Early Years program needs a similar role to ensure cultural connections are available to families in every community.
Being a Family and Cultural Coordinator for the Early Years program has an immeasurable value in a time where supporting Indigenous healing should be a priority for all Canadians. Western methods of healing have not, for the most part, worked for Indigenous people and this role gives an opportunity to allow for cultural appropriate programming which is already improving outcomes for program families..
My role here is varied from sharing supervisory responsibilities with the Program Manager in supporting Visitors with regular case management to providing families with critical connection opportunities to cultural resources in the community. I set up cultural professional development for the staff, arrange cultural group gatherings as directed by the families we support and assist other communities with a course that was developed in Maskwacis, “Understanding the Early Years”, to adapt it to fit their community needs.
Being a Family and Cultural Coordinator for the Early Years program has an immeasurable value in a time where supporting Indigenous healing should be a priority for all Canadians. Western methods of healing have not, for the most part, worked for Indigenous people and this role gives an opportunity to allow for cultural appropriate programming which is already improving outcomes for program families..
My role here is varied from sharing supervisory responsibilities with the Program Manager in supporting Visitors with regular case management to providing families with critical connection opportunities to cultural resources in the community. I set up cultural professional development for the staff, arrange cultural group gatherings as directed by the families we support and assist other communities with a course that was developed in Maskwacis, “Understanding the Early Years”, to adapt it to fit their community needs.
