When you can’t find what you need, you’ve got to make it yourself.
That was the attitude of the Northern Healthy Communities Partnership which recently published a bilingual children’s book in English along with either Cree, Dene, or Michif.
Saskatchewan Health Authority Coordinator with the NHCP, Amanda Frain, explains that there are books with Indigenous languages for older children but not for those under 5.
Through their Babies, Books and Bonding program, children are given age-appropriate books when they come in for their immunizations.
The nurses at the clinic provide a bit of education about the importance of reading with children for the quality time it provides and to promote early learning.
A dietitian of Metis ancestry with the Saskatchewan Health Authority wrote the book and through donations, enough funding was gathered to get it published and now will be distributed across northern Saskatchewan.
Frain says children whose parents read to their children have improved vocabulary and comprehension skills, which lays the foundation for when they enter school and beyond, and also helps with emotional well being.