A new preschool building for the Prince Albert Aboriginal Head Start Program is one step closer to reality after a groundbreaking ceremony on 25th Street West.
The ceremony, held June 10, marked a milestone for a new building that will serve up to 20 children in a culturally grounded early learning environment. The building will be located next to the future Ronald McDonald House Saskatchewan development in Prince Albert.
For Prince Albert Aboriginal Head Start Executive Director Trena Larocque, the project is the result of years of hoping and planning.
“It’s growth in space, growth and opportunity and growth for future generations,” Larocque said.
The land had originally been gifted by the City of Prince Albert to Ronald McDonald House Saskatchewan for its Prince Albert development. After conversations between the two organizations, Ronald McDonald House Saskatchewan agreed to transfer a portion of that land to the Head Start program so the preschool could be built next door.
Larocque said Aboriginal Head Start had been looking for land, but had been unable to find a suitable location. She said Ronald McDonald House Saskatchewan saw the program as a strong future neighbour because the two organizations share similar goals for children and families.
“They had seen us as a valuable partner and neighbor because we have the same visions,” Larocque said.
Larocque said the two organizations expect to support each other as neighbours. She said Aboriginal Head Start offers parent programs and cultural teachings, and there have already been discussions about opening some of those opportunities to families staying at Ronald McDonald House. She said the same could happen when Ronald McDonald House offers programs or events.
The Aboriginal Head Start preschool serves children who are three and four years old. Larocque said the program also offers a home visiting program for children from birth to age six.
She said the need for early childhood programming in Prince Albert is significant, but Aboriginal Head Start has a different focus than daycare.
“Our program is different than daycare because we focus on culture and language,” she said.
Larocque said children learn through cultural practices, language, daily smudging, teachings about the land, giving thanks before meals, visits from knowledge keepers and Elders, dance, songs and oral stories.
She said she wants every child and family who enters the new building to feel welcomed.
“Not just every child, but every family that walks through our doors, I want them to feel that they’re safe and they’re valued and they’re loved, and they feel a part of community,” she said. “So building a community within a community.”
Larocque said the groundbreaking was emotional for staff and families.
“This is something that we’ve dreamed about for years,” she said. “Now it’s actually reality.”
She said one moment stood out most.
“Just watching the children, watching the children break the ground,” she said.
Larocque said she hopes construction will begin sometime in July, possibly near the end of the month. She said the building is expected to be completed in fall 2027, as far as she knows.
Larocque said families who come to Aboriginal Head Start become part of the program’s family.
“You become a part of our family,” she said.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
