At Elsipogtog School in Moncton, NB, an early intervention program is helping Mi’kmaw students to thrive and learn. CBC reports that the school—which serves 350 students from the Mi’kmaw community—implemented a program that draws on Indigenous-led principles to diagnose neurological conditions and provide specialized teaching to students. The school’s specialist team consists of about a dozen staff members who make a learning plan for teachers and parents according to a child’s unique needs and works with them until the student graduates Grade 8. The school also receives support from the Eastern Door Centre, an Indigenous centre for children’s assessment in the community. Elsipogtog First Nation Education Director Ivan Augustine explained that the program is helping students develop the resilience and skills they need to continue on into college or university. Additionally, Augustine explained that parents with children who have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and other conditions are “more inclined to bring their kids to school … knowing that there are supports when their kids require them.”
