Nunavik childcare and language advocate wins 2024 ITK Award for Inuit Excellence
October 23, 2024
OTTAWA – Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami congratulates Julie-Ann Berthe, a dedicated childcare and language advocate from Kuujjuaq, and winner of our 2024 Award for Inuit Excellence.
The prize was announced during ITK’s annual general meeting in Inuvik on September 18, 2024, and presented to Berthe in Ottawa on Oct. 22.
Berthe was pregnant with her second child when she got her first job with the Kativik Regional Government as a childcare technical assistant – doing secretarial, reception and translation work to support a small team overseeing four childcare centres.
Twenty-five years later, Berthe is now Assistant Director in the KRG’s Sustainable Employment Department in charge of its Childcare Section, which manages 19 childcare centres in 14 communities. Her team helps to ensure Nunavik childcare centres are safe, culturally appropriate and well managed and that includes providing expertise for financial, staff and building management, insurance, nutrition, health, hygiene, board activities, and laws and regulations.
It’s a huge and important responsibility but she did not expect to win an award for it.
- I thought it was a scam because I’m not used to getting those kinds of messages. I was in shock, said Berthe of outreach from ITK to inform her of the prize. I had good parents raising me and you just do what you have to do to help your people.
Meet Our Management Of Childcare Centres Students
Nunavik Childcare Curriculum Program
Download the New Curriculum 2023
KRG Childcare Section is pleased to present its new Curriculum, a culturally rooted early learning and childcare programming, made in Nunavik for Nunavimmiut.
The Nunavik curriculum is meant to be used by educators, centre directors, pedagogical counsellors, Nunavik Early Childhood Education (ECE) College teachers, parents and community members.
Using the curriculum will benefit and help the children, the childcare centres’ staff, the school transition and all Nunavik communities.
Here are the printable version of the curriculum and the poster for you to download
Nunavik Childcare Curriculum
‘Amazing things are coming !