Running Head: DEVELOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS Developing Positive Relationships between Aboriginal Parents and School/ Head

Start

Denise Baxter

Ontario Institute of Education: University of Toronto

Department of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning

Major Research Paper

August 2006

Denise Baxter 543 Piccadilly Avenue Thunder Bay, Ontario

P7B 5C9

Positive Relationships 2

Abstract

Although many Aboriginal children attend public schools, in most instances, their

parents do not feel comfortable in the building which inhibits them from making

contributions to their child’s formal education. This paper will examine through the eyes

of six Aboriginal parents and guardians, the physical environments and welcoming level

of staff of both Lakehead Public Schools and Thunder Bay Aboriginal Head Start. The

premise of this research is that if parents do not feel comfortable, respected and welcome

in the school, they will not move to the principle of sharing. This will prevent parents

from participating in the school community and sharing their knowledge, thus inhibiting

that home to school transition that is so important.

Positive Relationships 3

Problem Statement

Although many Aboriginal children attend public schools, in most instances, their

parents do not feel comfortable in the building which inhibits them from making

contributions to their child’s formal education. The Royal Commission on Aboriginal

Peoples (1996) indicates that the success of the home school transition is partially

dependant on the continuity from the home environment to the classroom. These

elements include language, the presence of familiar people who are respected, and the

consistent value system that governs daily life. What can public schools do to make the

early contact with parents a positive one to enable further positive relationships to occur?

How do the policies and strategies used by Aboriginal Head Start to make parents an

integral part of the school compare with those of a public school?

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this research is to focus on the initial contact that Aboriginal parents have

with the schools. Much of the research indicates that parental involvement has a positive

impact on the education of children (Friedel, 1999; Smith, 1999). The Royal Commission

on Aboriginal Peoples (1996) outlines four principles that must be present to foster

relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. First, each individual must

mutually recognize each other as equals who co-exist and self-govern. Second, each

individual must have mutual respect with focus on the “quality of courtesy, consideration

and esteem extended to people whose languages, cultures and ways differ from our own

but who are valued fellow-members of the larger communities to which we all belong”.

( RCAP, Vol. 1, Pt 3, 15, 1.2 p.9). Third, the principle of sharing must be present.

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Sharing is the basis for all relationships among Aboriginal people. Finally the principle of

mutual responsibility must be present. Aboriginal Head Start schools were implemented

as a recommendation of the Royal Commission of Aboriginal Peoples (1996). Head Start

programs had achieved much success in the United States. In Canada, there are more

than 100 Aboriginal Head Start programs in urban and northern communities (Dunning,

2000). The Aboriginal Head Start programs have six main components, one of which is

recognizing the important role parents play in the raising of their children and focusing

on parent involvement in the “planning, development, operations and evaluation of the

program” (Dunning, 2000, p. 39).

The premise of this research is that if parents do not feel comfortable, respected and

welcome in the school, they will not move to that third principle of sharing. This will

prevent parents from participating in the school community and sharing their knowledge,

thus inhibiting that home to school transition that is so important.

Methodology

Data Collection

For this study, I used the semi structured interview process (See Appendix A) which

enabled me to gather specific information as well as using open-ended questions that

allow for flexibility and conversation. Merriam posits that less structured formats

“assume that individual respondents define the world in unique ways” (1998,p.74).

Through this process, I was aiming to allow each respondent to share his/her views and

understanding in his/her own unique way. This research strives to learn how Aboriginal

Positive Relationships 5

parents view the two educational settings and find ways to make these environments

more inviting and welcoming to parents. The interview covered a range of topics such as

length of residency, children attending the educational setting, a description of a

comfortable setting of the participants choice, his/her comfort level with the current

educational setting and personnel and the procedure for registration. These questions

aimed to get some background knowledge of the participant, the things that each felt

were important in feeling welcome and improvements that each would make to the

current setting. It provided participants a confidential place to be honest with their

perceptions of the setting in question. The length of the interview was approximately 25

to 30 minutes. The interviews were in a location of the participant’s choice and time and

were audio taped, then transcribed.

Procedures

The data were managed by coding the information about the participants. Each interview

was coded with four items: a pseudonym, the school that his/her child (ren) attends, the

number of children enrolled in the educational setting, and the length of residency in

Thunder Bay. The data were analysed by category construction. Categories and

subcategories were constructed through the constant comparative method. The data from

each interview question will be compared with answers from the other participants

creating tentative categories that are then compared to each other and to other instances,

looking for regularities. Once the categories are derived and classified, the data will then

be presented in the results and discussion section.

Sample Size

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The proposed sample size of three participants from each school, for a total of six, was to

ensure that there was one individual from each setting with each of the different

residency requirements: long term resident of the city, relocated to the city from another

community, and relocated to the city from a First Nation community. Each of the

participants had one or more children/grandchildren in one of the school settings. The

participants were selected also because of their willingness to participate in the study.

The purpose of including participants from each of the three community situations was to

allow for those with different experiences/perspectives to share these.

Literature Review

Parental involvement has long been recognized as important to student success. It is

generally agreed by both researchers and educators that parental involvement in

children’s learning can help lead to successful academic achievement (Etrl, 2000,

Murphy, D.,2000). When parents are interested and involved in their children’s

education, their children are successful. Etrl (2000) found that certain types of parental

involvement activities had a positive outcome on children’s academic achievement. It

suggested that working partnerships between parents and teachers are beneficial for

academic success of children (Etrl, 2000). Home-school partnerships that are designed as

out-reach to parents during their child’s early years have proven beneficial to child’s

kindergarten readiness (Corter and Pelletier, 2004). In order to boost student learning,

Corter and Pelletier (2004) have indicated that parental involvement must focus both on

how they are involved and what happens as a result.

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School council is one of the ways that parents can be involved in the school, but often

school councils are not representative of minority parents (Corter & Pelletier, 2004).

Murphy (2000) offered a variety of reasons that might prevent parents from becoming

involved in their child’s education such as work fatigue, substance abuse, domestic

violence, and mental health problems. In Ontario, the Ministry of Education has created

the Ontario Parent Involvement Policy (2005) which will recognize “effective parent

involvement as a new performance measure” (p.1). Decision makers are also expected

“to create conditions for parents’ engagement in their children’s educations to take place

by way of the right environment, supports and attitudes”(p.1) Principals must be open to

redefining their roles as curriculum leaders and administrators and adding to it

community education ( Murphy, D, 2000).

Many schools, early childhood education and other educational settings have parent

programs focused on helping the child to grow. Wagner et al. (2003), found five

dimensions of parental engagement. The first stage “Say yes” accounted for the

attractiveness of the program and motivation to learn more about parenting and their

children. They said yes to the invitation to participate. The second “Be there” stage was

the group who consistently kept appointments. The third stage” Be involved” indicated

that the parents were actively involved during the home visits. The fourth stage “Do the

homework” indicated how well the families used the information, ideas and materials

between home visits. The fifth and final stage was “Look for more” which had parents

going beyond the home visits in seeking information and support for parenting issues.

African American parents with a higher education had a disproportional rate of not

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beginning the program, than did other parents. Once in the program, parents who

persisted were often those with a higher income, education and own their own home.

Parental knowledge of children’s book titles, reading to them at home, and parent

education was positively correlated to the child’s receptive oral language, but not to their

reading ability (Evans, 1998). The child’s reading related skills were positively

correlated to the number of library visits, being coached in reading strategies, and parent

reports of teaching children about letters (Evans, 1998). Aboriginal literacy is more than

just reading and writing, it is viewed as a relationship, “involving relationships between

self, community, nation, and creation with a focus on words, language, listening, and

comprehension (Antone, E., et al., 2003).

Aboriginal Head Start

Head Start programs across North America are building upon the foundation of parent as

partner. In Canada, there are approximately100 Aboriginal Head Start programs located

both in First Nations communities and in urban centres (Colbert, 1999). These are

programs for children from ages 18 months to 6 years of age for children of First Nations,

Metis or Inuit descent. These programs are not designed as child care, but as a learning

centre for both children and parents. The programs are designed to provide children with

a “head start in preparing for elementary school, and a head start in building pride in and

understanding of their native culture” (Dunning, 2000, p.38). The programs vary based

on the needs of each community; however, they all use the holistic approach which

focuses on the emotional, spiritual, physical and intellectual growth of young children.

Positive Relationships 9

They include six components of the program: education, culture and language, parent

involvement, social services support, health promotion, and nutrition.

The area of parent involvement is a vital one for the program. The program formally

recognizes parents as the child’s first teachers and care givers and ensures that they have

a key role in planning, development, operations and evaluation of the program. For many

First Nations parents, this is a chance to have a positive experience with their child, as

their own experiences in a traditional educational setting may not have been so

favourable. They participate as decision makers in their child’s futures and volunteer in

many different roles throughout the program. This cultural and language component is

also important for children and their families, as it provides an opportunity to get

reacquainted with their cultural heritage that may have been lost to them. Parents are

encouraged to participate in language classes during the day with their young children.

In Thunder Bay, parents/caregivers are required to attend the programming with their

child (ren) from 18 months to 3 years, twice weekly, from 10 am to 1 pm. There is

transportation available if needed for both children and parents/caregivers. This

engagement with parents provides a solid foundation for children’s educational and

personal future. Parents are expected to volunteer a minimum of six hours a month

which may take place in the form of field trips, van patrols, working in the centre as

classroom assistants, community kitchen, sharing cultural knowledge, and participation in

feasts and celebrations.

Historical Context

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Pre-contact, Aboriginal children were taught by their parents, Elders and extended

family. The Cree and Ojibway lived in close-knit kinship groups (Auger, 2005). Within

these groups, all facets of economic, social and spiritual activities were carried out. The

rights of the group took precedence over those of the individual. They were taught in the

tradition of oral language with the guiding principle of non-interference. The informal

education method was integrated into their everyday life and that of the adults in the

community. Children participated in the activities by playing, helping or doing chores.

They learned by watching and helping adults in their family group. Mothers were the

main language instructors. When the boys got older, they learned with their fathers, the

male activities, while the girls learned the female activities from their mothers. From

their grandparents and other Elders of the communities, the children learned through the

use of story-telling, myths and symbols used to represent groups of ideas (Auger, 2005).

With the arrival of the non-aboriginal people, life changed. Society changed, with the

rights of the individual taking importance over those of the group. In Aboriginal cultures,

education was the responsibility of the kin group, and with European culture, the

responsibility was that of the government. Residential schools were established across

Canada to ‘civilize’ First Nations people and convert them to Christianity. Some children

attended day schools, while some attended boarding schools. In these schools, children

were subjected to extremely harsh conditions and were often punished for speaking their

own language and practicing and celebrating their own culture (Auger, 2005; Gallagher-

Hayashi, 2004). The results of this are varied, but the most common is that of

generations of individuals who felt marginalized by both their Aboriginal culture and the

mainstream culture. In order to cope with their lost identity, many turned to alcohol,

Positive Relationships 11

drugs and solvents. This has left many individuals trapped in a cycle of poverty, neglect,

abuse, shame loss of pride, lack of identity and connectedness (Auger, 2005).

While in the schools, students began to express resistance to an oppressive system. Haig-

Brown (1988) indicates that wherever there is “an oppressive system set in place, an

opportunity for resistance to that system is also created (p.131). This resistance took

many forms such as speaking their native language, dancing, curling hair and wearing

make up, running away, belonging to gangs and oppressing the other children, and many

other ways. The failure of non-Aboriginals to educate Aboriginal peoples can be seen as

success of resistance to genocide (Friedel, 1999). Residential schools failed to assimilate

Aboriginal people into European mainstream society. George Manuel, a Shuswap leader

declared, “We have survived” (Haig-Brown, 1988,132).

Low levels of parental involvement in the schools may be a result of the cultural

occupation and oppression that exists in schools today (Friedel, 1999). Aboriginal

parents may resist in order “to preserve dignity in a situation that has labeled them

incompetent” (Friedel, 1999, p.153), but this same resistance allows administrators and

school boards the ability to disregard them. Sadly, this resistance fosters low

achievement. This negative message sent to children continues to marginalize them and

leads to further resistance. Change can only occur when the Aboriginal community and

Elders work together to support parents.

It must be recognized that parents and their children want not only Aboriginal content

and traditional cultural elements, but programming and staff that are able to understand

and respond to the concerns and issues that students bring to school with them (Schissel,

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and Wortherspoon, 2003). Many children come from a life of poverty where addictions

of parents and older siblings are commonplace. It is vital for schools to work with the

larger community to meet the needs of these families and their children.

In many schools, parents find the communication one way, from the school to the

parents, and usually in areas of disciplinary nature (Freidel, 1999). Communication in a

respectful, positive manner can build positive relationships with parents over the long

term. These situations are not representative of all Aboriginal parents and their children.

Like all cultures in Canada, there is diversity among the groups and some Aboriginal

parents want their children to do well in school, graduate from high school and be

prepared for entry into the workforce along with having high self-esteem for themselves

and their culture (Schissel and Wortherspoon 2003).

Parental Engagement

There are many practical ways to engage parents and a number of research studies offer

suggestions toward this end (Murphy, 2000, Jordan and Rodriguez, 2004, Antone et al.,

2003, Chabot, 2005). Murphy (2000) indicates that there are two main types of parental

involvement that support each other. The first is the presence of parents in the school for

a variety of reasons and the second is parents helping kids in their own homes. Both of

these show a valuing of education which has a positive effect on a child’s learning.

School councils can make parents aware of the benefits of their involvement to their

child’s education (Murphy, 2000). Parents need to believe that their role in learning with

their child is of vital importance. By communicating with parents on a regular basis in a

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meaningful manner, school councils can facilitate better communication between home

and school. School councils can promote a welcome environment toward parents in the

school, by looking at classroom design, lounges, free coffee/tea and casual dressing at

events by school staff. School council can also offer parenting and tutor programs

designed to assist parents in developing various skills to tutor their children. The offer of

babysitting when parents attend school functions is one that can often make the

difference for many parents. Overall, school councils can have a tremendous impact on

parental engagement.

It has been shown that parental involvement which is directly linked to student learning

has been of greater benefit to students (Jordan and Rodriguez, 2004). If the desired

outcome is increased student achievement, then the parental involvement activities

should reflect that goal by providing parents with specific knowledge and skills.

Relationships matter when trying to engage parents in the school. Social trust, which is

the quality of the staff/staff relationships, and parent/teacher relationships, is a key factor

to improving schools. This has a potential impact on all the school staff; secretaries,

custodians, other school personnel as well as teachers and administrators. Schools that

are successful at connecting with families are welcoming, address the parental and

community needs, recognize and respect cultural and class differences, and embrace a

philosophy of partnership and acknowledge that the responsibility for educating children

is a collaborative one among parents, school staff and community members. (Jordan and

Rodriguez, 2004). Because of many Aboriginal parents’ poor experiences with school,

making parents feel welcome and comfortable is vital (Smith, 1999). Many Aboriginal

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parents prefer to begin with volunteer jobs on the sidelines: they don’t want a job with a

title. Smith (1999) found these methods of decreasing parents’ discomfort and attracting

them included: a staff preparing a pancake breakfast for parents, monthly soup and

bannock lunches, evening programming in cooking, crafts, baby-sitting and volleyball,

motivational speakers, viewing the school dance/drum troupe, and parent council

sponsored activities and drop-in centre. Schools can support at-risk students by having a

school mission that supports diversity, a school staff, and parental volunteers that reflects

Aboriginal ethnicity, and programs and materials presenting First Nation’s perspectives

(Smith, 1999).

Friedel (1999) stresses the importance of stimulating input at the community level that is

meaningful and shows a true willingness by decision-makers to listen and act on what is

said. By using a competence approach, Lawrence and Heller (2001) have indicated four

components that can be used to facilitate better parent-school collaboration. First, the

problem and underlying strivings must be understood, and then both the school and

parents must identify and develop a mutual vision for the work. It is important to

recognize the hopes and dreams that a parent has for his/her child. Third, the school must

appreciate and support the commitment and courage needed to make changes. Finally, the

development of a partnership between the parents and school being respectful, non-

hierarchical, collaborative, consensual, and empowering must occur.

Results and Discussion

The data were collected by an interview with sixteen questions. The first four questions

were about residency and the number of years that the participant has had children in the

Positive Relationships 15

educational setting. The next eight questions concerned the participants’ impressions of

both the physical and personal environment in their respective educational settings. The

final four questions discussed the procedures for registering their child (ren).

The six participants all reside in the city of Thunder Bay. There were three participants

from each of the settings that agreed to participate. The participants who had children in

the Lakehead school board lived in Thunder Bay from as little as nine years to thirty-one

years. The participants from Head Start have lived in Thunder Bay from nine to twenty

years. Table 1 shows the results of the ratings of the physical environment and the staff

and the length of residency as well as the number of years they have had children in

Aboriginal Head Start, while Table 2 shows for the same data for the Lakehead Public

Schools. The participants scored the welcoming feel of the environment and personnel

on a five point Likert type scale. There did not seem to be a strong connection between

the number of years that children attended or length of residency and the rating of the

welcoming environment. This may be due to the small sample size. The scores were

averaged in each of the categories to get a score for each of the settings. Overall, Thunder

Bay Aboriginal Head Start received an average rating of 3.3 of 5 on the welcoming feel

of the physical environment and a rating of 3.7 of 5 on the welcoming staff. Lakehead

Public Schools received an average rating of 3.3 on the physical environment and its

welcoming feel and a 4.3 of 5 on the staff’s ability to make the parents feel welcome.

A difference of 0.5 average between the ‘staff’s ability to make parents feel welcome’

was noted between Thunder Bay Aboriginal Head Start and Lakehead Public Schools.

Participant from Lakehead Public Schools spoke of the school secretary’s ability to make

Positive Relationships 16

them feel welcome by talking with them, smiling and looking like she enjoyed her job.

During registration she filled out the paperwork while conversing with parents about

different topics related to their child, the school and the community. They all commented

on the impact that the secretary had on their first impression as this was the main person

that they had contact with. With relation to the staff at Thunder Bay Aboriginal Head

Start, some participants noted that all staff did not seem friendly upon entry to the

building and they could not find the office easily. It should be remember that this

average was collected on a sample size of three.

Table 1. Aboriginal Head Start Rating of Welcoming Environment

Participant HS:1 Participant HS:2 Participant HS:3 Welcoming Feel of

Physical Environment Rating

3 of 5

5 of 5 2 of 5

Welcoming of Staff Rating

3 of 5 4 of 5 4 of 5

Total number of years children

enrolled

1 4 4

Length of Residency

20 9 9

Table 2. Lakehead Public Schools Rating of Welcoming Environment

Participant LPS:1 Participant LPS:2 ParticipantLPS:3 Welcoming Feel of

Physical Environment Rating

4 2 4

Welcoming of Staff Rating

5 4 4

Total number of years children

enrolled

10 5 3

Length of Residency

20 9 31

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The importance of having a welcoming environment for parents is documented in the

literature (Corter et al, 2004, Chabot, 2005, Jordan, et al, 2004, Gallagher-Hayashi,

2004). What constitutes a welcoming environment may look slightly different for

Aboriginal parents than those parents of different cultural backgrounds. The results from

these data clearly indicated that Aboriginal parents value four things when considering a

welcoming physical environment. Five out of six parents described the importance of

having photographs or posters of Aboriginal people, Aboriginal artwork or cultural

objects such as the four medicines (tobacco, sweet grass, sage and cedar) present and

visible for all to see upon entry and throughout the building. This presence of Aboriginal

people and culture in the educational building was very important, as one parent said

“My children need to see something of themselves in that school (Interview LPS:3)”.

For those parents who attended residential school and were not allowed to learn about

their culture or see it represented in their school, having Aboriginal culture represented in

a prominent place and valued in the school setting can be validating and contribute to the

self-esteem of Aboriginal learners and their parents.

The reception area was of importance to all participants in its role of providing a

welcoming environment. It was vital to all participants that the reception area be easy to

find and be open and inviting. Many of the participants noted the importance of the

reception area and its accessibility upon entry to the building. A warmly painted,

comfortable setting that may include coffee, be updated with newer windows, and have a

comfortable seating area were among the recommendations that parents had about all the

educational environments.

Positive Relationships 18

Two of the participants noted that they felt welcome when they were invited personally to

attend events at the school. Corter & Pelletier (2004) found that extensive outreach

efforts brought in parents who might not have otherwise participated in school events. It

was definitely important for these parents. Jordan & Rodriguez (2004) recommended

that the central office demonstrate active support for family and community involvement

in the school. They also recommended building staff capacity to work well with all

families in the educational setting. As will be discussed later, the staff of a school really

does make the environment a more welcoming place.

Two of the participants indicated that Aboriginal architecture made them feel welcome

and at ease. They described architecture that included tipi like structures in the building,

open round entrances, medicine wheels painted/tiled on the floors, having nature inside

the building through large windows and plants and removing the institutional feel of the

buildings. Although, this may be difficult to achieve because of space and money, some

of the things can be achieved with just paint and reorganizing furniture.

Staff played a vital role in the welcoming feel of the environment. Smith (1999) indicated

the importance of schools using an approach where parents and community members are

respected, supported, and treated as equals as parents must experience some reciprocal

benefit in order to become a partner. Often the school secretary is the first person parents

interact with, but this may easily be a teacher, custodian, administrator or other school

personnel. Parents in this study indicated the importance of the receptionist in their

initial and subsequent visits. They like to be greeted in a friendly manner and be

acknowledged by the secretary upon entry to the office. It was felt that whoever met the

Positive Relationships 19

parent first should greet the parent and ask how to help them, not just ignore them or

walk by. One parent felt that front line staff should be trained in this area as they “set

the tone for the entire visit”. Another parent indicated that school staff had been

particularly helpful on several occasions.

Building relationships and trust is important to parents. One parent, who did not have a

mutually respectful relationship with the principal, felt that when he met the principal

regarding his son she just “complained, complained, complained (Interview LPS:1)”.

Another parent felt she had a good relationship with the school staff and when

complications arose with her children, this allowed for easier dialogue. Jordan &

Rodriguez (2004) state relationships matter. They pronounce that the type of staff

interaction with community members and parents had a vital impact on the kind of

relationships between the school, family and community members. Chabot (2005)

recommended that we “build schools with thoughtful, caring administrators who are

willing to make changes and teachers who take part and create a welcoming climate in

every classroom (p.41)”. The Parent Voice in Education Project (Ministry of Education,

2005) indicated that the principal has a tremendous impact on school culture. Principals

who welcome all parents are able to tap into the talents and gifts all parents have to offer

to the school community. These positive relationships allow for more sharing to occur at

the school and community level.

Participants unanimously agreed that they preferred it when school personnel filled out

the registration forms for them. This is common practice at Thunder Bay Aboriginal

Head Start and practice at some of the schools in Lakehead Public Schools; however, it

Positive Relationships 20

seems to depend on whoever is working in the office. Parents felt that a comfortable,

quiet place to register their child set a positive tone for future interactions with the

educational setting.

Limitations

The results of this study will not ensure engagement of parents; however, they do provide

some insight into what some Aboriginal parents would like to see in their children’s

educational settings to make them feel more welcome in the environment. Strong

conclusions are difficult to establish because of the small sample size and the sample,

however, these are the voices of six Aboriginal parents who were willing to share and in

that they have value.

Conclusion

Further research may include the question of whether the perception of a welcoming staff

and physical environment had a positive correlation to the actual parental engagement

and participation in the school environment.

In conclusion, creating a welcoming environment for Aboriginal parents is integral

toward allowing them to feel comfortable, respected and welcome in the school and move

toward sharing their gifts with the school community.

Positive Relationships 21

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Wagner, M., Spiker, D., Linn. M., Gerlach-Downey, S., & Hernandez, F. (2003). Dimensions of Home Visiting Programs: Exploratory Study. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 23(4),171-187.

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Appendix A

Interview Schedule

Interview with From

(Interviewer) First, I would like to thank you for assisting me in this study. I just want to remind you that the Public School/Head Start program will not be informed as to who agrees to participate in the study and who does not, and neither decision will have any consequences for your school involvement. Please understand that you may refuse to answer any questions, to stop the interview at any time or withdraw from the study without any consequences. Your specific answers and comments will be kept confidential. Your name will not be identified in any report or presentation which may arise from the study. Only my supervisor and I will have access to the information collected during the study. Please accept this gift as thanks for sharing your story with me. (offer tobacco bundle)

1. How long have you in Thunder Bay?

2. If not a lifelong resident where did you live prior to coming here? 3. What is your home community (First Nation)? 4. How long have you had children in this present educational setting? 5. I’d like you to think of a place in any community (business, educational, community)

that you have felt comfortable in. Describe the environment, both the physical and characteristics of the personnel.

6. What were some aspects of this environment that you remember that made you feel

welcome? 7. Now I’d like you to think of the current educational setting that your child is currently

in. Describe the physical environment of the building. 8. Describe the characteristics of the personnel of the building. 9. Using the scale for the two following questions:

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1- very unwelcoming, 2- somewhat unwelcoming, 3-somewhat welcoming, 4- quite welcoming, 5- very welcoming

10. How welcoming does the physical environment of the building feel to you? 11. How welcoming does the staff of the educational setting feel to you? 12. What changes would you like to see in the physical setting to increase your comfort

with the environment? 13. How could the staff make you feel more welcome or comfortable?

Now I’d like you to think back to when you first registered your child at this school.

14. Did you have to bring your child to the school to register or did you have a home visit?

15. Did you have to fill in the paper work yourself or did someone offer to assist you with

it? 16. Did you have a comfortable place to fill out the paperwork with little interruption? 17. Describe for me the setting you encountered when you registered your child,

indicating anything you found helpful or a hindrance. Thank you for sharing your story with me. You will be receiving a summary of the findings by mail or delivery (if you would prefer). Miigwech.