Blue Quills Head Start

CONTEXT

University nuhelot'ine thaiyots'i nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills (Blue Quills), Canada’s first Indigenous owned and operated education centre, was established in 1970. Its original building was a former Indian Residential school for Indigenous children, built in the 1930s.

Over the past 50 years, Blue Quills has become a university offering varied studies, including an Early Childhood Education program. Central to the program are traditional Indigenous child care practices. The Blue Quills Aboriginal Head Start program (Head Start) is a free, community-based early childhood education initiative for Indigenous children ages 3-5 who are potty-trained. Currently licensed for 24 kids, the current program operates two, 2 hour sessions: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. 

Head Start is a pre-kindergarten program that provides children with a step up in a social setting. It focuses on cultural and language education, school readiness, parental involvement, health promotion, nutrition and social education. Head Start offers land-based learning; Indigenous philosophy dictates that the first 7 years of a person’s life aren’t structured, and the new Head Start facility needs to support this philosophy to create an organic, nature inspired, open facility, connected to the natural world.

THE CHALLENGE

A building condition assessment for the existing facility was conducted in 2023. Numerous safety and structural deficiencies were identified, indicating the facility is no longer suitable for early childhood programming without major upgrades. The assessment recommended demolishing compromised structures, rebuilding critical components such as decks, walkways, and windows, and improving safety systems. The report supports planning for a new, purpose-built Head Start facility to better serve the Urban Indigenous Community in the St. Paul area.

VISION

A new purpose-built Head Start facility (located south of the existing building) will provide a safe and nurturing environment for children. Inspired by nature, the new building will provide a connection to nature and the outdoors.

The Four Directions provide inspiration for the design of the new Head Start Facility at Blue Quills. Different ceremonial leaders have different colours, however the four directions shared at a pipe ceremony informed the design concept for the project:

• WHITE in the North represents the wind and winter 
• YELLOW in the East represents the sunrise
• RED in the South represents where the thunder begins
• GREEN in the West represents the mountains, bears and plants
• PURPLE in the Southeast is the Grandmother colour

The setting of the site at Blue Quills also provided inspiration for the design, with its connection to the land, the University and the existing playground. A strong connection to nature will allow the building experience to extend into the landscape. 

The new Head Start facility offers an open-concept approach that fosters better visibility, ease of navigation, and a strong connection to the outdoors, supporting the safety and well-being of children. This connection extends learning beyond the building, allowing outdoor areas to function as part of the overall program. By expanding usable space outside, the design increases the effective program area while creating a continuous and immersive experience between indoor and outdoor environments. Careful consideration has been given to the Head Start program to accommodate the following key spaces: 

• Head Start Classroom & Cultural Space
• Administration
• Services
• Outdoor spaces