Land Acknowledgement
The Manitoba Child Care Association (MCCA) began with a group of settler day care parents, staff, and community members from various regions across Mother Earth. Collectively, they shared concerns about the quality of child care in Manitoba under the Federal-Provincial Day Care Subsidy Program. Together, they sought to connect parents and staff working in early learning and child care. Today we acknowledge the early learning and child care system is an ongoing journey of development, and that this work continues to evolve.
The MCCA office, members and branches are located throughout Manitoba which include Treaties, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 10. We recognize that the Original Peoples of Turtle Island have experienced historical injustices of colonization and the ongoing impacts of residential schools, resulting in harms and inequities that continue today. We acknowledge this history impacts us all in different ways.
We respect Mother Earth for her cycles of rest, rebirth, and growth and thank her for the resources that support our daily lives, in work and at play. We are committed to caring for the land, and its many gifts while strengthening our connections through kinship, responsibility, and reciprocity. We encourage educators to strengthen the interconnection between the land, plants, animals and water with children, families, and community.
It is the responsibility of our Association and members to advocate and actively listen; learning and growing as we journey on our paths towards truth and reconciliation. We pledge to uphold ourselves and our association accountable to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action. We honour and thank all those involved, including the truth tellers and volunteers whose courage and dedication continue to guide our learning and evolving practices. We commit to supporting the revitalization and preservation of traditional languages, knowledges, and community leadership.
We are thankful for the spaces where we gather, learn, unlearn, play and work, and we recognize the importance of moving forward with care, humility, and intention. We will continue to foster relationships that are respectful, reciprocal and grounded in a shared positive future. The Association is dedicated to the ongoing work of healing and honouring the history of these lands to create a future where all educators, children, families, and communities thrive.