Partnering with Tribal Colleges and Universities to Strengthen Early Education

This week HHS’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) awarded $4 Million to six Tribal College and University Head Start (TCU-HS) Partnership Programs. This funding will be used to increase the number of qualified education staff working in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

“Educators who possess child development knowledge and relationship competencies, and who are culturally and linguistically responsive to the children and families they serve, play a critical role in supporting the infants, toddlers and preschoolers most impacted by inequality,” said Deborah Bergeron, director of the Office of Head Start. “Further, many Head Start staff begin as Head Start parents. Increasing their skills and employability can break the cycle of poverty for their entire family.”

In FY 2019, Head Start provided funding to 154 American Indian tribal governments or consortia grantees that served over 23,000 children and their families. AIAN programs experience challenges employing staff who have both early childhood education credentials as well as representative cultural and language knowledge. Currently, 23 percent of teachers in AIAN preschool classrooms need to obtain degrees and 33 percent of Early Head Start teachers in AIAN programs need to acquire at least a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. An even larger number of preschool teacher assistants need to enroll in a program to earn the minimum credential requirement. Geographic barriers, lack of child care, and lack of internet access are among the challenges faced by AIAN Head Start staff needing to meet credential requirements.

“Increasing the skills of Head Start and Early Head Start teachers will have a direct impact on preparing generations of Native American children and families to succeed in school,” said Jeannie Hovland, commissioner of ACF’s Administration for Native Americans. “These grants have been awarded to institutions with innovative and convincing proposals to meet the unique needs of individual Native communities. They will assist Head Start staff in acquiring the competencies that ensure children’s academic development while also supporting cultural identity.”

The plans proposed by the successful institution include strong, personal support for enrollees; flexibility in course delivery and design (e.g., on-site, distance learning, innovative approach); the ability to provide preliminary or remedial instruction; assistance with tuition, books and other costs; articulation agreements that permit transfer of credit to and from multiple colleges or universities; and credit for professional experience.

The awardees are:

Navajo Technical College

Salish Kootenai College

Stone Child College Corporation

Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College

White Earth Tribal and Community College

Cankdeska Cikana Community College