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| Tribal Child Care |
Child care provided by Tribes for American Indian and Alaska Native children has to meet unique challenges. Tribes strive to provide care and foster school readiness within a context that is reflective of their unique culture. Child care programs may also be in rural locations and face issues related to geographic isolation and limited resources. The following is a sample of Federal agencies with information on child care and education, national organizations with information on American Indian child care and early education, and publications with information about child care and early education for American Indian and Native Alaskan children. For the most current information about Tribal child care, please visit the Web site of the Tribal Child Care Technical Assistance Center (TriTAC) at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/tribal or contact TriTAC at 800-388-7670.
ANA serves all Native Americans, including 562 Federally recognized tribes, American Indian and Alaska Native organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, and Native populations throughout the Pacific basin (including American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). It promotes the goal of self-sufficiency for Native Americans by providing social and economic development opportunities through financial assistance, training, and technical assistance to eligible Tribes and Native American organizations representing nearly 4.3 million individuals. Funding is provided through discretionary grants to eligible Tribes and Native organizations on a competitive basis. Early child care and after-school programs have used some of these funds for language preservation activities. Information about recent language preservation programs is available on the Web at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ana/news/2003_language_application_detail.html and http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ana/news/2004_language_application_detail.html.
The Child Care Bureau is dedicated to enhancing the quality, affordability, and availability of child care for all families. The Child Care Bureau administers Federal funds to States, Territories, and Tribes to assist low-income families in accessing quality child care for children when the parents work or participate in education or training. The Child Care Bureau’s Web site has subsections containing tribal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) policy documents and tribal CCDF grantee reporting requirements.
The Head Start American Indian and Alaska Native Programs are administered centrally from Washington, DC, by Region XI, AI-ANPB. Key functions of AI-ANPB include funding, designing, and implementing the annual funding plan; collaborating, monitoring, developing policy; research; and training and technical assistance. The Head Start Region XI, AI-ANPB provides American Indian and Alaska Native children and families across the nation with comprehensive health, educational, nutritional, socialization, and other developmental services promoting school readiness. These services are directed primarily toward economically disadvantaged preschool children (ages 3 to 5 years) and infants and toddlers.
IHS-Head Start is the primary provider of health training and technical assistance for Indian Head Start programs. The IHS-Head Start Program assists in the development and enhancement of comprehensive health service programs for children and families by promoting preventive health services and intervention and assisting in the development and mobilization of health care systems to ensure ongoing health care.
The mission of the Office of Indian Education is to support the efforts of local educational agencies, Indian Tribes and organizations, postsecondary institutions, and other entities to meet the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives so that these students can meet State standards. The No Child Left Behind Act amends the Indian education programs as Title VII, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which addresses the Federal government’s responsibility for the education of Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native children. Title VII was formerly known as Title IX. A list of State Education Agency Indian Education contacts is available on the Web at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ods/oie/statecontacts.html. The Office of Indian Education funds demonstration grants that can be used in early childhood programs.
This Web site is designed to provide Indian education leaders and local Title VII school programs with access to resources, information, and connections to other organizations involved with Indian education. This site supports the intent of the President’s Executive Order #13336 on Indian education, which recognizes the legal relationship between the Federal government and Indian Tribes and signals that the Federal government will work to assist American Indian and Alaskan Native students to meet the academic standards of the No Child Left Behind Act “in a manner that is consistent with Tribal traditions, languages, and cultures.”
OIEP is a service organization devoted to providing quality education opportunities for American Indian people. One hundred eighty-five elementary and secondary schools are funded by the Federal government to provide an education program to 50,000 students from birth through 12th grade. OIEP also operates two colleges and funds 25 colleges operated by Tribes and Tribal organizations. Information about the Family and Child Education and Individuals with Disabilities Act programs is available on its Pre-kindergarten–Grade 12 Web page at http://www.oiep.bia.edu/programs_prek12.html.
AIHEC represents the 32 Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) in the United States. A number of tribal child care programs partner with TCUs to provide early childhood training and technical assistance for child care providers.
The American Indian Institute was established at the University of Oklahoma in 1951 as a nonprofit Indian service, training, and research organization. The following curriculum is available from the American Indian Institute:
Boys & Girls Clubs in Indian Country is a partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Native American Tribes, as well as government, corporate and nonprofit partners. Information about special initiatives, including a diabetes prevention program, is available on the Web at http://www.naclubs.org/main/special_initiatives.shtml.
FNPP is the name given to the programs using the Generative Curriculum Model. This model is designed to strengthen capacity within cultural communities to create and operate services for children, youth, and families. This is a university accredited program of Early Childhood and Youth Care training that leads to a Diploma from the School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria, in British Columbia.
The American Indian and Alaska Native Institute uses policy analysis and research to address the needs of young children in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. It is also working to uncover gaps in services to Native young children and to help Native educators develop culturally appropriate early childhood curricula that will foster preservation of Native languages and cultures. The National Center for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives fosters original and applied research on the quality, accessibility, and replication of early educational intervention services for at-risk young children and families in rural America.
The following document has been produced by the Initiative:
NCAI, founded in 1944, is the oldest and largest national Indian organization. It serves the needs of a broad membership of Indian and Native governments, organizations, and people. NCAI’s mission is to inform the public and the Federal government on Tribal self-government, treaty rights, and a broad range of Federal policy issues affecting Tribal governments, such as welfare reform.
NICWA is dedicated to the well-being of American Indian children and families. It helps Indian Tribes throughout the country strengthen and enhance their capacity to deliver quality child welfare services. NICWA works to address the issues of child abuse and neglect through training, research, public policy, and grassroots community development to a broad national audience, including Tribal governments and programs, State child welfare agencies, and other organizations, agencies, and professionals interested in the field of Indian child welfare.
NIEA is a membership based organization committed to increasing educational opportunities and resources for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students while protecting cultural and linguistic traditions. NIEA promotes linking culture and education through the development of after-school and summer programs for Native American youth. Activities promoted by NIEA include professional development, instituting cultural curricula, and building self-esteem in youth.
NWREL provides research and development assistance to education, government, community agencies, business, and labor groups. NWREL, a private, nonprofit corporation, is part of a national network of 10 educational laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, to serve the Northwest region of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Among its activities is a project on Indian education. A topic area with information about Indian Education is available on the Web at http://www.nwrel.org/comm/topics/indianed.html. Information about Indian Education Services is available on the Web at http://www.nwrac.org/links/indian.html.
Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education
P.O. Box 720
Mancos, CO 81328
970-533-9170
World Wide Web: http://www.tribalcollegejournal.org/
The Tribal College Journal provides information for everyone interested in American Indian higher education on behalf of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium’s member Tribal colleges and universities. Utilizing both journalistic and scholarly articles, its culture-based publication addresses subjects important to the future of American Indian and Alaska Native communities, including the education of young children and related research.
TriTAC is funded by the Child Care Bureau, Administration for Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to provide technical assistance in the administration of the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). TriTAC supports Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations in their efforts to enhance the quality, affordability, and supply of child care for all families; develop more coordinated delivery systems; promote linkages with State and local programs; and improve child care opportunities for families, providers, and Tribal communities. TriTAC provides training and technical assistance to American Indian and Alaska Native CCDF grantees through meetings and conferences, publications, question and answer services, and a comprehensive Web site of Tribal child care information and links. TriTAC’s Effective Program Strategies, available online at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/tribal/effective/effective.html, provide concrete examples of Tribal CCDF programs in action.
Updated January 2007
| The document is for informational purposes only. No official endorsement of any practice, publication, program, or individual by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration for Children and Families, the Child Care Bureau, or the National Child Care Information Center is intended or is to be inferred. For additional information on this or related topics, please contact the National Child Care Information Center at (800) 616-2242 or info@nccic.org. |
