College Fund Transforms Early Childhood Education with W.K. Kellogg Foundation Grant
December 1, 2015
Sacred Little Ones programming at Southwestern Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico
With the help of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation five years ago, the American Indian College Fund launched its Sacred Little Ones early childhood education program at four tribal colleges. The program aimed to improve Native children’s school readiness and create a platform for their academic success by third grade.
Today the program has been embraced by the communities it serves, yielding much more than planned. In addition to infusing culture and language into early childhood education curricula, the program has fundamentally transformed the way early childhood educators are trained with a focus on place while generating community and educational partnerships, and empowering parents and communities to advocate for their young people.
