College of Menominee Nation’s (CMN) Sacred Little One’s project hosts an early childhood teacher institute on their campus in the Community Technology Center. Twenty-two lead teachers from the Menominee Nation’s Head Start programs are spending a day with a Scholastic trainer to be introduced to their new pre-K curriculum, Big Day in Pre-K. The Scholastic Big Day in Pre-K curriculum – a literacy based program – was selected by the Menominee Nation’s Head Start policy council with input from families and CMN faculty. Early childhood education faculty from CMN will work closely with the Menominee Nation’s Head Start to implement the Big Day in Pre-K curriculum. The second day of the teacher institute will focus on integrating the recently developed literacy book kits (developed by CMN early childhood students), with the goal of infusing Menominee culture and language into early childhood education instruction and align cultural curriculum with the scientifically-based chosen curriculum, Big Day in Pre-K.
Empowering Students, Building Nations: Reflections from the 2025 CSSI Convening/CNSS Conference
This year’s convening was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when partners align with purpose. The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) and the American Indian College Fund (the College Fund) have long worked in close collaboration to uplift tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), and this joint convening stood as a shining example of that ongoing partnership in action.
