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.
Ichigo Foundation Awards American Indian College Fund Adult Education Program
The Ichigo Foundation has gifted the American Indian College Fund a $100,000 award to support the Wounspe E’cetkiya O’takuye Piya A’yazunta Pi (Reconnecting Relatives to Education) Program over the next two years. With its first four graduates celebrated in 2025, this program, that provides resources to help American Indians who’ve had encounters with the justice system complete their high school equivalency, hopes to strengthen its partnership and explore other learning opportunities.