The College Fund Launches New Community-Based Two-Year ECE Program at Five Tribal Colleges

March 29, 2016

The American Indian College Fund, in collaboration with five tribal colleges and universities and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, has launched a new early childhood education initiative that includes the child development knowledge from within Native American communities and the best practices of the early childhood education field. This community-based initiative will use a multi-phase approach to growing long-term commitment and shared responsibility for the development of high-quality early childhood educational ECE opportunities for American Indian children and their families. The program will develop culturally-responsive and adapted ECE systems, build stronger investments in strategic family engagement, and support Native family economic security directly through partnerships and access to higher education.

The program, called Restorative Teachings, was funded with a $1.5 million grant for two years from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to address the critical needs of vulnerable tribal populations while strengthening family, teachers, and community engagement in health and wellness, economic security, and culturally based education.

Participating tribal colleges include: Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute: Albuquerque, New Mexico; Northwest Indian College, Bellingham, Wash.; Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, Baraga, Mich.; and Sitting Bull College: Ft. Yates, North Dakota. A fifth tribal college will be selected to participate in the program in 2017.