On a blustery and bitterly cold December night Northwest Indian College (NWIC) Early Learning Center (ELC) welcomed families and community members to celebrate traditional plants and foods of the Coast Salish culture. In spite of the winter’s chill, the event was an amazing success, with nine enrolled ELC families and eight families from the Lummi community represented.
Tarajean Yazzie-Mintz, Co-Director of the American Indian College Fund’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and Senior Program Officer of Tribal College and University Early Childhood Education Initiatives, shared that cell phones are no longer merely communications devices, but are tools to access and exchange multiple sources of information. Parents must consider these factors while strategically monitoring and guiding children’s use of these tools.
President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint Tarajean Yazzie-Mintz of the Denver-headquartered American Indian College Fund to a key Administrative post on the Board of Directors of the National Board for Education Sciences.
Boozhoo (hello) from all of us here at the Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC). Fall is upon us and as the leaves begin to change colors we are making some changes in our early childhood education programs as well. KBOCC has teamed up with our on-site Migiziinsag (Little Eagles) Great Start to Readiness Program to launch our Restorative Teachings Initiative entitled Abinoojiinh Waakaa’igan (A Child’s House).
Children read better and more when they have access to culturally relevant books. The College of Menominee Nation participated in the Wakanyeja “Sacred Little Ones” ECE Initiative from 2011-15, and during that time developed a series of Menominee-based informational books to strengthen the approach to engaging children in early literacy practices.
The Lakhól’iyapi Wahóhpi (Lakota Language Nest) is a 100% Lakota language immersion preschool located at Sitting Bull College in Fort Yates, North Dakota. The Language nest has expanded in the past few years to include Wichákini Owáyawa – a Kindergarten, first grade...
The American Indian College Fund’s (College Fund) Tribal College and Universities (TCU) Early Childhood Education (ECE) Initiatives launched a new project called Restorative Teachings TCU ECE Initiative, a health and wellness initiative funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. The program is geared to build the physical and emotional health, strength, and well-being of early childhood learners. This initiative engages four TCUs in programming which includes partnerships with local ECE centers and tribal education partners.
On August 4th, members of the Restorative Teachings Early Childhood Education Initiative Coordinating Team visited Northwest Indian College’s (NWIC) Swinomish Extended Campus Site to research and learn more about their widely acclaimed and highly renowned native plants garden.
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute’s (SIPI) Restorative Teachings team gathered for our annual “Community Planting Event.” Every April for the past couple of years SIPI’s preschool children have planted corn, melons, and chile peppers. This event involves children, families, and staff members of both SIPI and the Youth Development Incorporated (YDI) Head Start.
Spring is in full bloom here at the Northwest Indian College (NWIC) Early Leaning Center, and the College Fund’s Restorative Teachings Early Childhood Education (ECE) Initiative is beginning to take shape. We are fortunate to live in a part of the country where the seasonal changes are so dramatic and each transition brings such a feeling of change to our surroundings.
