Cultivating Lakota
2015 – 2016
About The Program
The American Indian College Fund supported a Lakota language and culture revitalization program, Cultivating Lakota Early Childhood Learning Opportunities in 2015 to 2016. Partnering with Sitting Bull College, the program sought to develop a scope and sequence of a pre-K Lakota immersion language curriculum, improve family engagement strategies, create an early learning language immersion assessment system, and strengthen the knowledge and skill of Lakota immersion language teachers. Focusing on early learning contexts, this program envisioned to create a long-term, sustainable plan for Lakota language and culture revitalization.
Cultivating Lakota Early Childhood Learning Opportunities is guided by three main objectives:
- Development of Lakota language immersion curriculum, enriched by family engagement
- Development of Lakota language immersion assessment aligned with curricular lessons
- Provide opportunities for teachers to engage in targeted professional development in language learning and development
This funded project will have intentional benefits and sustained impact on the Lakhól’iyapi Wahóhpi families, children and teachers at Sitting Bull College and beyond.
Program Gallery
Grantees
Sitting Bull College
Related Blogs
Hosting Early Childhood Educators from Southwest University in Chongqing, China
Northwest Indian College’s (NWIC) Early Childhood Education (ECE) degree program and Restorative Teachings Initiative hosted 20 visitors from Southwest University in Chongqing, China, which included ECE faculty and teacher candidates from Southwest University and practicing teachers from their partnering ECE programs.
SIPI Parents Learn Couponing, Family Budgeting Strategies
During brainstorming sessions and meetings as part of SIPI’s Restorative Teachings Initiative, parents of children in the program identified couponing as a strategy to support budgeting and financial stability within their families. A major goal of SIPI’s initiative is to support Native families through educational opportunities that build their capacity to become increasingly financially stable
From Student Intern to College Fund Employee: Cassandra’s Journey
Cassandra Harden (Diné) was focused on a career in early childhood education when she first learned about internship opportunities with the American Indian College Fund (College Fund). While she studied as a student at tribal college Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cassandra got involved in SIPI’s early childhood program, working on the College Fund’s Wakanyeja “Sacred Little Ones” and Ké’ Early Childhood Initiatives, as a student intern.
KBOCC: Building the Bridge
Tribal elders are an integral part of the Restorative Teachings program, serving as an important link from past to future, and Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College’s program is no different (KBOCC). When the tribal elder who serves as the program’s cultural consultant was interviewed for the position, honesty, integrity, and respect emanated from him as he looked at each of the program’s employees in the eyes and told the stories of the Ojibwe past.
