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Issue 12—November/December 1996

Child Care in Native American and Alaska Native Communities

Contents

up arrowCelebrating Child Care in Tribal Communities

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PL 104-93) and the Child Care and Development Block Grant Amendments of 1996 provide an opportunity for expanding child care services and systems that serve tribal communities. Tribal child care funds have increased from $27.75 million in FY 1996 to $59 million in FY 1997.

Supporting families is critical to their success. Whether it is provided through extended family networks, family child care homes, or center-based programs, quality child care is at the core of a system that supports families. Joan Lombardi, Associate Commissioner of the Child Care Bureau, recently said, "As communities rich in tradition, and with a firm belief in the resiliency and strength of families, tribal nations emphasize the importance of nurturing childrens' growth and development in ways that build pride in their heritage. With this issue of the Child Care Bulletin, we celebrate child care in Native American and Alaska Native communities and re-dedicate ourselves to ensuring that all children in tribal child care programs receive safe and healthy care.

The Child Care Bureau is supporting several activities related to strengthening child care systems in tribal communities:

  • The National American Indian/Alaska Native Child Care Conference meets annually and includes representatives from 507 tribal child care programs to focus on leadership and management issues. More than 340 participants attended this year's conference, held in Denver, Colorado, August 4-7. The theme, Networking: Investing for Future Generations, focused on linkages, communication, and using technology to enhance service delivery. The conference featured partnerships with organizations, such as the National Indian Child Care Association (NICCA), North West Indian Head Start Association (NWIHSA), and the Administration for Native Americans (ANA). It provided new training opportunities and informed participants of current policies, trends, and legislation affecting programs and child care service delivery systems.

  • Collaboration with the ANA has provided new funding for training on health and safety in child care. The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) will promote collaboration in selected communities with member colleges and child care programs.

  • The FirstNations electronic discussion group uses e-mail to promote communication among child care grantees and federal partners.

  • A Tribal Information Workgroup meets quarterly to provide input on tribal administrative issues.

  • Regional technical assistance visits to tribes are planned for 1997, along with regular audioconference calls to address tribal child care issues.

This edition of the Bulletin examines child care initiatives in tribal communities. It includes information about the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and describes strategies for promoting tribal and state collaboration in delivering child care services.

Working together, we can provide safe, healthy, affordable child care that supports children, families, and communities in tribal nations.

up arrowChild Care and Development Fund Impacts Tribes

The President signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PL 104-93) on August 22, 1996. The new law consolidated the four major child care programs into a revised Child Care and Development Block Grant program, now known as the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). The new program will assist low-income families and those transitioning off welfare to obtain child care so they can work or attend training or education programs. By bringing the four child care programs together, the CCDF allows states and tribes to design a comprehensive, integrated service delivery system that meets low-income working families' needs.

Subsidized child care services will be available to eligible parents through certificates or contracted programs. Parents may select any legally operating child care provider. All providers funded by the CCDF must meet basic health and safety requirements set by states and tribes. These must address prevention and control of infectious diseases; current immunizations; building and physical premises safety; and minimum health and safety training.

The CCDF provides increased funding for tribal child care and includes significant policy changes that will impact tribal programs.

Increased Child Care Funding

The new law sets aside between one percent and two percent of the total funding under the CCDF for tribal child care programs. The Secretary of HHS used her authority to allocate the full two percent for tribes in FY 1997. As a result, funding available to tribes has increased from $27.75 million in FY=96 to $59 million in FY=97. Given the consolidation of programs under the CCDF and this increase in funds, tribes and tribal organizations will have expanded responsibility for providing child care to low-income working families, including those participating in JOBS or the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. However, Indian children will still have dual eligibility for state and tribal child care programs.

Child Care Standards

The new law added a requirement that the Secretary of HHS, in consultation with tribes and tribal organizations, must develop minimum tribal child care standards that appropriately reflect tribal needs and available resources.

Construction or Renovation of Facilities

The new law gives the Secretary of HHS authority to allow tribes or tribal organizations to use program funds for construction or renovation purposes as long as those expenditures will not result in a decrease in the level of child care services from that provided by the tribe or organization in the previous year. HHS will develop uniform procedures for the consideration of requests to use funds for this purpose.

Reallocation of Funds

The CCDF includes a provision that gives the Secretary of HHS authority to reallocate any portion of tribal set-aside grants to other tribes or tribal organizations if she determines that the funds are not being used in a manner consistent with the statute and time period for which the grant is made available.

To learn more, contact the Child Care Bureau at: (202) 690-6782.

up arrowCooperative Agreements Promote Tribal and State Coordination

In the area of child care licensing services, several tribes and states have found benefits in working together to coordinate standards, provider training, and site monitoring activities. The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, are among the tribes working with the state Department of Human Services Office of Field Operations to coordinate activities, share work responsibilities for visiting dual licensed child care facilities, and share client information regarding child care assistance.

Similarly, the Navajo Nation has a process by which to arrive at intergovernmental agreements with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah regarding coordination of child care program policies, operating procedures, and standards. The process involves interactive review and comment by the state child care offices, then a final draft is presented to the Tribal Oversight Committee.

Tribal nations may oversee child care programs in a manner similar to a state, or they may opt to implement more stringent requirements. For instance, the Leech Lake Tribal Council in Minnesota licenses child care programs every two years, the same as the state does. The tribe requires annual monitoring visits. The state requires monitoring visits every two years as a part of the licensing renewal process.

Cooperative agreements among tribal nations and states in the area of child care improve communication and coordination of services, and can maximize limited resources. For example, a tribe and state may both require three monitoring site visits annually. They may arrive at a mutual arrangement to have the state licensing worker perform two visits and the tribal monitoring coordinator perform one visit, and then share copies of the monitoring records. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is using this method on a trial basis, coordinating with the state licensing office. Sharing resources for training is another way that tribes and states can maximize their efforts. For instance, the state accepts the training that the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma provides for center directors, and the state also supplies training for the tribe's child care providers.

The key elements of the cooperative agreement between the Cherokee Nation Child Care Licensing Program and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services Office of Field Operations include:

  • the purpose and legal basis for the agreement;
  • agreement to share appropriate information and maintain standards of confidentiality;
  • sharing monitoring responsibilities, exchanging case documents, and coordinating any investigations;
  • a plan to meet regularly to enhance coordination; and,
  • mutual agreement on any media and technical information releases.

Contributing to this article:

  • Judy Collins, Licensing Coordinator, Oklahoma Department of Human Resources
  • Tamie Finn, Child Care Services Coordinator, Leech Lake Tribal Council
  • Laurie Hand, Director, Child Care and Development Services, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma
  • Michelle Holloway, Child Care Director, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
  • Albert Long, Director, Block Grants and Special Projects, Navajo Nation

up arrowThe Birth of a Center: Planning for Facilities Development by Julie Mitchell Quaid

The Warm Springs Confederated Tribes in Central Oregon completed construction of a 46,000 square foot Early Childhood Education Center in May 1992. The facility holds an Infant Care Center, school-age program, Head Start, and early intervention and early childhood special education programs. The center is licensed by the state for 400 children and employs nearly 100 full and part time staff.

The original plan was for a comprehensive learning center, but in 1989, the plan was revised to a facility specifically for early childhood programs. The initial planning stages involved hiring an architectural firm. Through this experience, we learned the importance of hiring a firm that will listen to ideas, needs, and suggestions and reflect them in the floor plans. An architect who understands the culture, is familiar with your values, and honors requests is invaluable in building a facility that meets your needs.

The architectural firm visited the existing facilities and analyzed program activities. The goal was to identify the current practices that worked well, the practices that could be enhanced by an improved facility, and specific aspects of design that would help to better meet the needs of children, teachers, parents, and staff. As the plans took shape, teachers and staff were involved in program analysis, reviewing facility plans and making suggestions for improvements. An analysis of facility requirements was completed by the architect. This included plans to meet requirements for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and certification and program requirements, such as Head Start Performance Standards, sanitation, play ground, and fire safety.

Additional planning included estimating the changing demographics of the reservation community. This involved determining the birth rate, projecting the birth rate by age of population, and estimating classroom needs based on this information. This was the method used to project the future need for services and to plan ahead for either growth or reduction in demand.

A tribal referendum was held and tribal members overwhelmingly approved $1.125 million for the project and granted permission to borrow the remainder. Ten year bonds were issued, resulting in an annual debt service of $470,385, which is included in the annual tribal budget. The final cost of the facility was $4.5 million, which was lower than an initial bid of $5.3 million. The operational and maintenance costs of the facility are primarily funded by the tribal government. Very little of the maintenance costs are included in the program budgets, which are comprised of federal, state, and tribal funding sources.

Choosing Whether to Centralize Child Care Services

One of the earliest decisions to be made when planning for facilities is whether to build one large center, or more than one smaller center, to meet the needs of the community. Making the choice to centralize services is beneficial for families who prefer "one stop" child care. Programs that are centrally located offer continuity of care as the child gets older and reduce difficult transitions. Providing child care services in such a setting can be more cost effective because the cost of care is absorbed by multiple funding streams.

A benefit of centralizing staff is the ability to conduct training in a mixed group of providers, such as school-age, preschool, and infant care, as well as across competency areas such as nutrition training or inclusion. Additionally, providing more opportunities for interaction has improved staff relations and increased the professional appreciation for each other's responsibilities.

Centralizing services does not necessarily provide flexibility in providing drop-in care or care during non-traditional hours. The numbers of families needing these services are smaller and may fluctuate daily. The costs and logistics of keeping a large facility open for these purposes may prove to be impractical. A smaller "satellite center" could be more economically feasible in meeting such needs.

Design Options and the Value of Experience

After seeing the facility through its completion and providing services for four years, we recognize that there are some design features that might have been improved had they been planned differently. For instance, storage space is always in demand. It is wise to plan to have more storage space than you think is needed. With the benefit of hindsight, we also found that the preschool bathroom design could have been improved in some areas, and that a covered outside play area would have provided an alternative to the playground in differing weather conditions. Other important considerations to be mindful of during planning include facility security and limiting access to outside play areas.

The center offers many programs that help to meet the changing needs of families in the tribal community.

Julie Mitchell Quaid is Director of Early Childhood Education for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. To learn more, contact Julie at: (541) 553-3241.

up arrowChild Care Facility Loans in Rural Communities

The Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) works to improve the quality of life for rural communities through partnerships, technical assistance, and access to resources. RCAC serves rural areas, tribal communities, and agencies in 12 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

The RCAC is one of 31 organizations nationwide to receive Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) funds from the U.S. Treasury to support a national network of financial institutions that finance community development.

Since 1988, the RCAC Loan Fund has acted as an intermediary to provide innovative solutions to the financing needs of rural communities. Previously, most borrowers have been nonprofit agencies engaged in the development of low-income housing. Through a recent grant from MetLife Foundation, RCAC has developed plans for expansion into child care facilities financing for low-income rural communities throughout the west.

RCAC recently received grants from the Packard Foundation and the National Association of Community Development Loan Funds to complete the underwriting criteria and begin lending. RCAC will lend to nonprofit child care providers for facility development, purchase or renovation. RCAC plans to lend for pre-development expenses and to partner with other institutions, such as USDA community facilities programs or secondary market programs, for construction and permanent financing.

For more information, contact Rod Marshall, Loan Officer, Rural Community Assistance Corporation, at: (916) 447-9832, ext. 142.

up arrowChild Care Initiatives Across the Country

Alaska Native Communities: Child Care From Village to Borough to City

Alaska Natives are as diverse in their heritage and culture as any other groups in the country. There are numerous distinct cultural communities within the more generally phrased groupings of "Indians," "Eskimos," and "Aleuts." Within this microcosm of varied cultures, geographical settlements, and economies, Alaska Native communities exist in more than 200 village corporations and 13 regional corporations, as well as in boroughs and cities. These circumstances often require that organizations providing services for children and families operate in an atmosphere of cooperation, interdependence, coordination, and flexibility in service delivery.

Each locality presents its unique challenges and opportunities in helping parents access child care assistance and find quality care, and in helping providers access needed resources and support. The Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Inc. serves the child care needs of the villages at the end of the Alaska Peninsula and in the islands which jut out into the Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. Through CCDBG support, Tribal Family Service Assistants are recruited from within villages and trained to work with parents and providers. Their training covers a variety of topics, including child growth and development, health and safety, early intervention assessment, teen pregnancy, at-risk populations, emergency assistance, and child welfare. The program provides support for child care in ways that are as unique as the communities it serves.

The program's services can range from assisting grandmothers that are providing child care on the small island of Saint George in the Bering Sea, to helping two women locate renovation funds for a child care center in Sand Point, a village with a large commercial fishing operation on Popof Island in the Pacific Ocean. The most distant island which is currently served by the program is Atka, more than 1,000 miles from the program=s main office, which is based in Anchorage.

By contrast, the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc. (CITC) serves a large urban Alaska Native and American Indian community. Through coordination with the CCDBG program that serves the municipality of Anchorage, the two programs were able to help families that needed child care services. The waiting list for services at CITC was long, and the municipality of Anchorage had a few vacancies for clients to fill their roles. They worked together, training the staff from CITC in the eligibility policies and process for the municipal Anchorage program. Those who qualified for services under the municipal criteria were able to receive services right away through the Day Care Assistance Program in Anchorage.

To learn more about child care services in these Alaska Native and American Indian communities, contact either Karen Gonné-Harrell, Tribal Family Service Assistants Supervisor, Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Inc., at: (907) 278-2700, Gloria Nothstine, Director of Human Resources, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc. at (907) 265-5964, or Delores Jones, Senior Family Service Counselor, Day Care Assistance Program, Anchorage, at: (907) 343-6703.

White Earth Reservation: Family Child Care During Non-Traditional Hours

The White Earth Reservation Child Care Program, located in northern Minnesota, operates under the auspices of the White Earth Tribal Council. The program began in 1991 through CCDBG funding. There are two components: the Child Care Assistance Program, and the Child Care Licensing Program.

Since there are no child care centers located on the White Earth Reservation, the Child Care Program works to recruit in-home child care providers. Although there are licensed family child care providers geographically dispersed on the reservation, most have offered child care services only during the traditional work week of Monday through Friday, 6:00 am. to 6:00 pm. More recently, the opening of the Shooting Star Casino and Hotel, along with some private businesses that operate three working shifts, has caused a dramatic increase in the need for non-traditional or "odd-hour" child care.

To address this need, the White Earth Reservation Child Care Program initiated a mini-grant program through a service development grant from the state of Minnesota, and continued funding from the Tribal Council. The goal of the grant is to recruit providers who will offer child care during non-traditional hours throughout the White Earth Reservation. With this additional funding, the Child Care Program offers financial assistance to tribally licensed providers.

The basic objectives for the grant are to:

  • Recruit child care providers who will offer child care services in the evening, at night, on weekends, and on holidays;
  • Increase the overall number of licensed Indian child care providers on the White Earth Reservation within the next three years; and,
  • Supply financial assistance to family child care providers through mini-grants to expand or improve their program.

Child care providers may use the mini-grants to purchase equipment such as rollaway beds, cribs, play equipment or high chairs. By accepting a mini-grant, the provider agrees to stay in the child care business for at least three years. If a provider closes his or her program before that time, the provider agrees to return the equipment (if returnable and in good condition) or reimburse the program for the amount of the mini-grant.

A small portion of the project funds will also be utilized for direct recruitment efforts, including newspaper advertisements and informational materials such as color posters and brochures.

For more information, contact Barb Fabre, Child Care Coordinator, White Earth Reservation Tribal Council, at: (218) 473-2141.

Oneida Indian Nation of New York: Creating a Children's and Elders' Center

The Oneida Indian Nation is constructing a facility that will address the needs of the Nation's elders and young children. The idea for the Ray Elm Children's and Elders' Center arose from assessing the needs of the Nation's Members. The elders requested an increase in the number of available services and a place where they could participate in more activities that would boost their socialization and their productivity. The child care center within the facility will address the growing need for safe and affordable, high quality, culturally sensitive child care for Members who work. One of the activities of the program is to teach the Oneida language to the children.

Oneida tradition has played a large role in the facility, designed by nationally-known Native American architect, Douglas Cardinal. He describes the structure as a sort of "21st century Longhouse." As in a Longhouse, the central section of the building faces true North, with entrances on the east and west sides. Inside, the focal point is a gathering place in the building's center that features a skylight, fire pit, and symbols of the Nation's three clans: Bear, Turtle, and Wolf. There, elders and children can gather in a place of tradition.

In addition to the child care center, the facility will have a 250 seat dining room and a kitchen area that will allow the Nation to increase its meals program to five days a week. The Children's and Elders' Center will also house a variety of crafts, programs and activities. It has a stage, woodshop, pottery room, sewing room, and arts and crafts area for oil painting, beadwork and basketry, along with recreational facilities.

All of the center's features are thoughtfully designed to bring back together the Nation's voices of experience. The center conveys to the elders that they are a vitally important link in the chain of the Oneida Nation. It honors the elders and Oneida's future generations.

Pueblo of Laguna: Early Childhood System of Care

Located west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Pueblo of Laguna is comprised of six villages among the foothills along old Route 66. To help preserve Laguna culture and tradition, this rural community established its own educational system in 1992. The Division of Early Childhood in the Laguna Department of Education sponsors the Laguna Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) for Young Children, which includes 17 agencies that serve families.

The ICC coordinates services through a "System of Care" for children birth through five years old. All services must be child-centered, coordinated, family-focused, culturally appropriate, integrated, community-based and comprehensive. The System of Care is a seamless service coordination model with the child and family at its center. Services include annual village-based "Child Find Services" which provide comprehensive screening in development, nutrition, health, vision, dental, and hearing. This process helps to educate the community and identify children who may qualify for early intervention services. Also, monthly Baby Basics classes are held for new and expectant families. The System of Care also includes educational services, such as child care programs, Head Start, schools, assessment and placement services, as well as parent support training, health, mental health, and social services.

The ICC has supported the research and publication of a booklet entitled, The Most Precious Gift - Traditions of the Laguna People. The booklet describes some of the traditional practices of the Laguna people regarding childbirth, child rearing, and child health. The ICC supports Laguna families in nurturing and educating their young children to grow to their full potential within traditional cultural values and beliefs. These beliefs are reflected in a message from Roland Johnson, Governor of the Pueblo of Laguna, in his forward to The Most Precious Gift: "Many children never reach their full potential. It is important for children to begin school with the essential support and self-worth needed to succeed. The first months and years of a child's life are the most critical to their development. Children who are raised in an atmosphere of love and acceptance learn to give back to others and to society as a whole. The answers to many of our problems lie in our family values and in how we parent and educate our children. The solution begins with families."

To learn more, contact Rebecca Viers, Executive Director, Division of Early Childhood, Pueblo of Laguna, at: (505) 552-6467.

Navajo Nation: Designing Automated Systems

The Navajo Nation Division of Social Services has CCDBG programs in five agencies throughout the Navajo Reservation, which is largely located in northeast Arizona, and has land that extends into New Mexico and Utah.

Due to the large number of families that apply for child care assistance, the Navajo Nation developed an automated management system. The computer program is tailored to address specific reporting needs and also to serve as a case management tool for the CCDBG Coordinator. All client information is entered into several relational databases and then sorted for reports, analyses, case management, and payments to child care providers. The automated program allows for data analysis based on specific dates for reporting statistics. It also has the capacity to filter a query by age, city, or other specified data field. The system is also capable of printing the statistics portion of the CCDBG ACF 700 form for reporting to the federal government. The software used to develop the database system is FoxPro on a Windows 95 operating system.

This system will eventually link with other Navajo Nation Division of Social Services database systems to facilitate cross referencing with other types of assistance available to clients. This could serve as a referral system capable of sharing information electronically with other assistance programs, and eliminate the need to re-enter client information.

For more information, contact Sam Namoki, Computer Programmer, Navajo Nation Division of Social Services, at: (505) 368-1182, or e-mail at: snamoki@juno.com

up arrowPort Gamble S'Klallam Tribe Serves Infants and Toddlers by Jacki Haight

The Port Gamble S'Klallam Reservation, located in northwest Washington state, operated a Parent Child Center (PCC) under the Head Start American Indian Programs Branch (AIPB) until March 1996, when it became funded as an Early Head Start (EHS) program.

The tribe's early childhood programs had outgrown their original building and Head Start funds from AIPB helped to construct a new facility on the reservation to accommodate expanded services to families with infants and toddlers. The construction of the building was a community spirited event. A committee of staff, parents, the tribal planner and administrator all participated in planning with a local architect. In August 1996, the new building's open house celebration included local politicians, the tribal community, and tribal leaders.

The new facility includes a parent resource and training room, equipped with computers and Internet access. Evergreen State College donated computer hardware to the program and has been a partner with the tribal education department in designing a reservation-based higher education program. Microsoft also donated software to the program.

Services to infants, toddlers, and their families are strengthened by partnerships with other resources on the reservation. The Tribal Health Center's maternal and child programs include the Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and a Washington state funded First Step program which supports mothers through pregnancy and follows their newborn's development through the first year of life.

Weekly parenting classes are offered through a partnership with the Indian Child Welfare Department. The curriculum is tailored to the parents' interests. Group sessions can range from learning about health and wellness, nutrition, filling out a job application and practicing job interviews, to reading native legends and learning about cultural history.

Parents have been involved in creating and managing a "parent store" at the center for obtaining items such as diapers, toilet paper, thermometers, and baby tylenol. Parents earn points for participating in activities, and the points translate into buying power at the store.

Relationships among the infant, the family, and the child care provider are important to quality care. Through activities and daily interactions at the center, young children are exposed to positive developmental experiences, including hearing the S'Klallam language for the first time. Group activity time provides special growth opportunities for children, mothers, fathers, grandparents, or other relatives to learn together.

Through the EHS program, the tribe will be able to provide families and children with much needed child care and parent support services. The S'Klallam people are a strong people who support and nurture each other, and their vision for their future generations.

Jacki Haight is the Director of Early Childhood Programs for the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe. To learn more, contact Jacki at: (360) 297-6258, or e-mail at: PGHDSTRT@telebyte.com

up arrowEarly Intervention and Care in Native American Communities

Finding effective ways to communicate and work in partnership with families can be challenging, but often rewarding, for child care and early intervention staff. The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center at the University of North Carolina has designed a project to improve child care and early intervention services for families in Chatham County and for the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe in Halifax and Warren counties. As one of three projects of national significance funded by a grant from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities and the Administration for Children and Families, this project provides training and technical assistance to professionals to help them work with children and families in more culturally appropriate ways. "Early intervention services for young children and their families should reflect cultural differences, be based on the needs of the family and local community, and show respect for the families," says Debra Skinner, researcher and cultural anthropologist. Skinner and her colleague, Virginia Buysse, co-direct the project.

In the project's first year, local community planning teams of parents, community leaders, child care professionals and project staff worked together to guide local training activities. They conducted parent and professional focus groups and held a forum to highlight the needs and resources of the tribal community. Since parental views about services are powerful catalysts for change, future training will concentrate on empowering Native American parents to tell their stories and become more effective public speakers. Other planned activities include linking professionals with resource materials such as books, videotapes, and inclusion strategies, providing training on cultural diversity, and presenting project activities at state and national conferences.

For more information, contact the project's co-directors, Virginia Buysse, at: (919) 966-7171, e-mail: buysse.fpg@mhs.unc.edu, or Debra Skinner, at: (919) 966-4571, e-mail: skinner.fpg@mhs.unc.edu

up arrowPreparation Yields Quality Before- and After-School Program by Stan Bienick

As anyone who has planted a garden knows, a bountiful harvest doesn=t just happen. It re-quires careful planning, preparation, and follow through. Similarly, a quality before- and after-school program requires preparation. To get a program started:

  1. Determine if the ground is fertile for growth: do a needs assessment. Conduct a public hearing with school teachers, Head Start and Child Development Staff, parents, and school children to learn if the need exists for school-age care. It is vital that the community have input in establishing the program. This input accomplishes three things: it gives ownership of the program to the community; helps to identify "latchkey" children, and helps to recruit potential volunteers.

  2. Is the harvest economically feasible? How will you pay for the new program? Consider if the program will use state subsidies, parents fees, employer assistance, grants, CCDBG, or other funds. Get assistance with budgeting and be sure the program can run on these resources.

  3. Where could the program grow best? Will it be in a school, church, child care center, or other facility? Check with state and tribal licensing agencies and find out what is required in such areas as building, room size, bathrooms, and playground size. If using another program's building, have a detailed Memorandum of Agreement in place.

  4. Who will be the gardeners in your before- and after-school field? This step is most critical: hire the right staff. Look for persons who can build relationships with the children, encourage them to have fun, and challenge them to learn. Establish minimum requirements for training, experience, and age. Check the licensing regulations again for compliance. Background checks and physical examinations are recommended for staff.

    After you identify the need, secure funding for the program, find a location, and recruit the staff, what's next?

  5. Go buy the tools to do the job. The school-age program should be fun and challenging. It should enhance children's educational and social skills. The "garden" must be free of weeds of distrust, intimidation, disrespect, and indifference. Proper staffing and programming will make the difference.

  6. Every good gardener has an almanac. Have a detailed Parent Handbook that covers every contingency. From opening times to sick policies, cover everything a parent should know about your program.

    The rest involves set up, public relations, and registration. Watch the fruits of quality preparation as the before- and after-school program gets rooted in the community, watered with professional care, weeded by constant evaluation, and produces a crop of healthy children. Quality preparation does work, even if you aren't a gardener.

Stan Bienick is Executive Director for the Cherokee Center for Family Services, a Department of the Cherokee Boys Club, Inc., Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. To learn more, contact Stan at: (704) 497-5001.

up arrowHealthy Child Care America Update: Sitting Bull College' Child Care Initiative

Sitting Bull, great leader and Chief during the late 1800's, once said, "Let us put our minds together to see what we can build for our children." This is the motto of Sitting Bull College, located on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota. One of its goals is to empower individuals and the community to create a safe and healthy environment so that children and families can achieve their highest potential.

Sitting Bull College is one of three tribally controlled colleges in the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) to receive funds from the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) to support the Healthy Child Care America Initiative (see "Healthy Child Care Update," Child Care Bulletin, January/ February 1996). The other two colleges that have received technical assistance grants are the College of the Menominee Nation in Keshena, Wisconsin, and Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Washington.

The Early Childhood Program at Sitting Bull College has evaluated and modified the curriculum for the two-year Associate of Science (AS) degree to meet Child Development Associate (CDA) requirements as well as the needs of the community. The program trains providers in basic topics, such as health, safety, CPR and first aid. Training sessions in cultural diversity have provided grandmothers an opportunity to be guest speakers on traditional Lakota/Dakota ways and the roles of the extended family.

Outreach, awareness, and consumer education contribute to building a healthier and safer environment for children. The college held an informal dinner to facilitate discussions about child care issues among tribal women. The dinner brought together mothers, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, and sisters to discuss the role that each family member plays in the upbringing of a child in the traditional ways. Plans are also underway for a similar informal dinner involving tribal men.

For more information, contact Melody Silk, Early Childhood Program Director, Sitting Bull College, at: (701) 854-3861.

up arrowSpotlight on...

The National Indian Child Care Association (NICCA) seeks to maintain an effective and efficient organization which advocates for quality child care provisions for Native American children. NICCA also provides statistical data and technical assistance to help tribes comply with federal regulations regarding tribal child care.

NICCA is comprised of tribal CCDBG grantees and other interested associate members. Decisions regarding issues that affect tribal child care programs are discussed and voted on by the full tribal membership. Tribes are allowed one vote per issue in order to assure impartiality. The NICCA Executive Board has 14 members: the chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary, treasurer, and 10 area representatives.

Currently, NICCA is sponsoring a design contest for an association logo. Native American artists are invited to submit design entries by January 31, 1997. NICCA is also in the process of developing a Home Page to be accessible via the World Wide Web.

For more information about the National Indian Child Care Association, contact Janet Wise, NICCA President, 279 East 137th Street, Glenpool, OK, 74033, or call: (918) 758-1463, fax: (918) 758-1498, e-mail: jlw@ionet.net

up arrowShort Items

1997 ACF Conference:

The Child Care Bureau is sponsoring the fourth annual National American Indian/Alaska Native Child Care Conference at the Radisson Hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota, April 27-30, 1997.

The conference will provide a forum for discussing issues such as welfare reform and highlighting promising initiatives in several areas, including child care and Head Start collaboration. The conference will also address leadership issues and long range planning for child care, as well as the common challenges that face Native American and Alaska Native communities, children, and families.

For more information, contact Pattie Howell, Child Care Technical Assistance Project, at: (202) 639-4465, or Roger Iron Cloud, Child Care Bureau, at: (202) 690-6244.

Proposed Self-Certification Process for Tribal Child Counts

The Administration on Children, Youth and Families published a notice of proposed change in data source used to determine tribal child counts on October 25, 1996 in the Federal Register, Vol. 61, No. 208, on page 55305. The notice announces the Proposed Self-Certification Process for Tribal Child Counts Used to Calculate Tribal Allotments Under the Child Care and Development Block Grant. This will afford tribes the opportunity to select a data source or utilize a method for counting tribal children that accurately reflects the child population.

For more information, contact the Child Care Bureau at: (202) 690-6782.

Making It Happen . . .

Wisconsin Inter-Tribal Early Education and Child Care Coordinating Council Funds from a foundation and the State Office of Child Care are helping to strengthen child care systems for tribal families. The Bremer Foundation funds projects in Northwestern Wisconsin and was instrumental in starting the Wisconsin Inter-Tribal Early Education and Child Care Coordinating Council in 1988. The Council members, from 11 tribal nations located in Wisconsin, are those who work with their tribe's child care system. The project is administered by the Wisconsin Child Care Improvement Project, a collaboration of stakeholders in child care that provides technical assistance in organizational start up activities.

Funds from the Bremer Foundation and the state will be used to build strong communication links to apprise council members of activities and decisions affecting child care systems for tribal families. They will also be used to build leadership and technology skills, and to increase capacity to address the need for child care under Wisconsin's welfare reform program known as "W2." A Tribal Child Care Specialist has been hired to carry out the tasks associated with the project, including information dissemination and facilitating meetings and training sessions.

To learn more, contact Mary Van Den Heuvel, Executive Director, Wisconsin Child Care Improvement Project at: (414) 336-8868, or Sandy Kolodziejski, Chair of the Wisconsin Inter-Tribal Early Education and Child Care Coordinating Council, at: (715) 682-7134.

American Indian Higher Education Consortium Distance Learning Network

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) Telecommunications Project is comprised of 30 tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) administered community colleges and universities in 12 states and Canada. These colleges foster educational opportunities for Native Americans and Alaska Natives in a place that promotes their cultural heritage. Many of the colleges are in remote areas.

The AIHEC Telecommunications Project aims to connect tribal colleges together in a seamless telecommunications system to maximize educational resources. It plans to be an educational network not only for the colleges, but to extend services to the communities as well. The project began in 1992, with a grant administered through the Department of Commerce. Through satellite technology, the AIHEC Distance Learning Network delivers telecourses and videoconferences for students, staff, and others in the community.

Thus far, the AIHEC Distance Learning Network has worked with one college to deliver telecourses on child-related topics. Most of the AIHEC colleges have an early childhood component, offering courses related to child development, or administering onsite child care programs. Many of the colleges do both, as the student population includes single parents, and child care services are essential to being able to attend classes.

Gary Garrison, member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, serves as the Network Director on the AIHEC Telecommunications Project. For more information, contact Gary at: (402) 472-0498.

Requesting Culturally Reflective Health and Safety Information

As part of its Healthy Child Care America technical assistance materials development, Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Washington, is gathering information for a health and safety guide that reflects a Native American perspective. The guide is to assist child care providers and program directors in helping parents understand health and safety regulations. Individuals who are willing to share their insights and traditions of their tribal communities are asked to contact:

Carole Thomas
Child Care Director
Lummi Indian Business Council
2616 Kwina Road
Bellingham, WA 98226
or call: (360) 758-2781, fax: (360) 384-5521

Head Start Program Performance Standards Revised

The Administration on Children, Youth and Families published the Final Rule - Head Start Program Performance Standards on November 5, 1996 in the Federal Register, Vol. 61, No. 215. This comprehensive revision encompasses all performance standards for Head Start programs and integrates them with new standards for serving infants and toddlers. The standards go into effect January 1, 1998, although grantee and delegate agencies may implement the standards prior to that date.

Send inquiries to: Head Start Performance Standards, P.O. Box 1182, Washington, DC 20201, or call the Head Start Publications Center at: (202) 205-8560.

Tribal Reporting Requirements

The Child Care Bureau has determined that tribal grantees should continue to report program information in the same manner as in the past, using the ACF-700. Tribes and tribal organizations will not be required to file the Biannual Aggregate Child Care and Development Fund Report (ACF-800) nor the Quarterly Disaggregate Child Care and Development Fund Reports (ACF-801). Tribes are strongly encouraged to complete the ACF-700, as this information will be reported to Congress for deliberations regarding the child care needs of Native Americans. During the next year, the Bureau will be looking at streamlining the ACF-700 form.

up arrowResources in Child Care

With each issue, the Child Care Bulletin highlights resources available to the child care community. We encourage providers, parents, administrators, and other readers to share knowledge of what is available so that we may pass it on to the field.

Publications

Guide to USDA Programs for Native Americans
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Last published in 1992, this booklet is to be updated and made available in spring 1997. It provides information on USDA program benefits and identifies contacts for finding out more information. (For availability, contact Mary McNeil, Director of Native American Programs, USDA, 14th and Independence Ave., SW, Room 346A, Washington, DC 20250, or call: (202) 720-3805, fax: (202) 720-6972).
Tribal College: Journal of American Indian Higher Education
American Indian Higher Education Consortium
This quarterly publication of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), addresses broad subjects relevant to education and to the future of Native communities. (Available for $18 per year from Tribal College Journal, P.O. Box 720, Mancos, CO 81328, or call: (970) 533-9170, fax: (970) 533-9145, or e-mail: tcj@sisna.com. Information about previous and future issues is available at the Tribal College Journal website: http://fdl.cc.mn.us/tcj).

Organizational and Electronic Resources

The National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) works to insure that every Indian child has ac cess to community-based, culturally appropriate services to help them grow up safe, healthy and spiritually strong. NICWA provides training and technical assistance in topics related to child welfare and family preservation, and publishes a bimonthly newsletter, Pathways, and other printed materials. To learn more, contact Terry Cross, NICWA Executive Director, 3611 S.W. Hood St., Suite 201, Portland, OR, 97201, or call: (503) 222-4044, fax: (503) 222-4007, or e-mail: Tcross820@aol.com

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) provides technical assistance to members and Indian organizations on health topics. For more information, contact Yvette Joseph-Fox, NIHB Executive Director, 1385 S. Colorado Blvd., Suite A-707, Denver, CO 80222, or call: (303) 759-3075, fax: (303) 759-3674.

  • Alaska Native Health Board: http://www.anhb.org/
  • Indian Health Service: http://www.ihs.gov
  • Native American Sites: http://www.pitt.edu/~lmitten/indians.html [this url has changed: http://www.nativeculture.com/lisamitten/indians.html]
  • Native Web: http://web.maxwell.syr.edu/nativeweb/

This page is being maintained on the NCCIC web site for historical purposes. As a result, not all information may be current.

 
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