Tribal Early Learning Initiative

The Tribal Early Learning Initiative (TELI) is a partnership between ACF and American Indian tribes with Head Start/Early Head Start, Child Care Development Fund, and Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting programs. The purposes of the TELI are to:
 

• Support tribes to coordinate tribal early learning and development programs
   
• Create and support seamless, high-quality early-childhood systems
   
• Raise the quality of services to children and families across the pregnancy-to-kindergarten entry continuum
   
• Identify and break down barriers to collaboration and systems improvement

ACF works closely with the TELI tribes to identify obstacles to collaboration and systems improvement, and to help them develop and carry out strategies that are in line with tribal community values, traditions, and priorities. ACF also hopes that the TELI tribes will serve as models for other tribes and communities that are trying to work across traditionally siloed programs to build stronger early childhood systems to support their youngest and most vulnerable citizens.