Heidi Heitcamp, Senator from North Dakota

On February 26, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing,"Early Childhood Development and Education in Indian Country."

Linda K. Smith, deputy assistant secretary and inter-departmental liaison for Early Childhood Development, Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, noted that the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) has played an important role in helping to integrate tribal traditions and cultures into early education and child care. She said, "One of the key goals of CCDF is helping children from low-income families access high quality care. Tribal grantees are innovative in how they invest in quality, and many tribal grantees incorporate culturally relevant activities into their child care programs.

Tribes preserve their languages by developing child care curricula that focuses on Native American language. For example, the Chippewa-Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy’s Reservation in Montana braided CCDF funding with grant funding from the Administration for Native Americans to create a language immersion child care program for children from birth to age three. The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians in Maine invited Tribal Elders to teach children traditional stories in their native language. Given the research on the positive cognitive benefits of bi- or multilingualism, these are powerful innovations that have important impacts on young children. Tribal grantees also include traditional song and dance, regalia making, and other cultural activities to enrich children’s learning experiences in child care and engage families in their children’s care and education."

The following witnesses also testified:

• Danny Wells, executive officer, Division of Education, Chickasaw Nation, Ada, Oklahoma;
• Barbara Fabre, chairman, National Indian Child Care Association, and director, Child Care/Early Childhood Program, White Earth Ojibwe Nation, White Earth, Minnesota;
• Jacquelyn Power, superintendent/principal, Blackwater Community School, Coolidge, Arizona; and
• Dr. E. Jane Costello, associate director for Research, Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University.