Prepared by
CHiXapkaid (Dr. Michael Pavel)
University of Oregon
Zoe Higheagle Strong
University of Washington & Strong Alliance
Jill Dolata
Allison Baker
University of Oregon

Acknowledgements
The First Peoples, First Steps Alliance and Thrive by Five Washington would like to thank the generous support of The Boeing Company, the Department of Early Learning, the Longbrake
Family Foundation, The Tulalip Charitable Trust, and the Olympic Kitsap Early Learning
Coalition for supporting the efforts of Dear Children .
About Thrive by Five Washington
Founded in 2006 as the Washington Early Learning Fund, Thrive by Five Washington (Thrive) is the state’s public-private partnership for early learning, advancing the development and learning of children from birth to age 5. Formed at the urging of community leaders dedicated to bringing public and private partners together, Thrive’s efforts help improve outcomes for all children with special focus given to children who are furthest away from opportunity.
On Jan. 1, 2014, Thrive completed a merger with the Foundation for Early Learning
(Foundation), establishing a single, highly competent, deeply experienced and effective statewide organization that will strengthen partners, support families, further Washington’s early learning efforts and become an even stronger early learning leader in the state and nationally.
For more information about Thrive by Five Washington, The First Peoples, First Steps Alliance, and/or this report, please contact Susan Yang, Program Director, at 206-621-5573 or susan@thrivebyfivewa.org.

Executive Summary
Dear Children is a living report that is intended to inspire collaborations and partnerships on behalf of Native children in the State of Washington and will continually evolve with the positive contributions of everyone who cares about Native children. The Foundation for Early
Learning (FEL), now continuing as Thrive by Five Washington, has been partnering with the
Native early learning community to form The First Peoples, First Steps Alliance (Alliance) to bring together Native leaders, Native communities, family advocates, early learning experts, and non-Native allies to promote school readiness among Native children and families. The aim of this study is to keep Native teachers in the classroom and establish Native language, culture and oral traditions as a preferred pathway to preparing the next generation of early childhood educators who want to work with Native children, their families, and communities. This report was completed following a four-phase process.
Phase I: Understanding the Current Context examines new standards and a changing early childhood education environment, childcare programs in Washington for Native children, Head
Start, and the Universal Preschool and Early Childhood Education Assistance Program
(ECEAP). It was also necessary to learn about the early experiences for Native children and need for Native teachers, higher education faculty, early childhood education academic programs in Washington, degree options for Bachelor’s degree and Associate’s degree, and the
Washington State career lattice.
Phase II: Barriers to Postsecondary Access identifies prominent barriers to postsecondary access to early childhood degree/certificate programs experienced by urban Indians and tribal community members. Acknowledgement and understanding of existing barriers helped to guide and inform listening sessions to further understand the current context. Although the barriers to
Native people pursuing postsecondary education are similar to other cultures, the gap is often greater.
Phase III: Honoring the Voices of The People provides the results of onsite visits to tribal and urban Indian communities throughout Washington and using varying degrees of interactions:
(a) individual interviews with key administrators and tribal leaders, (b) focus groups with early childhood educators and professionals, and (c) listening sessions designed to garner communitywide input about early learning. As a result we were able to learn more about the issues and successes, identify where to increase capacity, determine practical components, receive advice, advance professional development, assess the state of existing training, gain ideas to improve, and accept recommended resources to improve the ability of early childhood education programs address the language and culture needs of our children.
Phase IV: Dear Children kept Native children within our focus so that they know we are indeed addressing their needs. Clearly the interests of children are paramount among families and communities, and within the State of Washington there are governmental agencies, organizations, and associations that take a special interest in meeting the needs of Native and non-Native children. As a result, this report offers doable and manageable recommendations: i

• Rally around DEL’s 2014 Tribal Care and Education Conference to be held in August.
For those interested in participating, please contact Jennifer Jennings-Shaffer, the Head
Start Collaboration Office Administrator and Department of Early Learning Tribal
Liaison, either by phone 360-725-4423 or email Jennifer.jennings-shaffer@del.wa.gov
.
This can be a remarkable gathering if there is a prevailing spirit to see this gathering as an opportunity to collectively work together on behalf of Native children, as well as their families and communities.
•
Embrace the extant literature.
Dr. Ella Inglebret of Washington State University and
Jeanne Amie Clothiaux of the University of Idaho identified an impressive array of literature about infusing Native language, culture and oral traditions into early learning to serve as a resource that can be easily updated and modified to support early learning efforts targeting the needs of Native children at all levels, particularly with regard to developing course syllabi in the training of early learning educators (please see Appendix
E).
• Feature Native content.
This report also serves the purpose of making sure to involve the interests of Native children in early learning efforts and presentations throughout the
State of Washington. For example, Sheila Ammons and Luisa Sanchez-Nilsen provided a PowerPoint presentation at the Infant and Early Childhood Conference entitled, Early
Literacy and Numeracy in Preschool.
It is pleasing to note is that they emphasized the importance of culture in early learning and provided a slide that featured the importance of Native language. They gave meaning to the adage, “You serve what you see.” If
Native language, culture and history are not seen in early learning efforts (at whatever level) then it is unlikely that Native children will be served by the kind of programming that promotes their language, culture and history.
• Professional development.
Gina Lebadeva, PhD & CF-SLP, at the University of
Washington cited the documented need to support the development of specific early childhood education (ECE) professional and pre-professional interdisciplinary coursework that aims to cultivate and enhance tribal language and cultural preservation.
In response, Gina proposes three 90 minute-long online self-led workshops designed for staff, center administrators, and their coaches (see Appendix F). The aim is to further the conversations, idea-generation, integration with other education opportunities, foster collaboration, and instigate discussions that happen in centers and with families every day.
•
Develop Native related early childhood education coursework.
After one particular site visit on the Yakama Reservation, Melissa Kotzin, Chair of Early Childhood Studies
Degree Programs at Heritage University, reported that she and her colleagues were informed by the Native participants call for more preparation attending to the needs of
Native children, families and communities. In response, Heritage University initiated planning discussions to hopefully offer nine credits in the area of Native Studies in ECE starting in fall 2014.
• Embrace the stories of success to inspiring collaborations.
Longtime Indian educators like Robin Butterfield are well-aware of the beautiful stories about how long Native communities throughout America have been working to preserve their language and how ii

such efforts have resulted in schools and resources being dedicated to do so. Sam Smith,
President Emeritus of Washington State University and Founding Member of Western
Governors University’s Board of Trustees, explained that immersing Native children in their language, culture, and history is an urgent matter in the State of Washington, and that the time is now to move swiftly to ensure the tribal language, heritage, oral traditions can be preserved for many generations to come.
The above mentioned efforts represent a fraction of the past, present, and planned efforts to meet the needs of Native children, their families and their communities. The most meaningful efforts are occurring at every tribal and urban community throughout the State of Washington. As such it is a wise appeal to call for their presence at DEL’s forthcoming Tribal Care and Education
Conference so that they can feature the essential work that needs to take place to meet the needs of Native children, their families and their communities.
We have learned a great deal throughout the process of conducting this study and so much is representative of recurring themes/concepts conveyed in conversations that everyone has had along the way—respect and honor tribal histories and sovereignty—enveloped by concepts such as legacy, language, identity, heritage, culture. Our sincere hope is that this report, Dear
Children, truly can be a living document and that those who have the authority, power, and resources will listen compassionately to the voices that have spoken. Compassionate listening can inspire efforts to adopt practices, develop courses and provide professional development opportunities that advance not only the Native educators understanding of challenges and opportunities of Native children but also non-Native educators who also need to ensure they are addressing the needs in a quality way. iii

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................... 1
PHASE
I:
UNDERSTANDING
THE
CURRENT
CONTEXT ............................................................................. 4
N EW
 S TANDARDS
AND
A
 C HANGING
 E ARLY
 C HILDHOOD
 E DUCATION
 E NVIRONMENT
 ................................... 4
C HILDCARE
 P ROGRAMS
IN
 W ASHINGTON
FOR
 N ATIVE
 C HILDREN ................................................................... 5
H EAD
 S TART ......................................................................................................................................................... 8
U NIVERSAL
 P RESCHOOL
AND
 E ARLY
 C HILDHOOD
 E DUCATION
 A SSISTANCE
 P ROGRAM
 (ECEAP) ................ 8
E ARLY
 E XPERIENCES
FOR
 N ATIVE
 C HILDREN
AND
 N EED
FOR
 N ATIVE
 T EACHERS ........................................... 9
H IGHER
EDUCATION
FACULTY ...........................................................................................................................10
E ARLY
 C HILDHOOD
 E DUCATION
 A CADEMIC
 P ROGRAMS
IN
 W ASHINGTON ....................................................10
D EGREE
 O PTIONS
FOR
 B ACHELOR ’ S
 D EGREE
AND
 A SSOCIATE ’ S
 D EGREE ......................................................11
W ASHINGTON
STATE
CAREER
LATTICE .............................................................................................................12
Early
childhood
and
related
degrees..........................................................................................................................12
Professional
experience....................................................................................................................................................13
PHASE
II:
BARRIERS
TO
POSTSECONDARY
ACCESS................................................................................14
PHASE
III:
HONORING
THE
VOICES
OF
THE
PEOPLE..............................................................................16
C URRENT
 I SSUES , 
 S UCCESSES , 
AND
 I NCREASED
 C APACITY ..............................................................................16
Current
issues .......................................................................................................................................................................16
Successes.................................................................................................................................................................................17
Increased
capacity..............................................................................................................................................................18
P RACTICAL
 C OMPONENTS , 
 A DVICE
AND
 P ROFESSIONAL
 D EVELOPMENT .......................................................19
Practical
components........................................................................................................................................................19
iv

Advice.......................................................................................................................................................................................20
Professional
development ...............................................................................................................................................21
E XISTING
 T RAINING , 
 I DEAS
TO
 I MPROVE , 
AND
 R ECOMMENDED
 R ESOURCES .................................................22
Existing
training..................................................................................................................................................................22
Ideas
to
improve..................................................................................................................................................................23
Recommended
resources .................................................................................................................................................24
S UMMARY ............................................................................................................................................................25
PHASE
IV:
DEAR
CHILDREN ............................................................................................................................26
I NTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................................26
D OABLE
AND
 M ANAGEABLE
 R ECOMMENDATIONS ...........................................................................................27
DEL
2014
Tribal
Care
and
Education
Conference................................................................................................27
Embrace
the
extent
literature.......................................................................................................................................27
Feature
Native
content.....................................................................................................................................................28
Professional
development ...............................................................................................................................................29
Develop
Native
related
early
childhood
education
coursework ....................................................................29
Embrace
the
stories
of
success
to
inspiring
collaborations..............................................................................30
S UMMARY ............................................................................................................................................................30
RESOURCES ..........................................................................................................................................................32
APPENDIX
A:
TRIBAL
NATIONS
THAT
OPERATE
AMERICAN
INDIAN/ALASKA
NATIVE
HEAD
START
AND
EARLY
HEAD
START...........................................................................................................34
APPENDIX
B:
BACHELOR’S
DEGREE
OPTIONS
IN
EARLY
CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION
(OR
RELATED
FIELD)
BY
REGION...................................................................................................................35
v

APPENDIX
C:
SELECTION
OF
TWO­YEAR
DEGREE
PROGRAMS
IN
EARLY
CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION
WITH
ARTICULATIONS
TO
BACHELOR’S
DEGREE
PROGRAMS...........................38
APPENDIX
D:
WASHINGTON
STATE
CAREER
LATTICE..........................................................................39
APPENDIX
E:
INFUSING
NATIVE
LANGUAGE,
CULTURE,
AND
ORAL
TRADITION
INTO
EARLY
LEARNING:
A
LIVING
RESOURCE
DOCUMENT....................................................................................40
APPENDIX
F:
PRESERVING
AND
ENHANCING
TRIBAL
CULTURE
AND
LANGUAGE
IN
EARLY
LEARNING:
A
PROPOSAL
TO
SUPPORT
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
FOR
EARLY
CHILDHOOD
EDUCATORS.........................................................................................................................72
TABLE
1.
EXAMPLE
OF
A
CURRICULUM
DESIGN
USING
PUBLICATIONS
AND
MATERIALS
FROM
THE
LIVING
RESOURCE
DOCUMENT
IN
THE
PREPARATION
OF
EARLY
EDUCATORS ..........42
TABLE
2.
URBAN
INDIAN
&
TRIBAL
COMMUNITY
OPTIONS
FOR
CHILDREN
BIRTH
TO
5
IN
WASHINGTON
STATE................................................................................................................................... 6
TABLE
3.
SUMMARY
OF
EARLY
CHILDHOOD
PROGRAM
POSITIONS
IN
WASHINGTON................ 6
TABLE
4.
EDUCATIONAL
REQUIREMENTS
OF
TEACHERS
BY
EARLY
CHILDHOOD
PROGRAM
IN
WASHINGTON................................................................................................................................................. 7
TABLE
5.
TEACHER
EDUCATION
LEVELS
BY
EARLY
CHILDHOOD
PROGRAM
FOR
2006­07
AND
2012­13............................................................................................................................................................ 7
FIGURE
1.
SLIDE
FEATURING
IMPORTANCE
OF
LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
AND
CULTURE ...28
vi

Introduction
Over the last two years, the Foundation for Early Learning (FEL), now continuing as
Thrive by Five Washington, has been successfully partnering with the Native early learning community to form The First Peoples, First Steps Alliance (Alliance) and fostering relationships with the 29 federally-recognized tribes and urban Indian communities. The Alliance is dedicated to bringing together Native leaders, Native communities, family advocates, early learning experts, and non-Native allies to promote school readiness among Native children and families.
This Alliance believes that school readiness in the context of Native language and culture is an important aspect of early childhood education that will provide a long-term benefit for Native children, their families and the extended community. A subset of organizations that have been involved include leaders from the Muckleshoot Head Start, Port Gamble Head Start, Elwha
Indian Tribe, Suquamish Tribe, Lummi Tribe, Puget Sound Educational Service District,
Northwest Indian College, Chief Leschi School, Native American Women’s Dialog on Infant
Mortality (NAWDIM), United Indians of All Tribes, Potlatch Fund, Department of Early
Learning, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Department of Health.
The Alliance identified the issue of keeping Native early learning professionals in classrooms as a top focus for the group’s work. The issue of retaining Native staff in classrooms is of critical importance to Native communities at this time because a large body of evidence demonstrates the value to Native children of having teachers who are themselves Native and part of the community. Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WAKIDS) 2013-
2014 data indicate that Native children are entering kindergarten unprepared with the skills that they need. In language development, about two-thirds (68%) of Native children demonstrated the preparedness of entering kindergarteners and only 48% of children demonstrated math competency.
1 The Alliance believes that maintaining Native teachers in the classroom is a critical element to instill a sense of self-esteem and confidence for Native children to be prepared to learn. Only four staff in all Washington Head Start and Early Head Start indicated fluency in an Alaska Native or American Indian language.
Among Alliance members, there is increasing concern that staff qualification requirements for early learning professionals are having the unintended consequence of pushing Native teachers out of classrooms. Head Start and Early Head Start have new requirements to increase educational levels to a minimum of an Associate’s degree for assistant teachers and Bachelor’s degrees for lead teachers. Based on 2012-2013 Head Start and Early Head Start data, approximately 75% of teachers working in Native classrooms are not meeting the new requirements.
2
The aim of the current project is to keep Native teachers in the classroom. The focus will be on establishing a preferred preparation for Native Head Start teachers by establishing Native language, culture and oral traditions as a preferred pathway to preparing the next generation of
1 http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/WaKidsDetailPage.aspx?year=2013-14&wakidsyr=2013-
14&schoolId=1&waslCategory=4&numberOrChart=1 )
2
Data extrapolated from the Department of Early Learning 2013 Profile on Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program,
Head Start and Early Head Start in Washington State
1

early childhood educators who want to work with Native children, their families, and communities. The plan is to model the preferred preparation after the First Peoples’ language, culture, and oral tribal teacher certification program for public schools under RCW28A.410.045.
The plan is to seamlessly integrate a Native language, culture, and oral traditions certificate into early education degree programs within formal institutions. This work is critical not only for
Early Head Start and Head Start programs but for the broader early education field in
Washington State.
To understand the education of Native children is to understand their history, the influence of legislation, and literature addressing issues affecting the quality of education. The historical circumstances explain how the devastating consequences of colonial systems continue to influence the education of Native people. As we walk back through times before colonization, we see strong complex societies that fostered living/learning in ways that truly celebrated each individual’s gifts which were in turn, shared with the group at the appropriate times. These ways of being are integral to strengthening tribal languages and cultures. That being said, it is important to ground the current successes and challenges in the context from which they have emerged.
Native children have survived mass genocide in the name of civilization. Followed by the boarding school era, where children were removed and placed in residential schools often far from their homes. Then, public schools continued to emphasize a one size fits all, Eurocentric paradigm which ignores the diversity of worldviews and ways of knowing. A long history of reports have documented the ongoing mis-education of Native people ranging from the Meriam
Report (1928), Indian Nations at Risk (1991), to People with Disabilities on Tribal Lands
2

(National Council on Disability, 2003), A Quiet Crisis: Federal Funding and Unmet Needs in
Indian Country (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2003) and to the National Indian Education
Association’s Preliminary Report on Leave No Indian Child Behind (Beaulieu, Sparks, &
Alonzo, 2005).
To proactively deal with the historical trauma, intergeneration grief and widespread disruption of Native involvement in the education of their children, this report was completed following a four-phase process. Phase I - Understanding the Current Context focused on drawing upon existing literature and program practices to gain an understanding of the current status with regard to early childhood certification within Washington and other states. Phase II helped to identify prominent barriers to postsecondary access to early childhood degree/certificate programs experienced by urban Indians and tribal community members.
Acknowledgement and understanding of existing barriers helped to guide and inform listening sessions to further understand the current context. Phases I and II informed the development of protocols used during Phase III - Honoring the Voices of The People. Phase III was devoted to conducting individual interviews/focus groups/listening sessions with representatives of tribal communities throughout Washington state, early learning professionals working in tribal programs, and the higher education community to solicit input on: (a) what should be included as part of a certification that integrates Native language, culture, and history, and (b) how should such a certification program be delivered. Phase IV – Dear Children, an overlapping phase, committed to documenting the Voices of The People within the final report and advancing manageable and doable recommendations.
3

Phase I: Understanding the Current Context
The goal of Phase One is to understand the current context for Native educator preparation and current knowledge of early learning environments within tribal communities. Phase I began with a systematic review of the literature and an inventory of tribal early learning programs and existing options for early childhood certification. A clear understanding of existing programs and pathways to certification informs and supports an individualized and alternative approach to meet the needs of early childhood professionals within tribal communities.
New Standards and a Changing Early Childhood Education Environment
The early childhood education environment continues to evolve at the state and federal levels. Three federal and state activities have dramatically shifted the importance of early learning and professional development for early childhood educators:
1.
the passage of the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 (Head Start
Act U.S.C. § 9801),
2.
the hope for federal passage of Universal Preschool for All and the expansion of universal state preschool opportunities under the Early Childhood Education Assistance
Program (ECEAP), and
3.
the successful Race to the Top application which has brought $60 million to the state over four years through the end of 2015 to the development of a high quality early learning system that strongly emphasizes: (a) supporting all EL professionals and creating a seamless pathway for education, and (b) providing support in the form of alignment work and education incentives.
These three major changes in Washington at the federal and state levels are driving the need to consider a preferred pathway for early childhood professionals within tribal communities:
1.
The increased educational requirements in Early Head Start and Head Start.
2.
The increased emphasis on public-preschool at the federal level and expansion of such public preschool efforts in Washington State through the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP).
3.
The establishment of Early Achievers and the Washington State Career Lattice for early learning professionals working in licensed child care programs and homes.
As Washington and the Department of Early Learning seeks to create an integrated early learning system, consideration needs to be given to the potentially disparate impact these policy changes, particularly the professional development requirements, have on urban Indian and tribal communities. Native teachers, culturally responsive curriculum, teaching methods, and assessment practices have been identified as factors impacting Native student success.
Culturally responsive curriculum designed using local cultural knowledge (often in combination with language) throughout instruction has been echoed throughout national and state policy studies. The integration of language and culture within place-based education models serves as
4

another means for elders, Native community members, family members, parents, along with their children, teachers, and administrators to work together to develop, implement, and evaluate authentic learning experiences that actively engage Native and non-Native students in early childhood education classrooms.
Childcare Programs in Washington for Native Children
Urban Indian and tribal communities in Washington provide a variety of childcare and preschool options for children (see Table 2, adapted from “Early Childhood Education, 2000).
There are 30 federally funded Head Start programs within 18 Tribal Nations and organizations with American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) designation; a comprehensive list can be found in
Appendix A. Washington also has the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Programs
(ECEAP), Washington’s state preschool program, which serve Native children. Both Head Start and ECEAP are comprehensive programs that provide free early learning, health, and family/engagement support services for eligible children and families. Eligibility is primarily based on family income.
In addition, each reservation has its own childcare options for children who live on the reservation; these services may be available at a reduced cost for families and may be consistent or drop-in care. Professional development requirements for licensed child care programs and homes will be touched on in the Washington State Career Lattice Section and is not included in
Table 2. It is important to clarify that the licensed professional development requirements are tied to the Washington Administrative Codes (WAC) and that the career lattice is a way to visually show an educational pathway, but is not a legal requirement (WAC). The Department of
Early Learning has received feedback regarding the career lattice and as a result is in the process of revising the career lattice and the education verification process.
Tables 3 and 4 summarize the position titles, and required qualifications of teachers working in Washington’s ECEAP, Early Head Start, Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head
Start, and AI/AN Head Start programs. Current teacher education levels by programs are displayed in Table 5.
5

Table 2. Urban Indian & Tribal Community Options for Children Birth to 5 in Washington State
Program Description
Early Childhood
Education and
Assistance Program
(ECEAP)
Head Start
ECEAP is a high-quality program serving low-income children who are 3 through 5 years old, not yet eligible for kindergarten, and their families in Washington. A combination of contracts with 40 local organizations with the state provides ECEAP services.
A national, high-quality early learning program for low-income children who are 3 through 5 years old, not yet eligible for kindergarten, and their families. The federal government provides grants to 28 local organizations in Washington for these services.
Early Head Start
Migrant and Seasonal
Head Start
A national, high-quality program to promote healthy prenatal outcomes through services to low-income pregnant women, and promote early learning through services for lowincome children from birth to 3 years old and their families. As with Head Start, the federal government provides grants to 26 organizations in Washington to offer these services.
A national, high-quality early learning program that serves low-income children birth through 5 years old, not yet eligible for kindergarten, and their families who are migrant and seasonal farm workers. The federal government provides grants to local organizations to offer these services.
American Indian/Alaska
Native (AI/AN) Head
Start and Early Head
Start
A national, high-quality early learning program that serves low-income American Indian and Alaska Native children birth through 5 years old, not yet eligible for kindergarten, and their families. The federal government provides grants to tribal nations and organizations that provide these services. There are 17 grantees providing American
Indian Head Start and eight providing American Indian Early Head Start services in
Washington state.
Table 3. Summary of Early Childhood Program Positions in Washington
Program Positions
Lead Teacher Assistant Teacher Home-Based Visitor
Family Child Care
Provider
ECEAP
Head Start
X
X
X
X X X
Early Head Start
Migrant &
Seasonal HS
X
X
X
X
X
X
AI/AN HS
AI/AN Early HS
X
X
Note . (“Early childhood education”, 2012).
X
X
6
X

Table 4. Educational Requirements of Teachers by Early Childhood Program in Washington
Program Position Requirements
ECEAP Lead Teacher
•
Associates degree or higher with 30 quarter credits in early childhood education, or
• A Washington state teaching endorsement in Early Childhood Education (Pre-K-3) or in
Early Childhood Special Education
Head Start
Assistant
Teacher
Lead Teacher
Assistant
Teacher
•
12 quarter credits in early childhood education, or
• A CDA credential
As of September 30, 2013 50% of all Lead Teachers in center-based programs nationwide must have at least:
•
Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, or
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field with coursework equivalent to a major in early childhood education
As of September 30, 2013 all Asst. Teachers in center-based Head Start agencies must:
• Have a child development associate (CDA) credential, or
•
Be enrolled in a CDA program to be completed in two years, or
•
Have an associate or bachelor’s degree in any area, or be enrolled in a program leading to this degree
Early Head
Start
Early Head Start
Teachers
As of September 30, 2012, all Early Head Start Teachers must have:
•
A CDA credential, and
• Training or equivalent coursework in early childhood development with a focus on infant and toddler development
Table 5. Teacher Education Levels by Early Childhood Program for 2006-07 and 2012-13
Measure
Total teachers
ECEAP
2006-
07
2012-
13
324 405
Head Start
2006-
07
2012-
13
677 610
AI/AN Head
Start
2006-
07
2012-
13
67 65
Migrant and
Seasonal Head
Start
2006-
07
2012-
13
435 83
Early Head Start
2006-
07
129
2012-
13
164
AI/AN Early
Head Start
2006-
07
2012-
13
19 61
% teachers w/BA’s or higher degree
Total assistant teachers
% asst teachers w/AA or higher degree
41.8% 45.4% 35.7% 55% 32.8% 42% 3.0% 16.8% 27.9% 32.9% 26.3% 4.9%
362 386 558 492 88 80 307 128
19.7% 31.4% 7.7% 31% 1.1% 7.5% 0.0% 11.7%
53
9%
36 10
16.6% 0.0%
Note. Data obtained from DEL ECEAP and Head Start Enterprise System Program Information Report, 2014.
7
4
0 %

Head Start
Head Start has led the way to promote increased professional standards for early childhood professionals. The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 (Head Start Act
U.S.C. § 9801) outlines the professional competencies and academic degree qualifications required of classroom teachers in Head Start programs to be achieved over six years. As of
October 1, 2011 each Head Start classroom in a center-based program has been required to have a teacher meeting at least one of the following requirements:
• An associate, baccalaureate or advanced degree in early childhood education
• An associate degree in a field related to early childhood education and coursework equivalent to a major relating to early childhood education, with experience teaching preschool-age children;
•
A baccalaureate or advanced degree in any field and coursework equivalent to a major relating to early childhood education, with experience teaching preschool-age children or;
• A baccalaureate degree in any field and has been admitted into the Teach For America program, passed a rigorous early childhood content exam, such as the Praxis II, participated in a Teach For America summer training institute that includes teaching preschool children and is receiving ongoing professional development and support from
Teach For America’s professional staff.
Now in the sixth year of The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 (Head
Start Act U.S.C. § 9801), the deadline for increased teacher qualifications has arrived. As of
September 30, 2013 at least 50% of Head Start teachers nation-wide must have a baccalaureate or advanced degree in Early Childhood Education or a baccalaureate or advanced degree in any subject and coursework equivalent to a major relating to early childhood education with experience teaching preschool-age children.
Universal Preschool and Early Childhood Education Assistance Program (ECEAP)
Universal Preschool for All is a key federal and state agenda item. At the federal level, the
President’s 2014 budget reflects a proposed new historic investment in a child’s early years of learning. The Administration’s proposal supports universal access for all four-year-olds from low- and middle-income families through State partnerships and funding opportunities (e.g.,
Race to the Top, Early Learning Challenge programs). With the proposed changes, there continues to be a clear desire to increase the professional standards for early childhood educators to a bachelor degree level.
At the state level, in 2013, the Washington State Legislature passed SB5904 and dedicated an additional $22 million to support and expand Early Childhood Education Assistance Program
(ECEAP), Washington’s state preschool program. The funding will allow ECEAP to support all
8

eligible 3- and 4-year old children (19,682) by 2018-2019.
3 ECEAP teachers also require that lead teachers hold an associate degree or higher with 30 quarter credits in early childhood education, or a Washington state teaching endorsement in Early Childhood Education (Pre-K-3) or in Early Childhood Special Education.
Early Experiences for Native Children and Need for Native Teachers
In Washington State, there is a growing public awareness of the importance of early experiences for all children. All children need nurturing and dependable relationships and consistent interactions with caregivers and peers (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000), and the effect of positive early experiences can have lasting effects on children’s social and academic development ( Campbell, Ramey, Pungello, Sparling, & Miller-Johnson, 2002; Currie, 2001).
Existing literature provides information about the specific needs of early childhood programs for
American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN).
There is a need for Native children to be educated from an early age by well-qualified teachers with cultural connection to the community. The Native community faces educational issues similar to other minority groups, including the need for adequate funding for schools serving minority and disadvantaged students.
I think it's fundamentally important to have Native teachers in classrooms. It's also fundamentally important to have excellent teachers in classrooms. So this is not, you know, that's not a challenge that only native teachers, or only native schools or
Native children are up against. Native people believe in education and I think this is one of the most interesting continuities through our histories. Today, there are still many Native people who go into fields of education, but we're still in the situation of there's not enough to fill our classrooms.
(Lomawaima in PBS series,
2000, para. 4)
There is an increasing need for quality teachers in urban Indian and tribal early childhood programs. Rural isolation, low teacher salaries, high poverty, and/or differences in languages and cultures all contribute to a difficulty in recruiting and training quality teachers. Native early childhood teachers who teach Native children are in a distinctive position to accommodate unique learning styles and provide culturally sensitive curriculum. Research has shown that non-
Native teachers with a lack of information can have a negative effect on Native children
(Howard, 1999; Stames, 2006). An exceptional resource exists for early childhood educators that provide recommendations for culturally sensitive instruction about Native history (Moomaw
& Jones, 2002).
Studies have found some academic benefit to having teacher student race congruence; though more research is needed to understand this facet of education (Dee, 2004; Pigott &
Cohen, 2000). T eachers of color are more likely than Whites to work and remain in “hard-to-
3 http://www.del.wa.gov/publications/research/docs/ECEAP_expansion_plan_exec_summ.pdf
. p.i and iv.
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staff” urban or tribal schools with high proportions of students from low-income and nondominant racial and cultural communities ( Achinstein, Ogawa, Sexton, & Freitas, 2010). Many non-Native teachers leave jobs in tribal communities, resulting in low consistency and high turnover. Since consistency is a key feature of quality early childhood programs (Shonkoff &
Phillips, 2000), this is an area of need.
Higher Education Faculty
Teacher preparation is key to ensuring the success of Native and Non-Native teachers in any classroom. Recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty remains a challenge. In the fall of
2007, a survey of faculty indicate that 1.6% of all faculty at the two-year colleges are AI/AN and less than 1% of faculty at four-year public and private institute in Washington are AI/AN.
4 The
Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges conducted a study of its system in 2008 and produced the following recommendation to “increase specific strategies for attracting and retaining diverse faculty, staff and administrators in community and technical college early learning programs” (p. 12). Their findings included a lack of specific strategies to attract and retain ethnic and gender diversity of faculty and staff. Further, the need for special education teachers is growing since the representation of Native students in special education is almost double the rest of the student population (18% versus 10%) (American Indians/Alaska
Natives: Education Issues, 2013).
Many teacher education programs have a general focus on diversity and multi-cultural considerations, but each individual curriculum needs to be culturally responsive, culturally specific, and consistent (Castagno, 2008). Gilliard and Moore (2007) described three themes as essential components of tribal early learning programs that represent the specific inclusion of
Native traditions as well as general sensitivity to cultural differences: (a) respect and honor for the family, (b) participation in traditional activities (e.g., powwows), and (c) inclusion of parent involvement in program curricula.
Further, faculty members in early childhood programs acknowledge a need for increased focus on cultural diversity in their curricula. As reported in Hyson, Tomlinson, and Morris
(2009), a sample of faculty leaders in Early Childhood Education were asked to select their priorities for their programs. Of the 17 options, the priority with the highest percentage of selection (63.9%) was comfort and skill with cultural diversity.
Early Childhood Education Academic Programs in Washington
There are myriad of academic options for students considering teaching and for existing teachers in Washington. Recent changes in Head Start teacher qualification requirements have led to an increased interest in four-year program options. Because there are a limited number of existing four-year programs, some institutions have created or expanded distance and online learning options. Some of these programs have been designed specifically to meet the needs of
4 Pathways for Native American Students: A Report on Colleges and Universities in Washington
State. p. 9.
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rural students and teachers, offering lower tuition rates and accessibility regardless of location.
Because these programs typically run as Bachelor’s completion programs rather than as full fouryear institutions, the need for quality two-year programs persists.
Degree Options for Bachelor’s Degree and Associate’s Degree
The most straightforward route to a Bachelor’s (BA) degree with certification to teach in a preschool – third grade setting include attending a four-year BA or Science Early Education
Teacher Preparation Program. These programs include the requirements for obtaining public school licensure following graduation if desired (required for K-3 teachers but not for Head Start teachers). Students with a BA in a related field must attend additional certification only coursework following BA completion to obtain certification to teach in a public school. Many of the online BA programs in Early Childhood Education are non-licensure programs, and students with these degrees must meet additional certification requirements (often coursework) if they desire to become licensed teachers in public schools. See Appendix B for a listing of
Washington State Bachelor’s degree program options for public and private institutions.
Another route to earning a Bachelor’s degree is to complete a two-year Associate’s degree program and then attend a BA completion program, either on campus or online. The
Washington State Community and Technical College Board designate a two-year degree in early childhood education as a professional and technical degree. Most professional and technical degrees (AAS) are not designed as transfer degrees to as many four-year institutions due to the limited general education coursework.
Through the leadership of the Washington State Community and Technical Colleges Board and Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Council, more and more two-year early childhood education programs have been establishing pre-arranged articulations with four-year institutions.
This facilitates and generally allows for a smoother transfer process for students with an AAS, two-year degree. In addition, there are more community colleges offering early childhood education transfer pathways through the earning of an AAS-Technical degree, which also generally allow for a smoother transfer. Please see Appendix C for a listing of two-year programs with articulations to four-year programs in Washington State. See also Appendix B in the 2008 Early Learning Report for a table of two-year program offerings (Washington State
Board for Community & Technical Colleges, 2008).Two years colleges are also establishing stackable certificates (coursework that builds to a degree path) that align with the newly adopted
Washington State Career Lattice and provide a starting point for some early childhood professionals to pursue an early childhood degree path. The stackable certificates are called out in the lattice, but are not dependent on the lattice. The purpose is to have a state credential that meets licensing requirements for minimum education, a starting point for ECE professionals as mentioned below, and enough credits to be more than the ‘tipping point’ to help encourage students to pursue additional coursework. Some short certificates of specialization (9-20 credits) may serve as a potential starting place for building a preferred pathway for Native early childhood educators.
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Washington State Career Lattice
The Professional Development Consortium, a group of 40 plus agencies in the State of
Washington with the common interest of supporting early learning, developed the Washington
State Career Lattice in 2010. The goal of Consortium was to develop a common, statewide progression of credentials and degrees for early childhood professionals. The lattice reflects training, education, and career pathways within a hierarchy of 15 steps for currently practicing early childhood professionals. Note that the Career Lattice and Education Verification process is undergoing a revision. DEL hopes to have the proposed draft revisions available in spring with an implementation date of summer, 2014. They have been working with a workgroup to gather recommendations before vetting the draft more widely.
The lower levels of the career lattice reflect minimal state-required training such as those for child-care licensure (e.g., basic health and safety certification, first aid, etc.). As the lattice progresses upwards the levels reflect higher attainment of degrees, beginning with a Child
Development Associate (CDA) and ending with completion of a Master’s or higher education degree. A copy of the lattice is provided in Appendix D. The Washington State Career Lattice is critical since it ties to Early Achievers, Washington’s Quality Rating Improvement System.
For licensed child care, homes and ECEAP programs participating in Early Achievers, increased points are awarded based on increasing education attainment levels for both staff and leadership at facilities.
Early childhood and related degrees. All professionals registering within the career lattice must submit an education application to the Education Verification Team at Centralia
College. The Education Verification Team evaluates all coursework and degrees to determine advancement on the lattice. The Education Verification Team accepts all Washington State
Institution Early Childhood Education (ECE) degrees as automatically approved for advancement on the career lattice.
Additionally, all ECE coursework within an ECE degree automatically counts towards advancement on the lattice. The specific title of Early Childhood Education is necessary for automatic approval by the verification team. Professionals who do not have a degree with a specific ECE title are evaluated on an individual basis. All related degrees must meet the eight core competencies set forth by the Washington State Core Competencies for Early Care and
Education Professionals (Washington State Department of Early Learning, 2010). These competencies include,
• child growth and development,
• curriculum and learning environments,
• ongoing measurement of child progress,
• family and community partnerships,
• health safety and nutrition,
• interactions,
• program planning, and
• professional leadership and development.
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Each individual course within a related degree undergoes evaluation and if it is determined to meet one of the eight competencies credit is awarded.
Professional experience.
It is possible for working early childhood professionals to gain credit and advancement within the career lattice based on professional experience. Professional experience is assessed and awarded on an individual basis by faculty at State and Technical colleges. College faculty and staff assess whether an professional’s individual knowledge, skills, and abilities from prior learning match the knowledge, skills, and abilities that would otherwise be obtained by taking a specific ECE course. If it is determined that professional experience may be counted toward a specific course, credit is granted with corresponding fees assessed (i.e., the individual would pay the same amount as other students taking the actual course in order to earn the credit). Credit for professional experience may prove to be a viable option for practicing AI/AN early childhood professionals.
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Phase II: Barriers to Postsecondary Access
Phase II helped to identify prominent barriers to postsecondary access to early childhood degree/certificate programs experienced by urban Indians and tribal community members.
Acknowledgement and understanding of existing barriers helped to guide and inform listening sessions to further understand the current context. While programs exist, there are barriers in accessing two- and four-year early childhood degree/certification program. In the United States, undergraduate enrollment increased from 10.5 million in 1980 and to 17.6 million in 2009, while
American Indian/Alaska Natives only increased their enrollment from .1 million to .2 million
(Aud, KewalRamani, & Frohlich, 2011). Many of the obstacles to all teachers wishing to pursue further education as outlined in the Washington State Childcare Resource & Referral Network’s report (2008) apply to Native students and teachers and include accessibility of courses/timing
(online, evening, summer, weekend), location, and funding.
Although the barriers to Native people pursuing postsecondary education are similar to other cultures, the gap is often greater. For instance, more than a third of Native students attend postsecondary education at 30 years and older compared to the national average of 26 years and a greater proportion of Native students who have dependents, including children and grandparents, while attending school (Institute for Higher Education Policy, American Indian
Higher Education Consortium, & American Indian College Fund, 2007). For students who are older and responsible for numerous dependents, other unique needs arise in order to attend school. When The People of this study were asked about their barriers, the immediate concern was t ransportation, d istance to travel for classes, cost, time away from work without pay, and child care expenses had to be dealt with before taking those critical first steps toward attendance.
Program accessibility is also an important consideration for prospective students. Many students attempt to complete academic coursework while maintaining current employment; therefore local and online or hybrid programs provide feasible options. While online programs typically have coursework that can be completed with some degree of timing flexibility for the student, hybrid and local programs must include evening, weekend, and/or summer course options. According to a 2008 survey of community and technical college early childhood education programs in Washington, colleges offer courses in a variety of accessible options: 74% of colleges offer distance-learning courses, 100% offer evening courses, and 70% offer weekend course options ( Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, 2008).
For students who gain access to postsecondary education/ECE certificate programs, fundamental institutional policies and practices still require modifications to better serve Native students, children and their communities. While most Washington state colleges include some required coursework embedded with cultural competencies and culturally relevant learning materials, few offer experiences and curricula specific to Native populations (tribal or urban).
There are exceptions such as Northwest Indian College that intentionally incorporate indigenous pedagogy throughout their curricula. In this study, tribal early learning centers also reported the need for ECE degree programs to request their non-Native teachers to intern or spend time in tribal communities before taking on these critical teaching positions. This could reduce the high turnover of non-Native teachers and cultural deficiencies. This report is not to deter non-Native
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teachers to serve in Native communities, rather to encourage compassionate, cultural competency in all teachers and to retain and increase Native teachers in the classroom.
The need persists to find widespread culturally appropriate and accessible pathway for Native students and teachers to pursue in any higher education institution in the State of Washington offering an early childhood education program.
We asked The People their thoughts about barriers to postsecondary opportunities and clearly just attending was an issue. T ransportation, d istance to travel for classes, cost, time needed without pay, and help with child care expenses had to be dealt with before taking those critical first steps toward attendance. Once there, process time and instructional understanding are necessary, especially for online Native students who find the whole educational process a struggle. Some students would do better in a classroom setting but that is not always the reality.
For these and other students, they may have a hard time comprehending some of the reading and have no one (like another classmates) to run ideas by and gauge understanding of the readings and lessons.
Most Native people do better in situations that involve hands-on-learning or by listening then having time to have a conversation about what they are discussing. There are other students that have baggage and regrets about not getting their degree when they were younger and could have attended school. However, these and other issues are embedded in a current educational system in our society that was built by non-Natives for non-Natives, and wasn't built by or for
Natives (or people of color in general). As a result, there is a sentiment that is why there are barriers like financial inability to pay, misguided assumptions about access to and understanding of computers, and scarcity of incentives and role models. These voices are important to consider as will be presented in the next section on honoring the voices of The People.
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Phase III: Honoring the Voices of The People
Phase III involved onsite visits to tribal and urban Indian communities throughout
Washington and were conducted using varying degrees of interactions: (a) individual interviews with key administrators and tribal leaders, (b) focus groups with early childhood educators and professionals, and (c) listening sessions designed to garner community-wide input about early learning. Throughout all these interactions efforts were extended to welcome recommendations from The People. Three primary question and associated probes were presented:
1.
What are the current issues facing early childhood program(s)? a.
Of the current issues identified, where are we experiencing some success? b.
What capacity do we need to increase in order to address the other issues identified?
2.
What are some key practical components needed for those working in early childhood programs to succeed and meet the needs of young Native children and their families? a.
What advice and suggestions would you recommend to people who are working with young Native children? b.
What type of professional development would you recommend to people who are working with Native families?
3.
How are early childhood education (training/certification/degree) programs addressing
Native language and culture or other facets of urban Indian life? a.
What ideas do you have to improve the integration of Native language and culture into early childhood education programs? b.
Can you recommend specific resources to integrate Native language and culture into early childhood education programs?
Every effort was made to value every response to these questions. The analytic coding strategy allowed for similar comments to be synthesized and distinctive voices to be recognized. It was a purposeful gesture to craft a narrative using the collective voices of The People. It is their voice that we turn to now.
Current Issues, Successes, and Increased Capacity
Current issues.
There is a wide range of issues that The People identified. The genesis for issues associated with poverty and social instabilities is deeply rooted in horrendous governmental policies directed at eradicating Native people and/or their culture. Communities face a number of social, mental and physical issues among children that can go unattended and are compounded by adverse childhood experiences that follow children into adulthood. More affordable, accessible high quality early childhood education and daycare is paramount to serve a growing population of Native children. However, an increasing array of regulations associated with teacher qualifications and decreased funding is inhibiting hiring/retaining communityeducated personnel, program development, offering interventions and social services, securing equipment/resources/supplies, and offering transportation.
There appears to be a need for everyone to embrace the importance of early learning by promoting consistent attendance, prompting parental engagement, stimulating widespread
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interest, and increasing knowledge of how to address early learning needs to make sure all children are school ready, especially in areas of literacy and math. An overarching issue pertains to language, culture and history. Much of the traditional culture is drifting away as tribal languages, cultural practices, and history are being forgotten. In response, there is a longstanding belief that Native children need a healing connection established through language revitalization, embracing cultural values at an early age, and an understanding history to establish authentic healthy relationships.
Scarcity is a persistent theme within the voice of The People:
 Lack of Computers
 Lack of heroes and hope
 Lack of positivity in the community
 Lack of child peers who share similar backgrounds
 Lack of money for sports and out-of-school activities
 Lack of cultural competency among teachers
 Lack of access to cultural values and programs
 Lack of cooperation when we are working for the same cause
In contrast to the scarcity there is plenty of negative stereotyping, historic trauma, and lateral violence between each other. While identifying issues, many People offered advice that included: (a) training and education for non-Native providers to strengthen their cultural competency and ability to offer culturally relevant experiences, (b) family support for attendance of children and connecting parents/guardians, and (c) maintaining and achieving success for our tribal peoples through identity-empowerment and change in curriculum.
Successes.
It was a strength-based asset-oriented strategy to ask the question, “Of the current issues identified, where are we experiencing some success?” A good place to start when considering necessary improvements to any endeavor in tribal and urban Indian communities is to identify what we are doing right and use such knowledge to then strengthen areas that need improvement. People acknowledge that the need has been identified and some steps taken to be more successful. They hope that this study continues with the ongoing process to increase awareness of Native early childhood education through dialogue and action.
The People also shared that tribal and urban Indian communities are serving the needs of
Native children. People praise the increasing activities associated with language and cultural revitalization, express great pride in immersion programs, embrace the increase in language and culture activities, laud the success in teaching/learning language and culture, grateful to hear the language being spoken in classrooms, and are amazed at the language retention among young children. As a result of knowing how important language and culture is to the health and vitality of children, cultural inclusion in the community is increasing with more tribal members learning songs and dances and more children are being exposed to the culture through language, songs, and dances. The rich cultural and language integration into education programs is getting more kids to enjoy their educational experiences.
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There is also the dedication among individual teachers, more teacher mentoring taking place, and the fact that more non-Native teachers are eager to learn the basics of how to work with Native families and communities. There is more open-mindedness among staff to support parents and children who desire culturally relevant activities. This is important because the hiring of more Native teachers often leads to non-Native teachers expecting them to carry on the cultural lessons. However it occurs we must recognize that early childhood education often means educating everyone in the community to understand the importance of early learning. It also means giving attention to transitions to public school and getting better and doing better at retaining Native students.
Where we are experiencing success there is improved trust, buy-in, children are going to school, and early childhood programs have support from the community at all levels. There is networking, early achievers, and full enrollments with waiting lists indicating that there are more and more parents wanting an early childhood educational experience for their children. Above all there is an enduring respect for involving elders, a strong relationship with the environment, and extended family connections. Where it is present--and accepting Native families and parents where they are on the parenting continuum is key--family support and parental involvement is greatly appreciated and highly valued. It is notable that successes can be measured in improved relationships with each other and other stakeholders outside the community, more male role models, and broad support for and more involvement in early childhood programming.
Increased capacity.
So to build upon our success it is essential to recognize where we need to increase our capacity to make early learning a top long-term priority and to truly appreciate the importance of learning in the first five years. The People believe that we all need to understand the importance of prenatal and early childhood education and that it is especially important with parents. We then need to make early learning a priority at all levels within the urban Indian community or tribal government and in every tribal department (education, language, culture, national resources, and public safety, social and health services).
There is a need to increase capacity in early childhood education to more fully serve the children, their families, and the entire community. It means being able to identify and fulfill the needs of children and their families and at the same time more fully help families help their children. There is a special call for fatherhood programs to have these men involved period as well as meeting the needs of adult learners overall, for both mothers and fathers. This may mean having a community and wellness center while directly working with all people that surround the children (family, community, teachers, etc.). It is not too tall an order to aspire for more community volunteers who are patient and willing to share.
Increasing capacity in the area of language, culture and tribal history require teaching cultural lessons with a focus on reading, writing language, and cultural materials for children to succeed later on in school. This means more cultural immersion complete with food, art, songs, and stories while learning about all aspects of the tribe or urban Indian community. The ultimate outcome is a rising level of understanding about how important and vital it is to preserve Native culture, language and history. Thus, program support for more language classrooms, cultural teachers and Native elders is critical.
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Although additional Native teachers are necessary and welcomed, The People also ask that all teachers be capable to teach Native language and culture, as well as understand cultural patterns of learning and how learning is mediated in informal educational settings like traditional locations. For teachers (especially non-Native) to gain access to traditional locations, The
People are clear that they need to be taught how to develop relationships with Native parents and the community so they have plenty of opportunities to receive hands-on-experiences in what makes up the communities. It cannot be said too much . . . and The People are clear that there is a need for early childhood teachers to better understand child development, designing placebased culturally simulating activities, and engage the Native children to become more aware of their community, as well as Native communities throughout Washington, the region and the nation.
The People realize the ever-present reality is that increasing capacity requires additional funding. Whether it is increasing salaries, hiring language/cultural teachers, purchasing computers, providing training, having dependable transportation, or developing support programs more funding is needed throughout tribal and urban Indian communities. The People said it in a variety of ways but it all meant the same thing:
•
Funding
• More funding
• An increase in funding
Funding is indeed always central to increasing capacity; however, another key issue is stressing the importance of early childhood education to Native parents, families, and communities. You have to wonder, how much funding does it take to embrace unity, forgiveness and respect? Does it cost anything for everyone to be of one heart, one mind, and one spirit for our children?
Practical Components, Advice and Professional Development
Practical components.
We ask The People what are key practical components needed for those individuals working in early childhood programs to succeed and meet the needs of young
Native children and their families. They said that there needs to be a heighten level of awareness, particular of the unique characteristics of the Native families and where to find support within the community. Everyone needs to feel part of a team and of the community, as well as valued for being the first teachers of the children. One essential way is to get around the community to know the families and find out where the kids live; this outreach and networking has to be undertaken with open-mindedness, acceptance of all, and with respect for everyone within the tribal and urban Indian communities. The People suggest that to increase awareness, early childhood educators need to gain more knowledge about the tribe and urban Indian community, family structures, and cultural nuances. Gaining more knowledge cannot always be facilitated through a class or book but rather through developing relationships with the Native child, family, and community.
The People say that it is through relationships with the child, family and the community that early childhood educators can learn about culture, how to work with Native children, really
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understand the historical and present day circumstances of Native communities, and realize there are many components to consider (i.e., family, community, society, environment). It is through relationships that a person can better understand the expectations of the Native community and understand their children. This only works if the early childhood educators wants to know more about the Native communities (tribal and urban Indian), past, present and future. There has to be a sincere desire to learn about historical circumstances and understand what Native families and children face each and every day. The ability to establish and maintain meaningful relationships will enable early childhood educators to be creative about how they can find resources and provide an opportunity to make families feel safe.
For early childhood educators who want to work in tribal and/or urban Indian communities, it is important to know that The People advocate widespread tribal support, appropriate training, and wages that are adequate. Educators are asked to be knowledgeable about networking, promising practices for early achievers, and have a decent background in specific subject areas
(i.e., math, literacy, science, etc.). Along the same lines, there is forbearance and individual support in meeting state requirements, as well as continuing education that is culturally relevant in terms of content and style of teaching that can provide a useful model for developing one’s own teaching practice. This may mean using a Native curriculum, following regulations set by the tribal government, and knowing the rights of tribal members and Native people living in urban areas. The People also call for more training, planning and support from peers, staff and family while asking that all key service providers serving the community (social services/TANF, education, etc.) be on the same page and purse common goals for early childhood education. It is clear The People extend a strong message for elders to be active in the design/daily work of ensuring buy-in from everyone: educators, parents, community members and leaders.
The People feel that any hope of establishing the components to set Native early childhood education programs up for success begins with the pronouncement that education about Native traditions and cultures is important. They seek empowerment for identity in early childhood classroom, programs, curriculum, and instruction. The call for more language and cultural classes to be offered (beginning to advanced) is a desire to see knowledge of tribal language and culture in action addressing modern problems. In the end, any component that builds resiliency, hope, positivity, and healthy relationships is welcomed.
Advice.
We turned to The People for advice and suggestions to individuals who are working with young Native children. Above all, give yourself a lot of time to get to know the community in which you work. Then be the kind of person who is flexible, open-minded, respectful, and patient but firm. Be the teacher as well as the student who yearns to learn how to cultivate resiliency, social/emotional stability, and non-cognitive skills with reference to traditional culture. To arrive at a common place and move forward together requires that early childhood educators of Native children focus on inspiring hope, positivity and healthy relationships for the child. It means embodying humor, love, and empathy in order to listen and give children time to think and talk. Teachers have to exhibit a high degree of patience for all children, and remove any biases to engage parents/ guardians. You are asked to be honest and authentic because Native children can smell a fake person a mile away. Said simply it is journey
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that begins with understanding the Native culture to learn how to respectfully teach and talk about it to the children.
The People want an early childhood educator to be the type of person who appreciates an awareness of all cultures. If you are non-Native and working in program serving Native children then learn the culture and be respectful. Be sensitive and open-minded about each child and encourage their cultural values to better understand where children belong. To do so, it is important for teachers to know about a tribal community by learning about tribal history and government. Get to know families, tribal members, go to tribal events and where traditions are being practiced so children can see you, and learn about current community concerns. Be committed to incorporating tribal language and culture into the curriculum; learn the language and culture by starting with greetings and customs. Take the time to visit and get to know elders so that you teach the elders teachings. You are encouraged to ask questions and learn about our language, songs, dances and prayers.
By now it is very clear how important it is for early childhood educators to know the
Native child by getting to know the family, and their community history. That by listening to the children The People feel it is possible to identify their strengths so they want to attend school and through relationships with parents/guardians you can assist with family needs to get children to school. To experience a meaningful connection to families necessitates open communication with parents on the parents’ terms if you are able to learn about their current family environment.
This means talking with the family and not at the family. The People believe that all parents want to do well by their children while every home is different and every family has its strength.
Getting to know and value extended families of the children honors the whole family as Native children are raised by many members of a family.
Professional development .
The type of professional development that The People recommend is consistent with the themes established thus far. There should be professional development on cultural awareness, cultural respect, child development issues that specifically deal with Native children, developing Native parenting skills, brain development, how to connect with families , how to cultivate coping skills early on, serving poor families, living healthy, selfhelp strategies, team building, Native language and culture, and understanding the impact of historical trauma. The last area is especially critical and should lead to trauma training and the effects on children, adults and the community.
In-service early childhood educators need to learn how to get involved in tribal and urban
Indian community activities. To learn about the community is possible by knowing how to engage in traditional gatherings taking place in our community. In the process, The People feel it possible to become knowledgeable about the history of people who you are working with and understand their needs. Spending time in the community will enable you to talk to families and asking non-threatening questions will allow them to time and space to talk. The ability to communicate and be sensitive of Native culture is paramount; this will be evident in your desire to learn about our history, traditions, cultural values, community activities and other aspects of the community that are important to know. The People suggest taking a language class and receive training on how to set boundaries, promote child development through cultural
21

immersion and creative play that include cultural items. Said more concisely, learn how to teach hope, positivity and health relationships for Native children.
Existing Training, Ideas to Improve, and Recommended Resources
Existing training.
We asked The People how early childhood education programs (i.e., training, certification, degree) are addressing Native language and culture or other facets of urban Indian life. Based on their responses this appears to be a promising area for growth and improvement:
► Barely at the tip of the iceberg.
► Early childhood education programs are not addressing tribal language and culture
► I am not sure they are?
► I believe that it is not.
► It is encouraged but not specifically addressing tribal language and culture.
► It is not happening and it needs to be the focus! At the very least teaching about language and cultural protocols would assist teachers.
► Non-existent.
► Not much. I got no training at all dealing with tribal language and culture.
► Not very well. These programs need to be more involved in our lives and they should have student exchange programs with us.
► Nothing is really being done and never does it attend to unique tribal needs if at all.
► Poorly. Every tribe has a different culture and programs addressing Native language and culture often teach the wrong ones to children.
► Probably not very well, if at all.
► There is not anything but hopefully they learn how to integrate the community values into teaching.
► There is nothing really about tribes. Most of it deals with basic bilingual education making passing reference to tribal culture and language.
► They are not now.
► They are not, at least not to the degree needed in the tribal communities
► They are not. They focus on Maslow’s Hierarchy and multicultural and other teaching styles like that Maria Montessori. All this information is good but none of it is tailored for Native children and their culture.
The People acknowledge that training that addresses Native language and culture or other facets of urban Indian life is mainly put in some multicultural or diversity class with passing reference to American Indian and a little bit of cultural competency style teaching/learning activities. Some higher education programs have faculty who have some background in culture but there are not many that have deep knowledge about tribal culture. The People also realize that more college/universities are offering degrees in linguistics but there is nothing related to
Native language acquisition in early childhood programs. Beyond tribal colleges and universities, early childhood education programs do not really attend to tribal language and culture; if so it is in a very general way and even then classes tend to separate language and culture.
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The People recognize that for Head Start it is a part of school readiness to promote cultural learning and respect cultural differences and languages (diversity) and that the National Indian
Head Start Directors Association (NIHSDA) have had good trainings. More People are aware of the tribal education efforts and dual-language classroom and might be inclined to say, “I do not think they [higher education institutions] currently are unless the tribe's language program is teaching the culture and language.” The tribes appear to be working hard to revitalize their language and traditional culture through increased exposure in early childhood settings, throughout the community as a whole (tribal as well as non-tribal), and embracing local institutions of higher education. Overall, The People feel like the tribes have pretty much had to do this on their own or depend on a few key People who are working together to give our children exposure to their language and culture.
Ideas to improve.
The People have plenty of ideas to improve the integration of Native language and culture into early childhood education programs. It is obvious that we really need to integrate Native language and culture into early childhood education preparation and professional development with the assistant of tribes. It would be nice to have at least one faculty member who is certified in Native language and culture. Until that day, we can still strive for the possibility that all pre-service students should take Native language and cultural classes and, as done with many aspects of early childhood education while introducing language and culture at the children’s level so that children and teachers learn together. Start with the basic language skills such as greetings and commonly used phrases, as well as singing songs daily. Classes and training need to include information in both written and oral form, and have all students/trainees develop three culturally relevant and tribal specific curriculum units, observe immersion classes, and intern in an immersion classroom. Language and cultural staff within tribal and urban Indian communities could provide on-going training.
However, to learn how to let the child be the teacher by learning about what it is like to be a Native child growing up on a reservation and/or within an urban Indian community requires a certain degree of comfortableness. Therefore The People say it is important that we train teachers in Native language and traditions, as well as help them feel comfortable and confident about sharing this knowledge in the classroom. It would be great to integrate classes for teachers so that they feel comfortable with the material they are passing along to the children (i.e., pronunciation, understanding). This may mean surrounding educators with resources to deepen their understanding of tribal languages and cultures. Whatever we do, let’s teach early childhood educators who want to work in tribal and/or urban Indian communities how to begin somewhere, how to offer a language/culture class, and then how to start a language immersion room.
The People suggest that early childhood educators survey current efforts, look for successes, and build on strengths. To make sure this takes place, the tribal and urban Indian communities should have a plan for incorporating language and culture into early childhood preparation programs. Such a plan should state upfront that language and culture are a priority, and then spend time and resources on training people how to teach language and culture. There is nothing wrong with making it a priority and requirement until we have children present at all times who are fluent in their Native language. The People said it would be fun and rewarding to have pre-service teachers be exposed to tribal early childhood centers that are doing well,
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experiencing activities, and visiting places that are special to us. Every early childhood education program should introduce more tribal language and culture into the classroom using pictures, words, films, books with help of parents, elders, and tribal language/cultural teachers.
Imagine having an academic advisor in an early childhood education program that is able to explain how to identify who to reach out to in Native communities.
Recommended resources.
The People were ready when asked to recommend specific resources to integrate Native language and culture into early childhood education programs.
Start with the tribe and then search the internet for language and cultural resources (there are lots!) that should be made available to every student in an early childhood education program.
At the same time, make sure every student in an early childhood education program learns the name, location, and website of every tribe in Washington. Have teachers become familiar with specific information that each individual tribes has developed about their own language and culture. Look collectively at what the tribes and urban Indian communities have and collaborate on ways to provide support to tribes on how their resources can be used to improve early childhood education programs.
The People recommend ask early childhood educators representatives from the tribe or urban Indian community what they can share in the way of cultural and language resources and have a way to identify and involve members of our communities who are leaders, teachers, canoe makers, and artists. Learn from all the tribes and develop network for sharing teacher-to-teacher while maintaining a library of resources that the tribes have developed around tribal language and culture. Remember, the best resources are the ones in the Native community The People say, so the key is to outreach to the resources around us that include our language speakers, our artists, our language and cultural teachers, our language dictionary, our pictures, our song and dance groups, and our elders so treat all, inanimate and animate, with respect.
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Furthermore, early childhood education programs need to:
 collaborate with Indigenous/Native American Studies and other programs that work with tribes,
 have specific literature on Native education and then require all students to do a project with that literature,
 have teachers certified in Native language and culture provide teaching strategies in all preparation classes,
 provide students with Native language/cultural resources that can become part of their portfolio when they graduate,
 incorporate materials in early childhood degree programs developed by tribal elders, language and cultural teachers,
 use language and cultural materials developed by the tribe to teach teachers how to create linguistically and culturally relevant early childhood classrooms,
 provide books (legends & history), language dictionary in addition to the cultural aspect that should be reflected, and
 encourage elders to come to early learning centers and experience the rewards of sharing knowledge.
Children, families and communities are the most important resource to all and everyone should be respected for the knowledge they know about their children and their community. The state of mind can be another critical resource and comes in the form of people who care about and understand the purpose and intent of early childhood education.
Summary
In summary, we can verify the intrinsic value of listening to The People share their opinions, wisdom, insights, and recommendations verses reading the same thing in the literature.
Hearing it in person seemed so much better. We engaged in all kinds of interactions throughout the State of Washington to put ourselves in a position to ask The People about early childhood education. As a result we were able to: learn more about the issues and successes, identify where to increase capacity, determine practical components, receive advice, advance professional development, assess the state of existing training, gain ideas to improve, and accept recommended resources to improve the ability of early childhood education programs address the language and culture needs of our children. It was indeed a sacred journey that will continue in the next section as we remind ourselves the importance of keeping in mind the children when we endeavor to serve their needs.
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Phase IV: Dear Children
Introduction
Often times we overlook the interest of children in our zeal to communicate to adult audiences at large. The strategy of labeling this section “Dear Children” is meant to keep them directly within our focus so that they know we are indeed addressing their needs, and we do so by imagining that the message is directed to them, their families and communities. This is important because we believe that all the literature read, meetings attended, and other exchanges organized during this study have revealed that everyone should care about and love Native children. Clearly the interests of Native children are embodied by what their families and communities want them to be exposed to in a nurturing and safe environment. Said more accessibly, the children can understand a sincere and authentic message that states,
Dear Children, your families and communities love and care about you. They want you to forge an identity as a Native child. It is important to know about your language(s), your culture(s), and your history(ies). As you grow older, you will become confident and realize that your Native language, culture and history are fun things to learn about and will help you throughout your life.
Within the State of Washington there are governmental agencies, organizations and associations that take a special interest in meeting the needs of Native and non-Native children alike. Thus it becomes critical that we establish that this report, or any report for that matter, not dictate what should be done and instead offers tangible steps to flow into what we plainly see as a plan of action already in progress.
We must all continue cultivating a meaningful relationship with tribal and urban Indian communities that recognizes they embody a sovereign responsibility to set forth a clear direction and strategy to meet the needs of their children. That the direction of our focus and the strategies carried out are done so within a circle large enough to involve all those that want to make
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enduring and positive contributions to the life of Native children. Within the State of
Washington, it is sensible that vital agencies like the Department of Early Learning, organizations like Thrive-by-Five Washington, and higher education institutions cooperate and collaborate on a shared agenda with tribes and urban Indian communities and that respect for government-to-government relationships are followed and honored.
Doable and Manageable Recommendations
DEL 2014 Tribal Care and Education Conference.
This report moves in that direction by embracing a spirit of alignment designed to maximize the synergy of good energy extended on behalf of the children. This can happen in a real and doable way by rallying around the
Department of Early Learning’s expressed intention to hold another Tribal Care and Education
Conference in August of 2014 “to build partnerships and provide learning opportunities for those who work with Tribal children and families. . . . responsive to the current needs of providers serving Native children and families.” Rather than simply a requirement, the Tribal Care and
Education Conference should reflect that there is a need to embrace these opportunities as a way to listen and learn from each other and partner in a meaningful way. Anybody interested in being involved in the 2014 Tribal Care and Education Conference is encouraged to contact
Jennifer Jennings-Shaffer, the Head Start Collaboration Office Administrator and Department of
Early Learning Tribal Liaison, either by phone 360-725-4423 or email Jennifer.jenningsshaffer@del.wa.gov
. This can be a remarkable gathering if there is a prevailing spirit to see this gathering as an opportunity to collectively work together on behalf of Native children, as well as their families and communities.
There may be the need to develop policies and protocols at the Department of Early
Learning to work with the Tribes to ensure regular communication with tribal and urban Indian communities. Adherence to protocol and policies are as much about good intentions and good listening that are necessary for both Native communities and government agencies to take action steps to help propel the work forward in a meaningful way. We hope that this report supports any effort to foster ongoing dialogue where DEL staff and leadership meet regularly with Native community representatives. The goal is not to undermine the work of DEL but to make it better by including a critical voice and ensuring a level of intentionality to represent all voices is in place at DEL.
Embrace the extent literature.
Our experience while conducting this study exposed an outpouring of good will offering support, resources, and commitment motivated by a can-do attitude because the health, vitality and wellbeing of Native children is paramount. For example,
Dr. Ella Inglebret of Washington State University and Jeanne Amie Clothiaux of the University of Idaho heard about the study and completed a report that identified an impressive array of literature about infusing Native language, culture and oral traditions into early learning (please see Appendix E). Inglebret and Clothiaux (2014) convey that their report is a living document
(work-in-progress) and intended to serve as a resource that can be easily updated and modified to support early learning efforts targeting the needs of Native children at all levels, particularly with regard to developing course syllabi in the training of early learning educators.
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Feature Native content.
This report also serves the purpose of making sure to involve the interests of Native children in early learning efforts and presentations throughout the State of
Washington. For example, Sheila Ammons and Luisa Sanchez-Nilsen provided a PowerPoint presentation at the Infant and Early Childhood Conference entitled, Early Literacy and
Numeracy in Preschool.
We quote from their PowerPoint that the objectives of their presentation were to:
 Discuss the need for early literacy and numeracy training
 Use examples to demonstrate research base
 Preview the early literacy and numeracy training modules
 Learn how to access the training modules
They cited the Department of Early Learning’s strategic plan, the National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and International Reading Association (IRA) joint position statement Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for
Young Children, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics joint position statement Early Childhood
Mathematics: Promoting Good Beginnings while focusing their presentation on four key areas:
 Child health and development
 Early care and education
 Family and community partnerships
 Social, emotional and mental health
What is intriguing and pleasing to note is that they were considerate to emphasize the importance of culture in early learning and provided a slide that featured the importance of Native language
(see Figure 1 below).
Figure 1. Slide Featuring Importance of Language Development and Culture
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The simple fact that Ammons and Sanchez-Nilsen (May 3, 2012) included a slide featuring
Native language responds to the adage, “You serve what you see.” If Native language, culture and history are not seen in early learning efforts (at whatever level) then it is unlikely that Native children will be served by the kind of programming that promotes their language, culture and history.
Professional development.
We had various meetings with early learning faculty about the opportunities to preserve and enhance tribal language and culture in early learning. Given such an opportunity, Gina Lebadeva, PhD & CF-SLP, at the University of Washington cited the documented need to support the development of specific early childhood education (ECE) professional and pre-professional interdisciplinary coursework that aims to cultivate and enhance tribal language and cultural preservation (Childhood Council for Exceptional Children, Division of Early, 2010; US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and
Families, Office of Head Start, 2012). She found that one recurrent theme in the literature is the emphasis of individual coaching to focus on developing teacher-child relationships, as well as reflective capacity of the staff in order to best integrate and support cultural, cognitive, and social-emotional development of all children inclusively.
In response, and as quoted from Appendix F, Gina developed a proposed plan of action to
“offer three 90 minute-long online self-led workshops designed for staff, center administrators, and their coaches. Each workshop would draw explicit connections to all others, and objectives would include provision of opportunities to learn and evaluate current best evidence, discuss and critique practical applications and examples of evidence, and reflect on specific ways to observe, modify and integrate these applications within the context of tribal communities. Participant learning objectives would align with Common Core Standards of early learning, and also of ECE professional development. In order to maximize scalability, the workshops would be in the form of narrated online presentations, and would be designed to enhance or be embedded with other professional development programs (e.g., degree programs, continuing education credential, specialty endorsements) and ongoing on-site conversations and activities among staff. The aim is to further the conversations, idea-generation, integration with other education opportunities, foster collaboration, and instigate discussions that happen in centers and with families every day.
The materials can be used freely.”
Develop Native related early childhood education coursework.
The site visits involved individual interviews, focus groups and listening sessions that generated a lot of discussion and also definite actions steps. For example, after one particular site visit on the Yakama
Reservation, Melissa Kotzin, Chair of Early Childhood Studies Degree Programs at Heritage
University, reported that she and her colleagues were informed by the Native participants call for more preparation attending to the needs of Native children, families and communities. In response, Melissa explained to us that Heritage University initiated planning discussions to hopefully offer nine credits in the area of Native Studies in ECE starting in fall 2014. Melissa expressed the sentiment that the Heritage University Early Childhood Program believes in equal opportunity for all of Lower Yakima Valley’s children, and that opportunity begins with high quality early education and care, including high quality family focus. The faculty position is that if all children are to enter kindergarten with the skills, knowledge and dispositions they need to
29

be successful, they must ensure that all children have access to high quality early care and education. This is especially critical for the state’s most vulnerable children, who often fall behind their peers well before even entering kindergarten.
Embrace the stories of success to inspiring collaborations.
Longtime Indian educators like
Robin Butterfield (Director of OSPI’s Indian Education Office) are well-aware of the beautiful stories about how long the Native Hawaiians and other Native communities throughout America have been working to preserve their language and how such efforts have resulted in schools and resources being dedicated to do so. Sam Smith, beloved President Emeritus of Washington State
University and Founding Member of Western Governors University’s Board of Trustees, offered the considerable online expertise of Western Governors University to assist in any way possible.
Sam was passionate in adding that immersing Native children in their language, culture, and history is an urgent matter in the State of Washington, and that the time is now to move swiftly to ensure the tribal language, heritage, oral traditions can be preserved for many generations to come.
Let us be sensitive to the fact that the above mentioned efforts represent a fraction of the past, present, and planned efforts to meet the needs of Native children, their families and their communities. Recognizing this fact allows us to emphasize that the most meaningful efforts are occurring at every tribal and urban community throughout the State of Washington. They are the true stars that are shining brightly to guide the way for all of us. As such it is a wise appeal to call for their presence at DEL’s forthcoming Tribal Care and Education Conference so that they can feature the new early childhood centers that have been built, Native-related early learning programs that have been developed, the Blue Ribbon status that have been designated, and the good people doing the essential work that needs to take place to meet the needs of Native children, their families and their communities.
Summary
At the end of the day, we want to believe every effort, decision, and program developed must be made in a way that is not political or for personal gain but with the children at the forefront of why it is we are all striving to do the work that we do and how we do our work on behalf of children is as important as what we do. We have learned a great deal throughout the process of conducting this study and so much is representative of recurring themes/concepts conveyed in conversations that everyone has had along the way—respect and honor tribal histories and sovereignty—enveloped by concepts such as legacy, language, identity, heritage, culture.
Our sincere hope is that this report, Dear Children, truly can be a living document and that those who have the authority, power, and resources will listen compassionately to the voices that have spoken. Compassionate listening can inspire efforts to adopt practices, develop courses and provide professional development opportunities that advance not only the Native educators understanding of challenges and opportunities of Native children but also non-Native educators who also need to ensure they are addressing the needs in a quality way.
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We believe this starts from the community voice being heard by those entrusted with establishing the preferred pathways and by those who are re-establishing the preferred pathways being aware of and understanding tribal and urban Indian communities. It is important to appeal to higher education institutions about how to improve program offerings to promote a sense of cultural humility where Native early childhood educators feel welcome. The faculty of early childhood education preparation programs should not be required to take a course on sovereignty; they should want to for their own gain and for the benefit of all the students they serve.
It is not a question of whether or not all early childhood educators should be required to complete Since Time Immemorial training, a ground-breaking curriculum initiative within OSPIs
Office of Indian Education 5 that seeks to build lasting educational partnerships via curriculum on tribal sovereignty. The charge is to embrace critical resources that have been developed to meet the needs of Native children, their families and communities. Dear Children is just one of many assurances that can be enacted to sustain an ongoing dialogue where listening occurs to build the necessary trust to take steps forward to build on the existing system and improve outcomes for the Native community.
5 http://www.indian-ed.org/
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Appendix A
Tribal Nations that Operate
American Indian/Alaska Native Head Start and Early Head Start
Tribal Nation
Confederated Tribes of The Chehalis Reservation
Colville Confederated Tribes
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
Lummi Nation
Makah Tribe
Muckleshoot Tribe
Nisqually Tribe
Nooksack Tribe
Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe
Quileute Tribe
Quinault Nation
Samish Nation
Skokomish Tribe
Spokane Tribe
Suquamish Tribe
Tulalip Tribes
Upper Skagit Tribe
Yakama Nation
Grays Harbor
Ferry, Okanogan
Clallam
Whatcom
Clallam
King
Thurston
Whatcom
Kitsap
Clallam
Grays Harbor
Skagit
Mason
Stevens
Kitsap
Snohomish
Skagit
Yakima
County
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Appendix B
Bachelor’s Degree Options in Early Childhood Education (or Related Field) by Region
Northwest
Western Washington University (WWU) offers a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood
Education at the Bellingham campus. WWU has articulation agreements with Clark College,
Shoreline Community College, Olympic College, Skagit Valley College, Everett Community
College, and Whatcom Community College.
Puget Sound
Antioch University offers a Bachelor of Arts completion program in Human Development and
Learning. 85-90 completed credits are required to enter.
Central Washington University (CWU) has a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education on Highline Community College’s campus. Students are highly encouraged to simultaneously complete the Elementary Education major as well to facilitate earning teacher certification. CWU has articulation agreements with Highline Community
College, Shoreline Community College, Centralia Community College, Pierce College, and
Edmonds Community College.
Eastern Washington University (EWU) has a virtual campus in Bellevue, which offers a
Bachelor of Arts completion program in Children’s Studies. The program accepts transfer students and functions as a completion program, building on the Early Childhood Education
Associates degree from Bellevue College. This BA program also has an articulation agreement with Northwest Indian College’s AAS-T degree in Early Childhood Education.
The Evergreen State College (TESC) offers an “Upside Down Degree” program. An "upsidedown" degree reverses the order that students complete a four-year degree with students completing their specialized academic area in their first two years at a community or technical college and finishing their general college requirements in their last two years of college. For teachers who have completed an AAS-T or AAS degree, TESC serves as a good option since
Evergreen has a process for granting a block of 90 credits for an AAS-T or AAS degree. The main branch campus is in Olympia. Other program locations include the Northwest Indian
College in Bellingham, Grays Harbor and Tacoma.
Trinity Lutheran College in Issaquah offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood
Education.
Seattle Pacific University offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Family and Consumer Sciences.
University of Washington (UW) in Seattle offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood and Family Studies.
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Southwest Washington
Washington State University--Vancouver (WSU) offers a Bachelor of Arts in Human
Development along with a certificate in Early Childhood Education. This program is offered at the main campus in Pullman but is also available via distance learning (see online section below). WSU accepts the AAS-T degree in early childhood education from participating community colleges.
Central
Central Washington University (CWU) has a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education and Family and Consumer Sciences in Ellensburg. The program accepts a maximum of 10 transfer credits. Students are highly encouraged to simultaneously complete the Elementary
Education major as well to facilitate earning teacher certification. CWU has articulation agreements with Highline Community College, Shoreline Community College, Centralia
Community College, Pierce College, and Edmonds Community College.
Heritage University in Toppenish offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education with an option to concentrate in Early Childhood Education as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early
Childhood Studies.
Eastern
Eastern Washington University (EWU) in Cheney offers a Bachelor of Arts in Early
Childhood Education that includes P-3 licensure requirements. EWU also offers Bachelor of
Arts degrees in Child Development and Children’s Studies.
Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman offers a Bachelor of Arts in Human
Development along with a certificate in Early Childhood Education. This program is offered at the main campus in Pullman but is also available via distance learning (see online section below). WSU accepts the AAS-T degree in early childhood education from participating community colleges.
Online/Hybrid Programs
City University offers a Bachelor of Arts completion program in Elementary Education and
Early Childhood Education (dual endorsement) intended for those students with an Associates of
Arts degree in Early Childhood Education or 90 completed credits and advisor approval.
Campus locations include: Aberdeen, Bellevue, Centralia, Everett, Longview, Port Angeles,
Renton, Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, and Online only.
Eastern Washington University: offers an online Bachelor of Arts in Children’s Studies that emphasizes holistic studies of children's lives and respect for children's experiences.
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University of Washington has created a brand new Bachelor of Arts completion program in
Early Childhood and Family Studies designed to appeal to working students and students from rural communities.
Washington State University (WSU) offers an online Bachelor of Arts in Human Development with a specialization in Early Childhood Education. There are options for a non-teacher certification Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education as well as a teacher certification path in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education.
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Appendix C
Selection of Two-year Degree Programs in Early Childhood Education with Articulations to Bachelor’s Degree Programs
Central
Big Bend Community College
Wenatchee Valley Community College
Coastal
Grays Harbor Community College
Centralia College
Puget Sound
Bates Technical College
Bellevue Community College
Edmunds Community College
Green River Community College
Highline Community College
Lake Washington Institute of Technology
North Seattle Community College
Olympic College
Pierce Community College
Renton Technical College
Shoreline Community College
Tacoma Community College
Northeast
Spokane Falls Community College
Northwest
Northwest Indian College
Peninsula College
Skagit Valley College
Whatcom Community College
Southeast
Walla Walla Community College
Southwest
Clark College
Lower Columbia Community
South Central
Yakima Valley College
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Appendix D - Washington State Career Lattice
39

Appendix E
INFUSING NATIVE LANGUAGE, CULTURE, AND ORAL TRADITIONS
INTO EARLY LEARNING: A LIVING RESOURCE DOCUMENT
Ella Inglebret, PhD, Washington State University
Jeanne Amie Clothiaux, M.A., University of Idaho
Introduction
Indigenous peoples throughout Washington State, as well as across the Northwest region, the
United States, and the world, have been actively working to maintain and revitalize their heritage languages, cultures, and oral traditions. Their progress has resulted in a rich body of literature and resources that can be used to both inform and inspire early learning practice and scholarship.
In particular, there is potential for the existing body of recorded knowledge to guide efforts to keep Native early learning professionals in classrooms. However, there is a need to compile and organize the extant literature so that it is accessible to educational programs ranging from early learning to higher education. Therefore, our purpose is to identify professional literature and resources pertaining to the infusion of Indigenous languages, cultures, and oral traditions into early learning (birth to five years) within Washington State, the Northwest region, the United
States, and internationally.
A systematic literature review was conducted for the period of 1970 to 2013. This period was selected to allow for examination of patterns just before and subsequent to the passage of the
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 in the United States. Our search involved the use of multiple search engines, including ERIC, Academic Search Premier,
PsychINFO, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collections, and Google Scholar. Search terms involved various combinations of group descriptors (i.e., “American Indian”, “Native
America*”, Indigenous, “Alaska Native”, “Native Hawaiian”, and Aboriginal) with educational descriptors (i.e., early language learning, early learning oral tradition*, culture early learning, language preschool, and trauma therapy). In addition, we searched specific journals, including the Journal of American Indian Education , Early Childhood Education , and Language, Culture, and Curriculum , in addition to the websites of specific organizations, including the American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the National Association for the Education of Young
Children, the Office of Head Start, the Washington State Department of Early Learning, the
Tribal Childhood Research Center, and the Yale Early Childhood Center.
The identified literature was compiled into a living resource document organized according to the following categories: (a) laws/policy statements, (b) reports/literature reviews, (c)
Washington State/Northwest resources/publications, (d) articles – early learning, (e) books/chapters – early learning, (f) additional resources, (g) Indigenous languages, (h) theory, and (i) teachers. This document does not represent an exhaustive compilation. It is intended to serve as a starting pointing for those who want to make a difference in early education for Native children. We present this as a living document that can grow in a variety of ways. This growth might be quite literal – identifying and adding further literature. It might take the form of
40

developing a repository accessible to the public. The document might be used to guide the design of materials and syllabi for programs preparing early childhood educators. Of utmost importance, it can serve as a foundation for further scholarship and research on ways to ensure that Native teachers stay in the classroom.
An Example:
Use of the Living Resource Document to Design Curriculum for Early Educators
Publications and culturally-responsive materials identified in the Living Resource Document can be used to design curriculum that is grounded in Native languages, cultures, and oral traditions.
The following example centers on use of the Northwest Native American Reading (NNAR)
Curriculum available through the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public
Instruction (OSPI), Office of Native Education (contact Joan Banker, Joan.Banker@k12.wa.us
).
This curriculum was developed for use with children in kindergarten, first, and second grades but is easily adaptable for younger children as well. The NNAR Curriculum is composed of three units: (a) The Drum, (b) The Canoe, and (c) Hunting and Gathering. Content for these units was planned and produced by a team, including educators, artists, writers, and curriculum specialists, most of whom are tribal members. Using the Curriculum allows children to experience Native cultures through a variety of text forms, such as patterns of nature, stories told through art, music, the oral tradition, food, tools used in daily life, and written symbols. The Curriculum is intended to be implemented through partnerships between tribes and schools to promote crosscultural trust building. (See Constantino & Hurtado, 2006 for further description of the NNAR
Curriculum.)
The example provided in Table 1 represents work that is already in progress. The NNAR
Curriculum is currently the focus of a group of 34 students in the Department of Speech and
Hearing Sciences at Washington State University under the leadership of Dr. Ella Inglebret. The group is working in partnership with Robin Butterfield, Program Supervisor, WA State OSPI,
Office of Native Education, to align the Curriculum with the Common Core State Standards for
English Language Arts and Literacy. This project is exposing university students to a rich array of cultural materials and opportunities to interact with and learn from tribal members. One expected outcome is that the students will have increased understanding of Native cultures, oral traditions and resources that will help them better serve the needs of young Native children in the communities where they eventually work.
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Appendix E – Table 1. Example of a Curriculum Design Using Publications and Materials from the Living Resource Document in the Preparation of Early Educators.
Topics Student Activities Northwest Native
American Reading
Curriculum
Some Suggested
Readings
Who am I?
What cultural and linguistic influences have shaped me as a person?
Introduction: Northwest
Native American
Reading Curriculum
(NNARC)
Text
• definition
• types
Building Relationships
• through music
• the land & “place”
• partnerships with families, communities,
& tribes
Large group brainstorming & discussion
Individual reflection through selfselected modes
(e.g., art, writing, music)
Complete reading
View video
Large group - discuss the content and context of the
Hurtado oral presentation; compare and contrast the video presentation with the written description provided in the reading
Complete readings
Review curriculum materials
Small groups – identify & discuss the core values represented in the
NNARC materials
& how these values might influence relationship building; adapt the
“Elements of an
Effective
Government-to-
Government
Relationship between a Tribe
Five-minute video
(under media on
CD): Denny S.
Hurtado describes the NNARC
Our Elders Say (in
Hunting &
Gathering Unit, p.
HG 4.7)
Sharing the Circle
(End of The Drum unit, p. 1-50)
Four videos (under media on CD):
Kevin Paul (3.5 minutes); Pauline
Hillaire (2.5 minutes & 4 minutes); Johnny
Moses (2.5 minutes)
Constantino &
Hurtado (2006)
Ball & Lewis
(2005); Banks-
Joseph & McCubbin
(2006); Cross &
Farrell (2011);
Inglebret &
CHiXapkaid (2008);
McWilliams (2011);
Rinehart (2006);
Thompson & Hare
(2006)
42

and a School” figure (Inglebret &
CHiXapkaid, 2008) to fit early learning needs in your community
Theoretical Foundations Complete readings
Large group discussion of theories underlying the NNARC
Individual written reflection – “my theory of early learning”
(additional modes of expression may be used)
Traditional &
Contemporary Use of
Stories
• oral tradition
• place & contextual considerations
• spirituality
• interconnectedness
• intergenerational learning
Complete readings
Review curriculum materials
Small groups – identify & discuss the ways that stories have been & are currently being used as teaching tools with Native children; report back to large group
Large group – identify how stories are used as teaching tools in your community
Individual reflection
Centering Curriculum on the Revival of Cultural
Traditions
Complete readings
Review curriculum materials
Small groups - identify & discuss the current cultural revival efforts represented in the
NNARC materials
43
The Drum Unit:
Week 1 – Week 6
9 storybooks
The Canoe Unit:
Week 1 – Week 5
Videos (under media on CD): 5 video segments - Hank
Gobin (4.5 minutes to 6 seconds in length)
13 storybooks
Ball (2007);
Beaulieu (2006); St.
Charles &
Constantino (2000);
Rogoff et al. (2003);
Romero-Little
(2010); Tharp (2006)
Hare (2012);
Inglebret, Bear
Eagle, & Pavel
(2007); Inglebret,
Jones, &
CHiXapkaid (2008);
Mendoza & Reese
(2001)
Ball (2009, 2012);
Cone, Kanoelani, &
Au (2010); Gilliard
& Moore (2007)

Connecting with Our
Place through Curriculum
• the peoples – humans, animals, & plants
• cycles of life
• caring for the earth
Giving Back
& how these are integrated into early learning; report back to large group
Large group - identify additional cultural revival efforts that can be integrated into curriculum design
Individual reflection
Complete readings
Review curriculum materials
Small groups - identify & discuss how “Place” is represented in the
NNARC materials; report back to large group
Large group - identify additional ways that aspects of a specific place can be integrated into early learning
Individual reflection
Culminating Projects
• adapt one of the
NNARC units for use in your community
• align one of the
NNARC units with the Washington
State Early
Learning &
Development
Guidelines (2012)
• design a new curriculum unit for use in your community
44
Hunting and
Gathering Unit:
Week 1 – Week
11
Storybooks from
Indian Reading
Series
The
Selected curriculum units from the
NNARC
Dubosarsky,
Murphy, & Roehrig
(2011); Thompson,
Hare, & Sempier
(2008)

A Living Resource Document
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Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006. P.L. 109-394 (2006). http://gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-109publ394/pdf/PLAW-109publ394.pdf
Improving American Indian and Alaska Native Educational Opportunities and Strengthening
Tribal Colleges and Universities, President’s Executive Order 13592, signed December 2,
2011 www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=97357
National Congress of American Indians, National Indian Health Board, National Indian
Education Association, National Indian Child Welfare Association, and National Council of
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www.niea.org/data/files/research/native%20childrens%20agenda.pdf
National Indian Education Association. (2011). Restoring the trust in Native education: 14
Annual NIEA Legislative Summit Briefing Papers, Februrary 7-9, 2011. http://niea.org/data/files/policy/2011/briefingpapers.pdf
th
Strang, W., & von Glatz, A. (2001). American Indian and Alaska Native Education research agenda: In response to Executive Order 13096 . Washington, DC: U. S. Department of
Education.
Strang, W., von Glatz, A., & Hammer, P. C. (2002). Setting the agenda: American Indian and
Alaska Native education research priorities . (ERIC EDO-RC-02-14).
White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education: Early Learning www.ed.gov/edblogs/whiaiane/educational-framework/early-learning/
World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education. (1999). Coolangatta statement on peoples’ rights on education. Journal of American Indian Education, 39 , 52-64.
Reports/Literature Reviews
Australian Parliament. (2000). Katu kalpa: Report on the inquiry into the effectiveness of education and training programs for Indigenous Australians . Canberra, AU: Senate
Employment, Workplace Relations, Small Business and Education References Committee.
(ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED451971)
Ball, J. (2007). Aboriginal young children’s language and literacy development: Research evaluating progress, promising practices, and needs . Canadian Language and Literacy
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Ball, J. (2009). Supporting young Indigenous children’s language development in Canada: A review of research on needs and promising practices. Canadian Modern Language Review,
66 , 19-47.
Ball, J. (2010). Promoting young Indigenous children’s emergent literacy in Canada . Canadian
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Banks-Joseph, S. R., & McCubbin, L. (2006). American Indian and Alaska Native early childhood family involvement: A review of the literature. Proceedings of the Rural Early
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Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists. (2010). Speech, language, and hearing services for First Nations, Metis and Inuit Children in Canada with a focus on children 0-6 years of age.
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Charleston, M. G. (1994). Toward true Native education: A treaty of 1992 final report of the
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Frigo, T., & Adams, I. (2002). Diversity and learning in the early years of school . (ERIC
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Meriam, L., Brown, R. A., Cloud, H. R., Dale, E. E., Duke, E., Edwards, H. R., McKenzie, F. A.,
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Washington State/Northwest Resources/Publications
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Inglebret, E., & Harrison, J. (2005). Determining directions for language intervention in Native communities. Perspectives on Communication Disorders and Sciences in Culturally and
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• Talking Cards www.pages.uoregon.edu/nwili/wpcontent/uploads/2012/03/NILI_Talking_Cards_SILS_02-2012.pdf
•
Canoes and Canoe Journeys, Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, preschool & kindergarten Chinuk Wawa www.pages.uoregon.edu/nwili/wpcontent/uploads/2012/01/Canoe_Curriculum_Final.pdf
Northwest Native American Reading Curriculum.
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Indian College Fund
Sacred Little Ones program event brings tribal educators to Lummi http://www.collegefund.org/blog/?p=1413
Sacred Books for Little Ones http://www.collegefund.org/blog/?p=1378
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The Indian Reading Series: Stories and Legends of the Northwest. http://apps.educationnorthwest.org/indianreading/
[WA State Tribes: Jamestown Klallam, Muckleshoot, Shoalwater Bay, Skokomish,
Suquamish, Yakama]
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Washington Tribal Nations government-to-government meeting . http://www.del.wa.gov/publications/partnerships/docs/GovttoGovtMeeting091208.pdf
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Articles – Early Learning
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Ball, J., & Lewis, M. (2005). First Nations elders’ and parents’ views on supporting young children’s language development. Proceedings of the Canadian Association of Speech-
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Banks, S. R. (1997). Caregiver and professional perceptions of assessment practices and validity for American Indian/Alaska Native families. Journal of American Indian Education, 37 (1),
16-44.
52

Banks, S. R., & Neisworth, J. (1995). Dynamic assessment in early intervention: Implications for serving American Indian/Alaska Native families. Journal of American Indian Education,
34 (2), 27-43.
Bates, D. H. (2013). Ilisagvik offers language nest program. Tribal College Journal, 24 (4), 32-
33.
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Quarterly, 25 (1), 25-31.
Faircloth, S. C., & Pfeffer, R. (2008). Collaborating with tribal communities and families to improve the social, emotional, and linguistic competence of young Indigenous children.
Perspectives on Communication Disorders and Sciences in Culturally and Linguistically
Diverse Populations, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Division 14, 15 (1),
19-26.
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American pupils. Educational Leadership , 373-378. www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_197702_foerster.pdf
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Foerster, L. M., & Little Soldier, D. (1978). Learning centers for young Native Americans.
Young Children, 33 (3), 53-57.
Freeman, L., & Bochner, S. (2008). Bridging the gap: Improving literacy outcomes for
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472.
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Appendix F
Preserving and Enhancing Tribal Culture and Language in Early Learning:
A Proposal to Support Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators
08/23/13 – Gina Lebedeva, PhD, CF-SLP
Proposal
There is a widely documented need to support the development of specific early childhood education (ECE) professional and pre-professional interdisciplinary coursework that aims to cultivate and enhance tribal language and cultural preservation (Childhood Council for
Exceptional Children, Division of Early, 2010; US Dept. of Health and Human Services,
Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, 2012). In response, many programs have developed programs and strategies to support this need (Center for Indian
Education, Gila River Indian Community, & University of Arizona, n.d.; National Center on
Quality Teaching and Learning, 2013; Ray, Bowman, & Robbins, 2006). One recurrent theme is the emphasis of individual coaching to focus on developing teacher-child relationships, as well as reflective capacity of the staff in order to best integrate and support cultural, cognitive, and social-emotional development of all children inclusively.
To this end, the proposed consultant work would include three 90 minute-long online self-led workshops designed for staff, center administrators, and their coaches. Each workshop would draw explicit connections to all others, and objectives would include provision of opportunities to learn and evaluate current best evidence, discuss and critique practical applications and examples of evidence, and reflect on specific ways to observe, modify and integrate these applications within the context of tribal communities. Participant learning objectives would align with Common Core Standards of early learning, and also of ECE professional development. In order to maximize scalability, the workshops would be in the form of narrated online presentations, and would be designed to enhance or be embedded with other professional development programs (e.g., degree programs, continuing education credential, specialty endorsements) and ongoing on-site conversations and activities among staff. The aim is to further the conversations, idea-generation, integration with other education opportunities, foster collaboration, and instigate discussions that happen in centers and with families every day. The materials can be used freely.
1) Strategies for observing, self-monitoring, and documenting elements of high-quality everyday interactions with a focus on infants and toddlers in tribal ECE settings, and for using this documentation to communicate with and support families and staff
2) Links between quality of language input from adults and early childhood oral language development and literacy development within tribal communities in toddlers and preschoolers, with particular emphasis on dual-language learners
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3) Strategies for identifying and supporting language or communication delays in toddlers and preschoolers, while preserving heritage language and culture through social language
Proposed Logistics
Pilots of three 90-minte presentations with associated materials (suggested readings, exercise worksheets, conversation starters, resources, etc) will be developed and every effort would be made to have them provided by an agreed upon date.
Members of the team, listening groups, faculty, training staff, community members etc. are encouraged to review the material, make suggestions, comments, and feedback to see if it fills a need, or would likely be beneficial to furthering longer-term goals.
If these preliminary materials are considered helpful and appropriate to the goals of the team, then adjustments can be made accordingly, permission to use in practice would be formally shared, and compensation can be remitted through a formal consulting contract.
If the materials are not considered conducive or appropriate in furthering goals to a larger degree or credentialing pathway, it is suggested that the team consult with other professionals with experience and expertise specific to tribal continuing education in these ways, such as those listed herein. In this instance, no charge will be incurred, and permission for use will not be granted.
References
Center for Indian Education, Gila River Indian Community, & University of Arizona. (n.d.). Gila
River Early Educators Attaining Teaching Excellence (GRE -2 - ATE). Retrieved from http://center-for-indian-education.asu.edu/gre2ate
Childhood Council for Exceptional Children, Division of Early. (2010). Responsiveness to ALL children, families, and professionals: Integrating cultural and linguistic diversity into policy and practice .
National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning. (2013, April). CRIHM Tribal Health
Advisor: “My Teaching Partner.” Retrieved from http://www.crihb.org/html/books/book6/files/assets/basic-html/page11.html
Ray, A., Bowman, B., & Robbins, J. (2006). Preparing early childhood teachers to successfully educate all children: The contribution of four-year undergraduate teacher preparation programs . Erickson Institute.
US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of
Head Start. (2012). Office of Head Start Tribal Language Report . Retrieved from http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/mr/tribal/pdf/OHS-Tribal-Language-Report_Jan_2012.pdf
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