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Tribal Child Care Technical Assistance Center (TriTAC)
Effective Program Strategies

Child Care/Head Start Cherokee Nation

Demographic Information:
Surrounded by the rolling Ozark foothills and nestled in the heart of the Illinois River Valley, the Cherokee Nation is headquartered in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the oldest municipality in the state. Their jurisdictional area spans 7,000 square miles and encompasses 14 different Oklahoma counties. The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma is the second largest Tribe in the country with over 260,000 members.

Type of Program:
The Cherokee Nation Tribal Child Care and Development Program (CCDP) operates a certificate program that serves over 3,000 children in tribally operated centers, contracted centers, contracted family child care homes, and in-home care settings. The Tribe’s Early Childhood Unit (ECU) operates 37 Head Start classrooms and 20 Early Head Start classrooms, which serve approximately 850 children and families. Full-day, year-round partnerships between Head Start and Child Care operate at two sites in Tahlequah and Stilwell, and serve approximately 185 children.

Effective Program Strategy:
In 1999, the Cherokee Nation elected a new Principal Chief who soon recognized that the Tribe was operating two very similar early care and education systems. The ECU within the Tribe’s Department of Education coordinated Head Start and Early Head Start part-day services for children from birth to five years old and their families. The CCDP, housed within the Cherokee Nation’s Department of Human Services, administered the Tribe’s child care subsidy program and a quality child care center. Although the CCDP was partnering with Head Start by paying for extended day services for 25 children whose families needed full-day arrangements, the Principal Chief encouraged the directors and staffs of both programs to take a collaborative approach to evaluating how the Tribe was delivering all early education services.

This self-assessment led to the development of a Memorandum of Agreement between the CCDP and the ECU that redefined the roles of each party. The ECU retained responsibility for Head Start and Early Head Start, and took over the day-to-day operations of the Tribe’s child care centers. The CCDP continued to administer the Tribe’s child care subsidy program, child care resource and referral, child care licensing, provider training, and other activities designed to increase the availability of quality child care choices for Cherokee Nation families. The CCDP also agreed to provide funding to support ECU’s operation of the child care centers.

During the initial partnership conversations, a neutral facilitator ensured that all partners’ needs and concerns were addressed, and assisted the programs in their transition from single entities to cooperative partners.

Once each program’s team began to acknowledge their similarities and accept their differences, they realized there were many areas where they could strengthen each other. The Head Start/Early Head Start program was able to offer Child Care staff the opportunity to receive training and take courses during the regular workweek, while the Child Care program was able to contribute dollars to improve the quality of the facilities. As a result of the programs’ give-and-take philosophy, and their combined budgets, they are able to provide comprehensive services to more children within their community.

Resources:
The Cherokee Nation utilizes funding from the Tribal CCDF, Head Start, and Early Head Start grants to fund the partnership.

Results:
Today the partnership serves approximately 185 children at two sites that are managed by the ECU. The CCDP provides funds to extend the Head Start and Early Head Start hours of operation and to enhance the quality of the services. As a part of this enhancement, both programs’ funds are used to pay staff according to a revised salary scale based on experience and credentials. In addition, the collaboration between the programs has resulted in better communication between parents and staff and an increase in the parents’ involvement in their children’s care. This has helped the children transition more smoothly throughout the day.

While the Cherokee Nation is learning many things through the partnership, the most valuable lesson is persistence. As one team member said, "Change is not always easy, but the benefits realized are worth the effort!"

Contact Information:
Laurie Hand
Director, Child Care Programs

Address:
Cherokee Nation
PO Box 948
Tahlequah, OK 74465-0948

Phone: (918) 458-7613
Fax: (918) 458-7616
Email: lhand@cherokee.org

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This page was last updated June 5, 2004.