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Effective Program Strategies
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| Parent Training Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska |
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Demographic
Information:
The
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA) provide
support services to families and children in the Southeast Alaska region.
The work setting is one of the most beautiful, yet challenging places on earth,
focusing on serving Alaska Native children and their families. It is a land
of old growth cedar and spruce trees along the Pacific Northwest Coast. All
of the communities, except Juneau, are located on islands along the inside
coastal waters called the "Inside Passage." There is a cool maritime
climate, with many overcast and rainy days. When the skies clear, the glacier
chiseled mountains, sea waterways, beaches, spruce trees that reach the sky,
eagles, seals, and salmon are magnificent and pristine. This is the ancestral
land of the Tlingit and Haida people.
Type of Program:
The CCTHITA operates a full-day, part-year Head Start and Child Care program
serving pregnant mothers, families with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers,
and operates a full-year certificate program to approximately 350 children
and their families.
Effective Program Strategy:
CCTHITA operates the Alaska Native Home Base Project for Preschool Children,
funded through the U.S. Department of Education. The program staff developed
a culturally relevant series of parent education tools designed specifically
for our Alaska Native parents, and particularly for Tlingit and Haida families.
The tools developed include two video series: "A Parent's Journal,"
designed for prenatal parents and families of infants and toddlers, and "Family
Feathers," designed for families with preschool children. There are 34
video titles that address many ideas for engaging families in creative and
interesting activities to extend learning. This project has won both regional
and national video production awards for its artful presentation and careful
representations of sensitive topics.
Currently, program staff is developing a CD-ROM to train family visitors who work with Native families. CCTHITA expects this product to be completed by 2003.
Lastly, the Tribes are developing a parent educator website specifically for Tlingit and Haida families. Through this website, parents can access activity ideas from the video series and get links to many child development sites. This website will be on line in 2003.
Resources:
Approximately $250,000 has been provided in in-kind services for this project,
with more expected. CCTHITA uses multiple funding sources for these strategies,
including the U.S. Department of Education, ACF/CCDF and Head Start.
Results:
Parent and community comments have been incredibly positive. Parents
are readily accessing the materials, because the material is culturally sensitive
and relevant to their lives. Feedback from other professionals has also been
positive.
Lessons Learned:
Dream
big dreams and follow them through. Begin with your community first; lots
of knowledge already exists. Hire the right people to do the job. Be clear
about your vision, plan carefully, and continually evaluate your project.
Contact Information:
Nila Rinehart, Head Start Manager
Jackie Tagaban, Early Childhood Development Specialist
Address:
320 W. Willoughby, Suite 300
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: 907/586-1432
Fax: 907/463-7316
Email: nrinehart@ccthita.org
| NOTE: If you have information about an Effective Program Strategy in your Tribal community that you would like to share, please contact the Tribal Child Care Technical Assistance Center (TriTAC) at TriTAC@namsinc.org |
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