TEACHING A NEW GENERATION

Significant investments in early childhood improving the education, health, and welfare of young Cherokees

By Katelynn Bowden

Cherokees have long recognized the importance of a child’s formative years and the need for a nurturing and enriching environment to learn and grow up in.

In 2021, Cherokee Nation leaders set aside $40 million to replace or repair the tribe’s Head Start facilities located across the reservation with construction planned for Tahlequah, Nowata, Kenwood, Jay, Cherry Tree in Adair County, and Salina.

“Early childhood education is the foundation of the Cherokee Nation. We could be teaching the future Principal Chief of the Nation and I believe our teachers take that very seriously – they are building up the foundation of our tribe and shaping young Cherokees to be the leaders that we need,” said Cherokee Nation Early Childhood Unit Director Verna Thompson. “This investment is about ensuring that our facilities match this high-quality curriculum.”

The legislation earmarking $40 million for this effort is named in honor of Thompson, who has worked for Cherokee Nation and in early childhood education for some 40 years now.

“It is always great to invest in children’s education,” said Cody Youngblood, a parent of two daughters who attend Cherokee Nation’s Head Start facilities. “It is going to benefit them later on in life. Looking at the long term, building the new childhood education centers will allow for less money going into upkeep so that more can go back to our children.”

Cherokee Nation’s original Head Start buildings were created in 1978 and within the first year of being open the centers housed 120 Head Start children. Some of the original sites are in Kenwood, Redbird in Stilwell, and Cherry Tree. Today the Cherokee Nation currently has 65 classrooms, 175 staff members and serves around 880 children through all of its Head Start programs, including those in partnership with local schools.

For those in Tahlequah, a new two-story, 75,000-squarefoot building funded through the Cherokee Nation Verna D. Thompson Early Childhood Education Act will take some stress off of staff trying to upkeep the older facilities. The tribe unveiled architectural renderings of that new facility, along with renderings of the new facility to be located in Nowata, in October of 2022, when leaders also detailed project goals for the other Head Start construction projects that are upcoming.

“Our world is changing every day and if you don’t keep up with it, you are going to fall behind, that is no different for education facilities,” said Lauren Perez, a Cherokee citizen and a parent of four children, all of whom attended a Cherokee Nation Head Start Facility. “I think it is amazing that the Cherokee Nation has these resources to be able to provide new and upgraded facilities for the kids because we do not want to leave them behind. You need these resources to continue your education, to continue your knowledge, and to progress through everyday life. I think it is even more important for us as Cherokee citizens to maintain our place in history and being able to provide that for our kids now will set them up for success in the future.”