Letter From the American Indian College Fund President

Greetings, Family, Culture, Institution and Community – these are the four pillars that hold up the American Indian College Fund’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) initiatives. As you will see in the stories and information provided in this report, the College Fund is honored to support the knowledge and experiences of our tribal colleges and the citizens of the tribes they serve. We support them as they build on their own family systems and cultural expertise to create more dynamic and meaningful institutional experiences to create healthier families and communities.

You will see that our work with children and their families is rooted in the strength of those families—the strength that emerges from their shared desire for healthy and happy children. This shared desire is the foundation of the commitment exhibited by all of the partners in the College Fund’s ECE initiatives from the children themselves, to teachers and ECE staff, to tribal colleges and universities, to parents and extended family members, to tribal partners, to schools and other local partners, to funders. Elders and cultural experts eagerly joined us because they know that our children are not only the expression of our deepest hope, but they are also our future leaders. We educate and nurture our young ones so they can carry out the dreams of our ancestors to build future productive and prosperous societies. Just as the mission of tribal colleges and universities focuses on indigenous identity and sense of place, so, too, is the focus of early childhood education. Our work proves that this focus reaps benefits— children thrive, families are empowered, and communities are engaged in institutional development and progress. As a lifelong educator, I have often witnessed the frustrations of parents and family members who want nothing more than a loving, welcoming educational experience for their babies, toddlers, and young children. They want the environments that their children are part of to be places where their values and expectations are honored and upheld. Our work with early childhood education, educators, tribal colleges, and partners provides those environments. We are happy about that. There are many exciting strategies shared in this report. As you read this report we hope you will find our sharing to be useful to your understanding of the transformative impact of investing in early childhood education and the vital role that tribal college and universities play. We also hope that you will consider how you can support this work, through advocacy, outreach, training, marketing, and funding. You can help us expand the reach of what we have learned, so more children and their families will have amazing experiences that increase their success and quality of life. With best regards and heartfelt thanks for your support of Native education,

Cheryl Crazy Bull President and Chief Executive Officer