White Earth Nation

Head Start - American Indian Families

Program that supports children's growth from ages 3 - 5 through services that support early learning and development, health, and family well-being.

Description

Head Start helps families with young children prepare to succeed in life and school. Programs promote children's development through services that support early learning, health, and family well-being. The program helps with early learning, community resources, health, nutrition and social services while being responsive to ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds.

Head Start staff actively engage parents, recognizing family participation throughout the program as key to strong child outcomes.

Services may vary in each local community.

Services may include:

• Center based classroom or Family Child Care experiences for children and their families
• Home-based services provided to individual families
• Socialization experiences for children and families
• Leadership, advocacy, and training supports for families
• Coordination with public schools and Early Childhood Special Education

The goal is to deliver services to children and families in core areas of early learning, health, and family well-being while engaging parents as partners as their child's primary teacher.

Local Head Start services are delivered by public and private nonprofit and for-profit agencies supported by local, state, and federal funding.

Additional Information

Home Based and Early Head Start:

• Pregnant parents and children ages birth - 5
• Services are available in all areas of the White Earth Reservation with a home visitor providing a weekly visit and 2 monthly group socializations.
• This option is available September - May for ages 3 - 5 and year round for prenatal - 3 year old children.

Classroom/Center Based:

• Children ages 3 - 5 years old
• Students are transported to one of the six centers near where they reside.
• Each classroom is staffed with a lead teacher, an assistant teacher and a family service advocate to assist families with various needs.
• This option is for full days Monday- Thursday from September - May. Centers are based in the communities of Pine Point, Naytahwaush, White Earth/Callaway, Waubun/Ogema, Rice Lake and Mahnomen.

Features

• Area Served by County
  • Clearwater County

• Payment
  • Free / no cost to eligible clients

• Specialization
  • Children and/or youth with disabilities
  • Family
  • Native American Community
  • People with low income

Eligibility

Eligibility guidelines ensure that families with the greatest need are identified and enrolled as soon as possible.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Poverty Guidelines are used to determine income eligibility for participation in Head Start programs. Programs establish selection criteria based on local eligibility factors.

A child is eligible if:

• The family's income is equal to or below the poverty line; or
• The family is eligible for or, in the absence of child care, would be potentially eligible for public assistance; including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) child-only payments; participation in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or
• The child is experiencing homelessness; or
• The child is in foster care. Foster children are eligible regardless of their foster family's income.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Serves all families (Native American and non-Native American) residing on Reservation. Families over income guidelines accepted when applicable.

Preference is given to:

• Low income families
• White Earth enrolled members
• White Earth descendants
• Other Native American tribes
• Children with disabilities and other special needs

Application Instructions

Downloadable application specific to White Earth available on agency website

Fee

No cost to participating families