White Earth Nation

Head Start - American Indian Families

Services and programs that prepare low-income families with preschool children (ages 3 - 5) for their transition to public school kindergarten and to support child development, parenting skills and self-sufficiency

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, health, nutrition and social services while being responsive to ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds.

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
• 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 - five
• Services are available in all areas of the White Earth Reservation with a home visitor providing a weekly visit and two monthly group socialization.
• This option is available September - May for ages three - five and year round for prenatal to three 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

• Payment
  • Free / no cost to eligible clients

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

Eligibility

The Health and Human Services (HHS) Poverty Guidelines are used to determine income eligibility for participation in Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

• Children age 3 - 5 who are from families with incomes below the poverty guidelines
• Children in families who are experiencing homelessness
• Families receiving public assistance such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Foster children are eligible regardless of their foster family's income

Local programs may determine additional selection criteria to be responsive to community needs.

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