Government and Regulations
Improving Dental Health in Native Children
Currently, half of all Navajo children will need to be treated in the operating room because of the severity of their untreated tooth decay, but...
Ensuring that more children enter school “healthy and ready to learn” is the goal behind new funding from HHS for tribal communities. Through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), HHS is awarding $600,000 to 6 tribal entities in the Tribal Early Learning Initiative (TELI). Launched by ACF in 2012, TELI supports American Indian tribes in coordinating early learning and development programs.
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This year’s grants have been awarded to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (Montana) for the second time, Cherokee Nation (Oklahoma), Choctaw Nation (Oklahoma), the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (Oregon), the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, and Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Wisconsin).
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The ACF has also issued Tribal Early Learning Initiative: Collaborative Success, a report highlighting innovative projects by the first TELI grantees: Choctaw Nation (Oklahoma), Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (Montana), Pueblo of San Felipe (New Mexico), and White Earth Nation (Minnesota).
Each tribe conducted a self-assessment to identify strengths and challenges. Choctaw Nation, for instance, described a “highly experienced, well-qualified, and dedicated staff” but felt challenged by serving families in such a large geographic area and lack of early care and education services for babies and toddlers.
Related: Improving Dental Health in Native Children
The tribes then came up with innovative ways to meet their identified challenges. After finding service gaps, such as no shared data system and weak intraprogram communication, Pueblo of San Felipe developed the “early childhood passport.” The passports, which contain important health and service information for each child and family, help streamline services and data sharing to ensure more timely referrals and continuity of care.
These first 4 projects, ACF says, now serve as models for other tribal early childhood programs.