Tribal Head Start preparing for next
year, applications being accepted
By Lori Jay-Linstrom, Parent Involvement Coordinator
The Siletz Tribal Head Start program is currently accepting applications for chil-
dren who will be ages 3 or 4 on or before Sept. 1.
If you have not received an application and would like one sent to you, please call
800-922-1399 or 541-444-2532 and ask for Head Start. We would love for you to apply.
Once you receive your application, please fill it out and return it with all required
documentation as soon as possible. Please don’t wait until school is just about ready to
start as our slots fill up fast and we want to serve as many Tribal families as possible.
The Siletz Tribal Head Start program offers a developmentally appropriate and
American Indian culturally relevant preschool experience. Our program has highly
qualified and professional staff. Our program supports the individual growth of each
child and offers activities to promote their physical, social-emotional, language and
cognitive development.
The Siletz Tribal Head Start program also extends services to support the families
of the children enrolled and offers parent skill-building activities and family support
services that are responsive to their needs.
The Siletz Tribal Head Start program is located in Siletz, Lincoln City, Portland
and Salem.
Nutritional highlights for all families
By Nancy Ludwig, MS, RD, LD, Siletz
Tribal Head Start Nutritionist
As part of my role as a consultant
nutritionist to Siletz Tribal Head Start,
I offer information for families. This
segment wraps up the school year with a
summary as the end of the school year is
not the end of nutritional needs for your
children and families.
My theme this year was to balance
nutritious foods that are easy to prepare
with traditional foods and their nutritional
equivalents to invite families to move
toward culturally optimal nutrition.
Traditional foods have many advan-
tages, yet in many ways are a chal-
lenge because of limited access to land,
potential contamination and limited time
(especially for busy Head Start families).
In summary, traditional foods do not
include wheat, milk or sugar (also known
as white flour, soft drinks, milk and milk
products). Traditional foods are variable
depending on climate and location, but
generally favor nutrient-dense foods that
are low in starch and sugar.
It appears to me that the loss of
traditional practices has contributed to
growing health problems. I believe that
an important way to prevent and treat
diabetes and other chronic disease is to
transition back toward this traditional diet
or to a holistic approach with nutritionally
equivalent foods.
The Salish Food Mound, as described
by Drs. Korn and Ryser, is composed of
33 percent leafy greens, berries and fruits;
45 percent meat, fish and fowl; 20 percent
fats and fish oils; and 2 percent roots and
sweets. It turns out that the composition
of the Salish Food Mound is similar to the
popular Paleo diet (short for Paleolithic).
It isn’t only American Indians who benefit
from this approach.
The following nutrients are needed
for your children’s healthy eating:
A simplified way to look at which fats
are healthy is to look toward nature. Oils
that are found in naturally fatty foods or
are easily extracted are likely to be healthy
when fresh. Examples include fatty fish,
nuts and avocado.
It isn’t always clear how much carbo-
hydrate we need. Children may actually
need more carbohydrates than adults.
Most of today’s children, however, get
too much sugar.
Sugar and high fructose corn sweet-
eners are among the biggest problems.
Not only do sugars provide empty calories
(meaning calories without other nutrients
like vitamins and minerals), but they also
set the stage for unhealthy cravings and
can lead to excessive weight gain, tooth
decay and other chronic disease.
To make sure your children get
enough vitamins and minerals , include
fruits and vegetables.
Vegetables are nutrient-dense because
they are generally high in vitamins and
minerals and low in calories. It is difficult
to eat too many vegetables!
Meats, fish, poultry, nuts, beans and
eggs also are rich in vitamins and minerals
as well as proteins and fat.
In helping your children learn healthy
eating habits for a lifetime, it is important
to honor the child’s responsibility to decide
how much and whether to eat what you
serve. For this to be successful, parents
also need to follow their foundational
responsibilities of what, when and where .
Children need to feel secure with a
certain amount of routine around when
and where meals and snacks are offered.
Protein is needed for children to grow
and repair. It is a good idea to include a
protein source with each meal and snack
(which can be thought of as a mini-meal).
Healthy fats and essential fatty acids
are critical to health. Essential fatty acids
include the omega-3s found in fish oil.
14
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Siletz News
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July 2014
Courtesy photo
The afternoon class at the Siletz Tribal Head Start in Salem learns about earthworms.
Children make the best choices when
presented with only healthy selections
(meaning each choice is a good selection).
Young children feel empowered and
learn from making choices. Parents help
them to succeed by not offering choices
that are inappropriate.
Also, avoid yes or no questions. For
example, rather than “Do you want veg-
etables?” ask “Do you want carrots or
peas with dinner?”
This approach is known as The Divi-
sion of Responsibility and is described
further in the book Child of Mine – Feed-
ing with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn
Satter. She also wrote a book called How to
Get Your Kid to Eat … But Not Too Much.
My recipe selection is from Feeding
the People, Feeding the Spirit by Elise
Krohn and Valerie Segrest, and was pro-
vided specifically by Kimberly Miller.
This Skokomish soup traditionally was
made in winter with dried berry cakes and
smoked dried salmon.
The first step is to find acorns. Crack
the nuts, cut them into smaller pieces, then
soak them in water for three days to remove
the strong tannins. Change the water 3-4
times a day. If you do not have acorns, you
can replace them with hazelnuts.
Vet rep asks Tribal veterans to call in: All Siletz Tribal veterans are asked
to call Tony Molina, Honor Guard director and Tribal veterans representative, to
verify their DD214s and enrollment numbers so he can process their names to be
placed on the Veterans Memorial on Government Hill.
Molina can be reached at 541-444-8330 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1330.
Siletz veterans office open daily: Tony Molina is available for all Siletz
Tribal veterans. He is in the Tribal administration building in Siletz on Monday-
Friday to help you get information for your VA benefits. Additionally, he needs
your help to update our veterans’ roster, especially for those currently serving. See
below for contact information.
From our veterans representative, Tony Molina: All of our veterans and
families can call me 24/7 at home at 541-444-2828 or on my cell at 541-272-2818. This
will help since I’m only in the office part-time. My office number is 541-444-8330
or 800-922-1399, ext. 1330. I thank all of our veterans for their service to our nation.
Hazelnut,
Huckleberry, Salmon
Soup
2 cups traditionally smoked salmon,
pulled apart into small pieces
6 cups water
½ cup acorns, ground (processed as
described above or replaced by
hazelnuts)
½ cup hazelnuts, ground
2 cups evergreen huckleberries
To taste, salt and pepper
In a crock pot, add salmon,
water, acorns and hazelnuts. Cook
on low overnight or for several hours.
When the salmon is soft and the broth
is flavorful, add the huckleberries
and cook for an additional half hour.
Season to taste.
Cook time: 4-8 hours, Serves 6.
I would make this from canned
smoked salmon, dried hazelnuts and
frozen huckleberries. I’ve worked
with acorns before and the process
to remove the tannins is important,
yet takes time. This could be a fun
community project. Please invite me,
I’d like to join you.
Please let me know what you
think of these recipes. Siletz Tribal
Head Start offers my time at no cost
to you to support family nutrition
over the telephone (503-588-5446).
Please contact me if you have nutri-
tion concerns about your Head Start
child. Next year, I hope to offer a few
cooking demonstrations for families
and parents.