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THE CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE GRAND RONDE COMMUNITY OF ORECON JUNE 1993 (
First Year of Head Start Ends
By Tracy Olson
For the past school year, nineteen tribal and
community children have been attending the Tribe's first
Head Start early childhood education program, the first of its
kind in Grand Ronde. It was developed in conjunction with
YC AP (Yamhill Community Action Program) which operates
out of McMinnville, Oregon.
The schoolhouse is located on a piece of tribal ly
owned property behind the Alcohol and Drug offices in
Grand Ronde. Main staff are: Angela Bedortha, Teacher,
Mary Cook, Assistant Teacher, and June Olson, Family
Services Advocate. Angie described this year's class, and
some of the things they have learned.
"Of our nineteen children, half are enrolled in the
Tribe," she said. "Some parents who work for the Tribe bring
their kids from Sheridan, Dallas, and Salem. With the
exception of a few four-year olds, I am confident the class is
socially and emotionally prepared for kindergarten."
One thingemphasized to parents and the community
about Head Start is the difference between the program and
daycare or even another pre-school.
Said Angie, "We discuss the differences and
similarities between the different cultures. A lot of children
don't have current concepts of what a Native American is. "
This includes presenting .an anti-biased curriculum and
talking about cultures the children may not come in contact
with every day. She continued, "All Head Start programs do
this. We emphasize Native American culture, while others
may focus on the Hispanic or black culture, etc."
Throughout the year, the children have learned to
count in Chinook jargon, they've read Native American
stories, and recently made a traditional talking stick. Whoever
is holding the talking stick gets to speak, while others must
listen. This has been a good way of teaching tradition and
courteous behavior at the same time.
As Family Services Advocate, June Olson goes on
many home visits and offers support to parents whose
children are in Head Start.
"This program is not about assistance and social
services. It's about working as a group. We all support each
other. Parents support each other. It's a cooperative effort
in the community. I help families set up goals, break down
barriers... for whatever they want; college, transportation,
child care for other children, etc," said June.
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Head Start class picture with Angie Bedortha (left) and Mary Cook
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June's position at head Start was an experiment
no other YCAP Head Start had a Family Services Advocate,
but it worked so well, next year she'll work for Willamina
Head Start as well as Grand Ronde.
During a regular class day, the children are only in
school for four hours. Angie and Mary use this time to try
to set up a routine; impress upon the children certain
socialization concepts and life skills. These include
cooperation, mutual problem-solving, ideas, communication,
and space-sharing. The children are expected to get along,
but if there is a problem, Mary and Angie don't take sides.
"The children are encouraged to solve the problem
with words. We help them talk about their feelings to each
other, and the importance of respecting other people. They
know their opinions are valued, even at this age," explained
Angie. "It feels so good when I hear a child say, 1 know, we
can play with it together!'"
Another encouraging point is that Grand Ronde
Head Start has the highest level of parental involvement in
YCAP.
"We would definitely like to sec more parents in the
classroom," said June. "Ideally, we'd like to see each parent
in class for about four hours per month. This enables us to
show parents some of the techniques we use in teaching, so
they can continue the process at home. That way, we know
we are nurturing the areas of development. Parents are the
real teachers, the real role models." The four areas of
development are: emotional, physical, intellectual, and social.
The staff is very grateful for the contributions the
Tribe has made to this program. Hopefully, the Tribe will
take over the program completely, if a grant proposal is
approved.