Find out how to incorporate the Native American Culture into US Early Childhood Education and overcome the obstacles that have stopped this so far. - A Southern Oregon University Project -

1. Incorporating Native American Culture
into Early Childhood Education
By Jaclyn Stewart

2. Forgetting a Heritage
Countries around the
world are making an
effort to include the
cultures of their
indigenous peoples in
modern early childhood
education programs.
Why not the US?

3. Forgetting a Heritage
By ignoring the
traditions of the Native
Americans in US
preschools, we are
allowing our children to
forget an important
piece of our country’s
heritage.
Why let it go?
Click Image to Enlarge

4. Forgetting a Heritage
It’s time to include the
Native American
culture in our schools so
future generations can
benefit from the
knowledge, teaching
practices, and traditions
that might otherwise be
lost.
Why not start now?

5. Forgetting a Heritage
To embrace this
heritage, we must
determine:
 What obstacles are
stopping us from
incorporating our native
culture?
 What knowledge and
values do Native
American elders believe
are the most important to
pass on?
 How should we share
these lessons with our
children?
 What resources will early
education teachers need
to represent the culture?

6. What’s Stopping Us?
Based on a 2012 study,
Native Americans make
up just 1.7% of the US
population.
Among those, just 52%
of native families with
kids between the ages of
3 and 5 enrolled their
children in early
childhood education.
This makes their voice
one the smallest
minorities in the EE
system.
Click Here to View Information Source

7. What’s Stopping Us?
Unfortunately, when
Native American culture
is addressed in public
schools, harmful
stereotypical portrayals
are used.
Lessons are limited to
tipis, savage-like warriors,
feather head bands, and
a bias perspective of the
first Thanksgiving.
This does not teach nor
honor their true culture.
Click Here to
View
Information
Source

8. What’s Stopping Us?
Too often, Native
Americans are grouped
into one homogenous
group.
In reality, there are
currently about 500
tribes, each with its own
language and cultural
traditions.
This prevents students
from learning about the
unique qualities of their
regional tribe.Click Here to View Information Source

9. What’s Stopping Us?
With more and more
Native Americans
growing up in urban
settings, there is less
exposure to their
traditional culture.
This has caused a
generational shift that
contributes to the loss
of some cultural values
and traditions.
Click Here to View Information Source

10. What’s Stopping Us?
Early childhood
education teachers are
not reaching out to local
tribes, thus their
students are missing out
on opportunities to
witness accurate and
valuable cultural lessons.
Additionally, reservation
preschools are
segregated from non-
native preschools,
preventing them from
interacting and sharing
their culture with others.
Click Here to View Information Source

11. Native Recommendations
Native Head Start
programs recommend
teaching:
 Unique aspects of the
lifestyles of various tribes:
i.e. differences in tribal
dwellings, nomadic vs.
agricultural tribes, etc.
 Actual tribal names
instead of simply “Native
Americans”: i.e.
Cheyenne, Hopi,
Apache, etc.
 Historical AND modern
native culture
 Activities with inoffensive,
non-stereotypical materials
Click Image to Play Video: Start at 1:03

12. Native Recommendations
In order to teach Native
American culture, early
childhood educators
need to become aware of
the struggles Native
Americans face and the
many individual
perspectives that come
from their diverse group.
Click Image to Play Video

13. Native Recommendations
In 1996, Native
American Elders
gathered in Colorado
and specified the
following culturally-
significant principles:
 Learn and be proud of
native language.
 Understand that all forms
of life are interconnected.
 Recognize the powers of
native ceremonies and
religious ways.
 Live with dignity, honor,
and humility.
Click Here to View Information Source

14. An Oral Tradition
Schools are
encouraged to teach
native language,
ceremonies, and other
principles through:
 Elder interaction
 Mythological storytelling
 Native song and dance
 Field trips to native events
Click Image to Play Video

15. An Oral Tradition
Teachers are
encouraged to reach
out to local tribal elders
and to use the many
multimedia resources of
the web to learn and
teach traditional native
stories, songs, and
more.
Click Image to Play Video

16. An Oral Tradition
It is important to expose
children to native
performers through field
trips and by attending
performances where
they can see dances,
ceremonies, and native
communities first-hand.
Click Image to Play Video: Start at 1:21

17. Connecting to Standards
Native educational
principles are easily
connected to the Head
Start Child
Development Early
Learning Framework,
especially:
 Music
 Creative movement and
dance
 Social relationships
 Family and community
 Knowledge of the natural
and physical world
Click
Image
to
Enlarge

18. Success in Action
In Nebraska, the Native
Indian Centered
Education program has
created a partnership
between public schools
and Native Americans
to provide native-centric
educational
opportunities like:
 Elders teaching traditional
drumming and dancing
 Outdoor classrooms that
host native healing gardens
 Monthly family events
designed by native parents
Click Here to View Information Source

19. Success in Action
Based on their success,
NICE recommends that
family-school-community
partnerships work best
when:
 The project benefits all
partners
 The pursuit of a shared
vision is promoted
 Understanding is
encouraged
 Family access to
community resources are
built and strengthened
Click Here to View Information Source

20. Join the Movement
If we truly intend to
incorporate Native
American culture into
our early childhood
education programs, we
need ongoing input from
Native Americans from a
variety of backgrounds,
whether traditional or
not.
Please share your
favorite native resources,
strategies, and
recommendations below!