Office of Indian Education

Webinar: Opportunities and Challenges in Supporting and Growing the Tribal Early Childhood Workforce
March 14, 2022 | 2:30-4:00 p.m. ET

Please join this Administration for Children and Families (ACF) webinar to learn about approaches to supporting, growing, and strengthening the early childhood workforce in tribal communities. A strong, qualified, well-compensated workforce is critical to the successful implementation of high-quality early childhood programs. In tribal communities, there are additional considerations around ensuring that early childhood program staff have the language, cultural, and community knowledge to implement culturally grounded programs that meet the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) children and families. Tribal communities also have a strong interest in “growing their own” workforce by supporting members of the community, including former program participants, to become early childhood professionals.

Retaining a strong workforce also requires supports around professional development, health, wellbeing, and self-care – which has become even more clear during the disruptions of the pandemic. During this webinar, participants will hear an overview of issues related to supporting and strengthening the early childhood workforce in tribal communities, followed by a panel highlighting innovations and promising practices being implemented in tribal communities. Participants will then be able to learn more about and discuss highlighted strategies with peers and hear about resources they can use in their own communities and programs.

This webinar is part of a series of webinars on topics related to implementation and coordination of early childhood programs in AIAN communities. Resources and recordings from the webinar series are available at: https://rise.articulate.com/share/FxAwtFkPS9MNjR9DgFFxKK7HdmPgU6x1.