In moving into the future, there are multiple paths that could likely be taken to reach the goal of healthy children, families, and communities–to stem a tide of seemingly needless struggles and premature deaths. In designing programs it is important to start in the very places in which they hope to be implemented. As Ball (2009) noted: “Community-fitting approaches to supporting early childhood development are likely to be more effective than top-down, expert-driven strategies or models purported to be ‘best practices’ and imported from other contexts. Involving community members in forging useful pathways to achieving locally defined goals is part of the foundational work that leads to sustainable community-driven programs”1. Simply put, past policies related to Indigenous education (among other areas) have often created problems–ones that continue to reverberate and manifest in disparities in Indigenous populations across the U.S.2 and Canada3, 4. Current contexts, too, are thought to contribute to continuation of historical patterns of disenfranchisement and disparity among Indigenous populations.
In thinking of productive approaches, there are many contexts and possibilities to consider. Some scholars remind of the importance of recognizing the incredible value that Indigenous values, cultures, languages, and practices have for preparing young people for learning and ask that educators understand these as differences and not deficits when it comes to Indigenous children5, 6. Others focus on the need for healing from historical trauma and promote parenting education interventions that re-teach cultural values and practices that have been lost over time due to cultural trauma, replacing maladaptive behaviors with ones that support better parental and family health7, 8, 9, 10. With the diversity of individual, familial, and tribal experiences over time, those represented by both types of strengths and needs may very well be intermixed within any given community–creating a context requiring both/and approaches designed with local populations.
Sources:
1 Ball, J. (2009). Centring community services around early childhood care and development: Promising practices in Indigenous communities in Canada. Child Health and Education, 1(4), 183-206.
2 Sarche, M., & Spicer, P. (2008). Poverty and health disparities for American Indian and Alaska Native children: Current knowledge and future prospects. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1136, 126-136.
3 Ball, J. (2012). Federal investments in strengthening Indigenous capacity for culturally based early childhood education and care. In N. Howe and L. Prochner (Eds.) Recent perspectives on early childhood education and care in Canada (pp. 337-366). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
4 Greenwood, M., Leeuw, S. D., & Fraser, T. N. (2007). Aboriginal children and early childhood development and education in Canada: Linking the past and the present to the future. Canadian Journal of Native Education, 30(1), 5-18.
5 Romero-Little, M. E. (2010). How should young indigenous children be prepared for learning? A vision of early childhood education for indigenous children. Journal of American Indian Education, 49(1/2), 7-27.
6 Hubbs-Tait, L., Tait, D., Hare, C., & Huey, E. (2005). Involvement of American Indian families in early childhood education. In O. N. Saracho & B. Spodek (Eds.) Contemporary perspectives on families, communities, and schools for young children (pp. 225-246. Greenwich: Information Age Publishing.
7 Brave Heart, M. Y. H. (1999). Oyate ptayela: Rebuilding the Lakota nation through addressing historical trauma among Lakota parents. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 2(1/2), 109-126.
8 Dionne, R., Davis, B., Sheeber, L., & Madrigal, L. (2009). Initial evaluation of a cultural approach to implementation of evidence-based parenting interventions in American Indian communities. Journal of Community Psychology, 37(7), 911-921.
9 Barlow, A., Mullany, B., Neault, N., Goklish, N., Billy, T., Hastings, R., Lorenzo, S., Kee, C., Lake, K., Redmond, C., Carter, A., & Walkup, J. T. (2015). Paraprofessional-delivered home-visiting intervention for American Indian teen mothers and children: 3-year outcomes from a randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 172(2), 154-162.
10 Barlow, A., Mullany, B., Neault, N., Compton, S., Carter, A., Hastings, R., Billy, T., Coho-Mescal, V., Lorenzo, S., & Walkup, J. T. (2013). Effect of a paraprofessional home-visiting intervention on American Indian teen mothers’ and infants’ behavioral risks: A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 170(1), 83-93.
In thinking of productive approaches, there are many contexts and possibilities to consider. Some scholars remind of the importance of recognizing the incredible value that Indigenous values, cultures, languages, and practices have for preparing young people for learning and ask that educators understand these as differences and not deficits when it comes to Indigenous children5, 6. Others focus on the need for healing from historical trauma and promote parenting education interventions that re-teach cultural values and practices that have been lost over time due to cultural trauma, replacing maladaptive behaviors with ones that support better parental and family health7, 8, 9, 10. With the diversity of individual, familial, and tribal experiences over time, those represented by both types of strengths and needs may very well be intermixed within any given community–creating a context requiring both/and approaches designed with local populations.
Sources:
1 Ball, J. (2009). Centring community services around early childhood care and development: Promising practices in Indigenous communities in Canada. Child Health and Education, 1(4), 183-206.
2 Sarche, M., & Spicer, P. (2008). Poverty and health disparities for American Indian and Alaska Native children: Current knowledge and future prospects. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1136, 126-136.
3 Ball, J. (2012). Federal investments in strengthening Indigenous capacity for culturally based early childhood education and care. In N. Howe and L. Prochner (Eds.) Recent perspectives on early childhood education and care in Canada (pp. 337-366). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
4 Greenwood, M., Leeuw, S. D., & Fraser, T. N. (2007). Aboriginal children and early childhood development and education in Canada: Linking the past and the present to the future. Canadian Journal of Native Education, 30(1), 5-18.
5 Romero-Little, M. E. (2010). How should young indigenous children be prepared for learning? A vision of early childhood education for indigenous children. Journal of American Indian Education, 49(1/2), 7-27.
6 Hubbs-Tait, L., Tait, D., Hare, C., & Huey, E. (2005). Involvement of American Indian families in early childhood education. In O. N. Saracho & B. Spodek (Eds.) Contemporary perspectives on families, communities, and schools for young children (pp. 225-246. Greenwich: Information Age Publishing.
7 Brave Heart, M. Y. H. (1999). Oyate ptayela: Rebuilding the Lakota nation through addressing historical trauma among Lakota parents. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 2(1/2), 109-126.
8 Dionne, R., Davis, B., Sheeber, L., & Madrigal, L. (2009). Initial evaluation of a cultural approach to implementation of evidence-based parenting interventions in American Indian communities. Journal of Community Psychology, 37(7), 911-921.
9 Barlow, A., Mullany, B., Neault, N., Goklish, N., Billy, T., Hastings, R., Lorenzo, S., Kee, C., Lake, K., Redmond, C., Carter, A., & Walkup, J. T. (2015). Paraprofessional-delivered home-visiting intervention for American Indian teen mothers and children: 3-year outcomes from a randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 172(2), 154-162.
10 Barlow, A., Mullany, B., Neault, N., Compton, S., Carter, A., Hastings, R., Billy, T., Coho-Mescal, V., Lorenzo, S., & Walkup, J. T. (2013). Effect of a paraprofessional home-visiting intervention on American Indian teen mothers’ and infants’ behavioral risks: A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 170(1), 83-93.