The long-term prosperity of any community is profoundly linked to the quality of education and support it provides to its youngest members, establishing a foundation that influences outcomes for generations. In a powerful demonstration of this principle, the Cherokee Nation has embarked on a large-scale, strategic initiative to bolster its early childhood education infrastructure, culminating most recently in the opening of the Salina Early Learning Academy on February 5. This new $12 million facility is not merely a new building but a tangible symbol of a much larger vision. It represents a key achievement under the Verna D. Thomspon Early Childhood Education Act, an ambitious $80 million tribal investment aimed at constructing and revitalizing Head Start centers across the reservation. This comprehensive strategy, championed by tribal leadership, is built on the conviction that providing high-quality early education is one of the most effective tools for fostering long-term success and breaking cycles of poverty for its citizens.
A Foundation for Lifelong Success
The Head Start program, as implemented by the Cherokee Nation, offers a holistic approach to child development that extends far beyond traditional classroom learning. Designed to serve children from as young as six weeks to three years old, the initiative provides a nurturing environment where toddlers can develop crucial social skills and educational foundations that are vital for school readiness. However, the program’s impact is intentionally broader, addressing the comprehensive needs of both the child and their family. Services are integrated to improve food security, enhance family stability, and provide crucial job support for parents, creating a stable environment conducive to learning and growth. Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. has emphasized the program’s proven, multi-generational benefits, noting that research and experience show children who attend Head Start are more likely to pursue education after high school. Furthermore, their families are statistically more likely to achieve greater economic stability, illustrating that this investment in the youngest citizens creates a powerful ripple effect that uplifts the entire community.
The new Salina Early Learning Academy stands as a state-of-the-art embodiment of this comprehensive educational philosophy. The 18,300-square-foot center, built with a $12 million investment, is meticulously designed to support the holistic development of the 66 children it can accommodate. It features six modern classrooms—four for Head Start and two for Early Head Start—a fully equipped commercial kitchen to provide nutritious meals, and two separate playgrounds tailored for different age groups. A key feature is the multi-purpose gross motor room, which not only provides a space for physical activity but also serves as a hardened storm shelter, ensuring the safety of the children and staff. For the local Salina program, which had previously operated from three different locations, this new building provides a much-needed sense of permanence and stability. Its strategic placement adjacent to the new $85 million Cherokee Nation health and wellness center is particularly significant, as it streamlines access to the early health screenings and interventions that are a cornerstone of the Head Start model, integrating education and healthcare seamlessly.
Building a Network of Opportunity
The Salina center is a significant milestone, but it is also one piece of a much larger, reservation-wide puzzle being assembled by the Cherokee Nation. This strategic expansion of educational infrastructure is guided by the Verna D. Thomspon Early Childhood Education Act, a landmark tribal law that allocates $80 million toward constructing new Head Start centers and rehabilitating existing ones. Salina marks the sixth such facility to be completed under this act, joining a growing network of modern learning environments. New centers have already been successfully launched in Tahlequah, Jay, Pryor, Nowata, and Kenwood, each tailored to the needs of its local community while adhering to the highest standards of early childhood education. The momentum of this initiative continues, with plans already underway for a seventh center to be constructed in Stilwell. This systematic and widespread investment underscores a clear consensus within tribal leadership: ensuring that every Cherokee child, regardless of location, has access to the best possible start in life is a non-negotiable priority for the tribe’s future.
A Legacy of Commitment
The Cherokee Nation’s dedication to early childhood development was not a recent development but rather a long-standing commitment that had been continuously expanding for decades. Its formal partnership with the federal Head Start program began in 1978, establishing a foundational effort that grew to serve over 900 children annually across the vast Cherokee Nation reservation. The recent wave of construction and investment represented a deliberate and powerful acceleration of this legacy. By committing substantial tribal resources through legislation like the Verna D. Thomspon Act, the Nation took decisive action to modernize and expand its capacity, ensuring its educational facilities were as advanced as its pedagogical mission. These actions reflected a profound understanding that investing in the education, health, and well-being of its youngest citizens was the most direct and impactful way to cultivate a future defined by prosperity, resilience, and self-sufficiency for generations to come.
