NOWATA, Okla. (OBV) – The Cherokee Nation cut the ribbon on a new, multimillion dollar state-of-the-art Head Start facility that will work to provide children the education and care they will need to thrive.
The tribe invested $7.3 million into building the 9,300-square-foot Cherokee Nation Nowata Head Start Center in Nowata.
Nowata Head Start will provide comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition and parent-involvement services to low-income families with children ages three and under. The facility includes a storm shelter, commercial kitchen, early Head Start classrooms and a playground that has shade structure and an eco-green roof, according to Cherokee Nation officials.
“Our work with the federal Head Start program has improved the education, health and general welfare of thousands of Cherokee families across the reservation for decades,” said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “Since we started the program in 1978, we have received the highest of ratings by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services evaluators. Earlier this year with support from the Council, we reauthorized the historic Verna D. Thompson Early Childhood Education Act to fund modern, state-of-the art learning environments at all our Head Start centers. This investment coupled with our ongoing work to provide more quality, affordable childcare across the reservation helps ensure our youngest of Cherokees who rely on us for early learning have all the tools they need to continue thriving.”
The Verna D. Thompson Early Childhood Education Act partially funded the Nowata Head Start Center, doubling the Cherokee investment from $40 million to $80 million to replace or renovate all of the tribe’s Head Start centers with new, state-of-the-art facilities.
The new facility is the first completed replacement project led by Hoskin and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner. Its name honors a Cherokee Nation employee who has dedicated much of her professional life to helping children, Cherokee Nation officials said.
“The Cherokee Nation Verna D. Thompson Early Childhood Education Act is rightfully named in honor of Head Start Director Verna Thompson, who has worked for the Cherokee Nation and in early childhood education for 40 years,” Warner said. “Verna has been the cornerstone of these early childhood learning opportunities for decades and we’re excited to see how our Head Start centers take these efforts to the next level in the years to come.”
Cherokee Head Start programs serve more than 900 children.
“I am thrilled to be here for the grand opening of the Head Start Center in Nowata. This Head Start is a much-needed facility in Nowata and will benefit so many children and families in the surrounding area,” said District 12 Councilor Dora Patzkowski. “I want to thank Chief Hoskin, Deputy Chief Warner and my fellow Councilmembers for supporting the funding for this Head Start Center.”
Federal Head Start programs serve more than 1 million children each year across the nation.
“I am proud to see the investment that Cherokee Nation continues to make in early childhood education,” said District 11 Councilor Kendra McGeady. “When we invest in early childhood education, we are not only investing in children’s future, but we are investing in their formative years to make sure they have a strong foundation to begin on.”
The Cherokee Nation will also replace or renovate Head Start facilities in the following communities:
- Tahlequah
- Jay
- Stilwell (combining two facilities in that area)
- Salina
- Pryor / MidAmerica Industrial Park (co-located with a new Child Development Center)
- Nowata
- Kenwood (located within the Woody Hair Community Center)
The Verna D. Thompson Early Childhood Education Act was passed in 2021. It also established a task force to probe Native American childcare needs.
The task force identified gaps in communities experiencing limited childcare.
The Cherokee Nation is investing around $77 million in additional funds to build child development centers at sites across the reservation, separate from the $80-million Head Start investment, according to Cherokee officials.
