The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska is building two early education campuses on Prince of Wales Island that will expand access to Head Start programs and childcare for families in Craig and Klawock. The project is part of a broader push toward education sovereignty that supports nearly 400 tribal children across the tribe's programs.

Construction is underway for two new education campuses that will be completed in the summer of 2026, according to a tribal representative.

The campuses replace cramped single-room facilities currently capped at 15 children. Each new campus will house two Head Start classrooms and two infant and toddler childcare rooms. The tribe broke ground on the projects in April 2025, with ceremonial events in both communities marking the start of construction.

Right now, Tlingit and Haida Head Start programs in Klawock and Craig operate out of small single-room classroom buildings on Prince of Wales Island. Space is tight, and that limits the number of kids in each program, a tribal representative said.

The expanded facilities will integrate Tlingit and Haida language immersion with early education. Programs will offer instruction in both Lingít and Xaad Kíl, grounding children in their cultural heritage while building academic skills. The tribe views these campuses as a key step in its education sovereignty strategy, bringing control of early learning back to the community and ensuring cultural continuity alongside academic preparation.

Investing in education means giving families more access to early learning and childcare, a tribal representative said. We have an opportunity at Head Start to really give them that head start and help them learn how to read and write and have those core skills for them to be successful later on in life.

The thing I'm looking forward to most in the new space is having the ability to serve more kids and more families, because right now we're capped at 15, and so that will have more space so we'll be able to serve more children and families, a tribal representative said.

The new campuses will also create additional job opportunities through the expanded Head Start and childcare classrooms.

Construction crews are using local rough-cut spruce for siding on the buildings. The facilities will feature large windows and doors opening to playground areas.

The Prince of Wales campuses will bring culturally rooted learning to children in Craig and Klawock and set them on the path to success, a tribal representative said.

The project reflects Tlingit and Haida's broader strategy of bringing multiple early education programs under one roof to create wraparound services for families. The tribe is pursuing a similar approach in Juneau at the old Floyd Dryden Middle School, which will house Head Start, Early Head Start, a Tlingit Immersion Preschool, and childcare.