Tlingit & Haida Prince of Wales Education Campuses

Investing in education means giving families more access to early learning and childcare. We have an opportunity at Head Start to really give them that head start and help them learn how to read and write and be, you know, have those core skills for them to be successful later on in life. 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. Construction is underway for two new education campuses that will be completed in the summer of 2026.

We have another bathroom here and then another child classroom here. Nice big windows, that's really nice. And then door, this door opens out and it'll open out into the playground area there.

We've got a bunch of local rough cut spruce for siding. And we're bringing that inside to dry. So when we get that pre-finished, we'll be starting the siding on the outside.

Just the new infrastructure kind of says a lot for the tribe. We're not just renting space, we're creating space for the city of Klawock, for CTA, and for Tlingit and Haida to all come together. We're going to see really soon what is able to happen when those partnerships are made and when we're not just given lip service but actual commitments. We're going to have two beautiful buildings. Tlingit and Haida's mission for early education is to bring programs under one roof to create wraparound services for families.

[SPEAKING TLINGIT] That's what the tribe is doing in Juneau at the old Floyd Dryden Middle School that will house Head Start, Early Head Start, the Tlingit Immersion Preschool, and child care. On Prince of Wales, each campus has space for 2 Head Start classrooms as well as 2 rooms for child care for infants and toddlers. We are creating one educational facility that is bringing multiple programs together so we can braid them and work them so that they provide the best resources, the best support for our families. The long-term plan is to offer both Hodgill and Tlingit language lessons, "Gudenong klatzgada." "Gudenong klatzgada." And that could translate several ways. It could be "make your mind strong," literally, or it could also mean "make yourself brave," "have courage." We're trying to create a system that prepares our children for school, because it's tremendously vital, but also firmly plants them in who they are in their culture and the pride that exists exists in there and to be able to tap into our traditional values to support their lives and guide them through life.

And so that's what we want to start working with them at this early age. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] The new campuses will also create more job opportunities with the additional Head Start and childcare classrooms. The thing that I'm looking forward to most in the, 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. The project reflects Tlingit and Haida's goal of working with community partners to foster education, wellness, and community connection. The Prince of Wales campuses will bring culturally rooted learning to children in Craig and Klawock and set them on the path to success.

Yeehaw! Okay, let's do our welcoming song.