JUNEAU, AK (September 2, 2022) – The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) is thrilled to announce a $1.2 million grant has been awarded from the United States Department of Education (DOE).
On Friday, the DOE awarded 28 new grants totaling $35.3 million through the Alaska Native Education program.
Tlingit & Haida’s Kei Naltseen Haa Sgóoni (Our School is Being Strengthened) program was one of eight in Southeast Alaska selected for the award.
Kei Naltseen Haa Sgóoni is a partnership between Tlingit & Haida’s Cultural Heritage and Education Division, Goldbelt Heritage Foundation and Cedar Group to increase academic performance of Alaska Native students by providing language immersion through Haa Yoo X’atángi Kúdi (HYXK), Tlingit & Haida’s Lingít language immersion nest preschool.
President Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson said the DOE grant will help Tlingit & Haida continue to provide support for revitalizing languages in Southeast Alaska.
“Our Indigenous languages are vital to ensuring our identity and place among this land continues for generations to come. This funding ensures we can continue to build the capacity to increase Lingít language immersion efforts, nurture the reemergence of our languages through the voice of our children, and develop online educational resources for all of our tribal citizens and language learners,” President Peterson said.
The goal of the American Native Education program is to support “innovative projects that recognize and address the unique educational needs of Alaska Native children and adults.”
In a DOE press release, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said he hopes the funding will help ensure an equitable recovery so all students can thrive.
“Every Alaska Native student—in rural and remote villages, in regional hubs, and in urban centers—should have access to high-quality and culturally responsive educational opportunities. These projects help fulfill that obligation by supporting existing partnerships between students, families, schools, and Alaska Native organizations,” Secretary Cardona said.
With the new funding, HYXK staff plan to increase language proficiency in kids ages three to five (3-5), improve the quality of materials and produce a video mini-series in the Lingít language.
HYXK is a child care program licensed with the State of Alaska. The focus is to teach cultural, social and academic content using only the Lingít language for instruction. There are currently nine children enrolled in the program.
