Native Children’s Commission report urges President Biden and Congress to prioritize Indigenous youth support

The Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children recently issued a call to action in a long-awaited report – Congress established the commission in 2016 – highlighting critical gaps in support for Indigenous children and youth and advocating for programs nationwide that will help them to thrive.

Opening with a letter to President Joe Biden and Congress, the Commission delivered the results of their extensive research after listening to Native communities around the country and analyzing the grants, programs and support available to Indigenous youth. It focuses on American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian children and youth up to the age of 24.

The Way Forward, a 258-page report, includes 29 recommendations on child welfare, juvenile justice, education, cross-systems issues, trauma-informed care, greater inclusion of Native history education, and an emphasis on physical, mental and emotional health. The report also calls for environmental impact health assessments to reduce risks to Native children and youth. The report was released Feb. 20.

“Building on Native values and Native strengths, the Commission offers this report with deep respect for the culture and traditions of Native people, acknowledging that Tribes and Tribal organizations have created successful approaches that can and should be scaled and supported to fulfill their potential,” the letter stated.

Based on the report, the commission received evidence about the importance of a tailored education for Native students from early childhood to higher education, as well as how incorporating culture and language plays a role in contributing to Indigenous success.

Prioritizing early childhood development is vital for helping Indigenous youth to prosper. The commission is focusing on expanding access to programs that decrease infant mortality and improve child welfare outcomes for Native children.

The Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visit program is a resource for families in Indigenous communities who face higher risks and barriers to achieving positive maternal and child health and welfare outcomes. MIECHV provides culturally relevant home visiting services to pregnant women, expectant fathers, parents and caregivers of children under the age of 5.

While this program helps bring American Indian parents and children together, many tribes face obstacles in participating due to limited resources and lack of experience applying for competitive grants. Native Hawaiian communities aren’t eligible.

The Spotted Bear-Soboleff Commission’s solution to this issue includes increased funding, transition to formula funding –– noncompetitive grants based on a predetermined formula — for Tribal MIECHV programs and inclusion of Native Hawaiian entities as qualified applicants. Hilary Gourneau, the director of the Head Start program, stressed the importance of early childhood development resources in helping children experiencing poverty prosper.

“Early intervention can substantially reduce the impact of poverty on children’s development when it is sufficiently intensive and reaches the families who need it the most,” said Gourneau in the report. “Poverty chronically deprives children of the resources necessary for them to thrive, as well as decreasing their resilience to stress and various physical illnesses.”

Another point emphasized is expanding primary and secondary education to include Native Peoples’ history and culture. The commission asked for the tribal, state and federal government to acknowledge the United States’ Indigenous Peoples and incorporate lessons on history and culture written by relevant Native communities from the area into the curriculum.

The report asks for schools to work with their Native communities to collaborate and determine content, standards and metrics. While the commission knows that updating the curriculum will create some challenges, these changes would be important for social and emotional development, as well as cross-cultural understanding.

Lona Running Wolf, the former director of American Indian Student Achievement at the Montana Office of Public Instruction, spoke in the report about training teachers on how to help and connect with Indigenous students who are overcoming intergenerational trauma.

“We started an educator prep program — where we are actually decolonizing prep programs, to train teachers that understand trauma and how it affects the brain, and therefore they know how to teach those types of learners. We wanted them to know how to integrate culture, we wanted these teachers to be able to go to these school systems and be able to connect to these students,” Running Wolf said in the report.

The commission also advocated for Native culture and language learners in early childhood programs and K-12 schools. Some of the solutions include offering community-specific ways of learning languages and creating Native culture and language-appropriate placement assessments. In addition, there should be appropriate remuneration and flexible certification for teachers considering the different stages of Native language revitalization, as well as providing adequate training for teachers in curriculum development.

Connie Albert, an education program administrator at the Office of Tribally Controlled Schools for the Bureau of Indian Education, mentioned in the report that Native students want to learn the languages of their tribes.

“Across nations, we all share similarities regarding the drum, the land, and the plants,” said Albert in the report. “Consequently, all of our Tribally controlled schools are actively working to enhance our culture and language. This effort is rooted in the understanding that self-identity is deeply connected to these cultural aspects. During interviews with our students, one of them expressed, ‘If we don’t get exposed, we don’t learn.’”

The commission also called for the strengthening of school, family and community partnerships, creating more after-school programming, ensuring state government accountability for funding Native students, expanding loan forgiveness to Native students and making higher education more affordable for Native students.

On the last page of the report, Niagara Rockbridge, who was awarded Miss Navajo Nation in 2021, highlights the importance of taking care of the needs of Native children and youth.

“When we move forward, we must remember that youth plays a very important role in building our nation and country,” said Rockbridge. “They carry forward our hopes for the future, change, and our legacy.”