Title
VERNA D. THOMPSON EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ACT OF 2021; 2024 AMENDMENTS
Body
BE IT ENACTED BY THE CHEROKEE NATION:
Section 1. Title and Codification
This legislative act shall be titled and codified as the "Verna D. Thompson Early Childhood Education Act of 2021" or alternatively the "Verna D. Thompson Act."
Section 2. Findings
The Council of the Cherokee Nation finds that the provision of early childhood education to Cherokee citizens, across the Cherokee Nation reservation, is a critically important national interest. The Council finds that Cherokee Nation's partnership with the federal Head Start program has improved the education, health and general welfare of thousands of Cherokee families across the reservation. The Council likewise finds that the operation of Child Development Centers through partnerships with the United States Department of Health and Human Services has had comparable positive impact since Cherokee Nation's first CDC began operations in 1992. Since the Cherokee Nation Head Start program commenced in 1978, the program has received the highest of ratings by United States Department of Health and Human Services evaluators. The Council finds that, notwithstanding the overall positive impact of the program, Cherokee Nation Head Start facilities are widely in need of repair or replacement and that a failure to remedy these deficiencies reduces the efficacy of the program. The Council finds it preferable that all existing Head Start facilities be replaced and that all sites be located in Cherokee Nation owned buildings on Cherokee Nation owned properties. The Council also finds it appropriate to identify opportunities for growth that benefit local public schools in the form of partnerships that may involve co-location of Cherokee Nation operated programs on the school property, which will expand access for all Cherokee families. Each site should utilize mode...
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