Tester Announces Nearly $5 Million for Early Childhood Education in Indian Country

Northern Cheyenne and Blackfeet Tribes Receive Funding for Head Start Programs

(Big Sandy, Mont.) – Vice Chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee Jon Tester announced today that both the Northern Cheyenne and Blackfeet Tribes will receive a total of nearly $5 million to fund their Head Start Programs.

“If we want our children to thrive, we need to make sure they have a strong foundation to build on,” Tester, a former teacher, said. “By providing educational, health, and parental resources to children and families in Indian Country at an early age, this funding will help form that foundation for a strong future.”

The Northern Cheyenne Tribe will receive $1,319,603 to run their Head Start Program, which provides early childhood education opportunities for the children of Busby, Lame Deer, Muddy, Ashland, and Brinney. The Blackfeet Tribe will receive $3,685,474 to provide developmental services to over 300 children across the reservation.

The funding, which comes from the Administration for Children and Families’ American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Grants Program, will go towards reading, writing, and other basic educational training, public health initiatives and parental support services.

Tester has been a champion of Head Start throughout his tenure in the Senate. He announced $2.3 million in funding for the Crow Tribe’s Head Start Program back in May and successfully pushed for increased funding for the program earlier this year. You can read more about Tester’s efforts to improve native education HERE.