Native Language and Culture Experiences among Children in Region XI Head Start Classrooms & Programs: Findings from the American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2015

The purpose of this brief is to describe the Native language and cultural experiences of children in Region XI Head Start. The findings provide insight on areas such as children’s classroom peer and staff racial composition, programs’ staff tribal and community memberships, teachers’ Native language use, and children’s Native language and cultural experiences and resources in classrooms.

• The majority (85%) of Region XI children are in classrooms where half or more of the children are AI/AN, including 65% who are in classrooms where over three-quarters of children are AI/AN, and 20% who are in classrooms where 50-74% of children are AI/AN.  
• The majority (84%) of Region XI children are in classrooms where at least one of the classroom’s staff (lead teacher, assistant teacher, or paid aide) is AI/AN. 
• The majority of Region XI children have teachers, center directors, or program directors who are tribal or community members
• Almost half (47%) of Region XI children are in classrooms in which their teacher speaks a language other than English, either at home or in the classroom. 
• Based on classroom observations by trained observers, nearly two-thirds (62%) of Region XI children are in classrooms where a Native language was used during the time of observation.
• The majority of Region XI children (86%) are in classrooms with at least one of these AI/AN cultural materials present. 
• Nearly three-quarters of Region XI children are in Head Start centers or programs that have a cultural or language elder or specialist available to support their Native language and culture efforts.  Almost half are in classrooms that have a cultural or language elder or specialist.

The AI/AN FACES 2015 sample provides nationally representative information about Region XI Head Start children, their families, programs, centers, and classrooms. We selected a sample of Region XI Head Start programs from the 2012—2013 Head Start Program Information Report, with one to two centers per program and two to four classrooms per center. Within each classroom, we selected all children for the study. In total, 21 programs, 36 centers, 73 classrooms, and 1,049 children participated in the study.

The sample used for this brief includes information reported by the teacher, center director, program director, or classroom observer who completed the fall and spring surveys for the 1,049 children participating in the study.  All findings are weighted to represent the children enrolled in Region XI Head Start programs in fall 2015 and who were still enrolled in spring 2016.

Sarche, M., Barnes-Najor, J., Abramson-Martin, L., Amaya-Thompson, J., Cameron, A., Charles, T., Godfrey, A., Kaufman, C., Petticrew, E., Richardson, M., Sauve, M., Shuey, D., and Whitaker, J. (2020). Native Language and Culture Experiences among Children in Region XI Head Start Classrooms & Programs: Findings from the American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2015. OPRE Report #2020-01 Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.