Honoring Native American Heritage

In many indigenous communities, children are viewed as sacred beings. They are earth’s most recent inhabitants and have a close connection to the Creator.

For Native American communities, providing a strong start for their children includes enriching practices that respect and embrace their heritages, languages and cultures. These practices are the heartbeat of tribal nations. Join us in celebrating our indigenous communities and the caregivers and professionals who support them.

Join us in celebrating our indigenous communities and the caregivers and professionals who support them.

Check out our list of curated resources for early childhood professionals working with indigenous communities or looking to learn more about diversity-informed practice.

Native Perspectives on Child Development

A new resource from Safe Babies and the National Indian Child Welfare Association

Indigenous communities throughout the world have always had traditional ways of child-rearing, teaching, and learning that support healthy child development.

Understanding, respecting, and incorporating Indigenous knowledge of child development into service delivery to Native children and families is critical to program success. This tip sheet may be useful to practitioners and service providers who work alongside Native children and families, including mental health providers, child welfare professionals, legal advocates, researchers, students, and other child welfare advocates.

Healing from the Inside Out

A New Age for Collaboration, Communty and Indigenous Home Visiting

We invite you to share in this wonderful closing plenary from the Administration for Children and Families Indigenous Home Visiting Meeting.

Dr. Anton Treuer reflects on his journey to understand native heritage and culture, including during the birth of his own children, and how collaboration, community, and home visiting can help native individuals overcome adversity, heal from trauma, and equip young families for their best chances at long, healthy, happy lives.

It is possible to restore intergenerational transmission of indigenous languages and cultures. It’s happening in many ways, in many places and in many forms. It means everything.

Anton Treuer, PhD

Teachings from Home: My Journey in Home Visiting

Now a member of ZERO TO THREE's THRIVE team, Carri Chischilly reflects on how the family support she experienced growing up on the Navajo Nation Reservation inspired her journey to help other native families through home visiting services.

Growing up, we are taught to care for and give back to our community, so the home visitor position was a blessing that came across my career path.

Carri Chischilly

Implementing the Safe Babies™ Approach in Tribal Communities

By partnering with the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA), Safe Babies is approaching the work with cultural competence and is committed to addressing bias in the child welfare system.

A growing body of research shows that culture is an important protective factor for Native children and youth. In recent years, an increasing number of tribal nations have decolonized their child welfare systems, refounding them based on their tribal cultures, worldviews, values, and traditional beliefs.

Sarah Kastelic, NICWA Executive Director

Culturally Grounded, Evidence-Based Tribal Home Visiting

Supporting the development of happy, healthy, and successful American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) children and families

In September 2023, President Biden signed legislation expanding the Tribal MIECHV program to support 41 grants serving 68 tribal and 17 urban Native communities. ZERO TO THREE’s Tribal Home Visiting Resource Institute for Excellence (THRIVE) team (formerly PATH) supports these grantees by increasing their capacity to implement high-quality home visiting programs within tribal communities and develop integrated early childhood systems serving American Indian and Alaska Native families (AIAN).