Cherokee budget adds funds to Head Start

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September 22, 2012

Cherokee budget adds funds to Head Start

Anonymous The Muskogee Phoenix Sat Sep 22, 2012, 12:20 AM CDT

— Cherokee Nation tribal councilors approved a $526 million operating budget for fiscal year 2013 at the September Tribal Council meeting, according to a media release.

The new budget will add $400,000 to the tribe’s Head Start program.

The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

“Providing top-notch early childhood education is a major objective of my administration, and I’m very pleased the council saw fit to approve additional funding to help our youngest Cherokee citizens,” said Principal Chief Bill John Baker. “The success of our Cherokee children is vital to the future of our nation, so we owe it to them to provide the best opportunities possible.”

The program helps prepare preschoolers who may be from low-income homes for kindergarten, sharing with them the same learning resources their more affluent peers may have access to. Only about 80 percent of Head Start’s needs were met each year and many teachers left for higher paying jobs, said Head Start Director Verna Thompson.

"It’s great to see the Cherokee Nation really making Head Start a priority once again,” Thompson said.

The next Tribal Council meeting is slated for 6 p.m. Oct. 15 at the W.W. Keeler Complex in Tahlequah.

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Cherokee budget adds funds to Head Start

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