District receives funding for Alaska Native early childhood program

The Matansuka-Susitna Borough School District received a grant of $500,371 through the Department of Education to continue the Dzuuggi Preschool Program, a home-based/center-based program for Alaska Native and American Indian families with children age birth to five.

The program has been available in the district for the last seven years and serves 126 families with 162 children, preparing them for the transition between home and school.

"Our main focus is to help our children feel comfortable about themselves and their family background," said Cissy Pace, the program's coordinator. "At the same time, we are preparing them academically and socially to succeed in kindergarten."

The program requires significant parent involvement; a child development associate visits the family's home once a week, both parents and children come to a classroom and learn about different cultures and skills twice a month, and once a month all of the families are invited to a family night that introduces the children to different cultural events, such as dancing and drums.

The program is free to the families, and anyone of Alaska Native or American Indian heritage is eligible. Each month the program focuses on a different cultural curriculum, and all children are introduced to all of the different Native groups in Alaska.

"By having home visits and setting up the preschool setting, they get the best of both worlds," said Pace. "There is the early childhood education, but also the socialization component."

Pace said there are data to back up that Dzuuggi, which means 'our children, our precious ones' in Ahtna Athabascan language, works.

According to Pace, data from two sets of benchmark exam scores show, of the students tested, 80 percent of the Alaska Native Dzuuggi attendees received a proficient score in reading, writing and math, while only 30 percent of Alaska Native children that did not attend Dzuuggi scored proficient.

The program had to compete for the grant that will fund the program for the next three years.

"We've got the funding," said Pace, who is also an early childhood education teacher who designs the cultural curriculum.

"Now we can really get in there and focus on the program," she added.

Right now there are about 15 families on the Dzuuggi waiting list; Pace said she hopes that most of those families will be able to start the program this year.

With the new funding made available, Pace said she plans to hire one more child development associate.

The 2003-2004 Dzuuggi Preschool Program is scheduled to start in two to three weeks.

For more information about the program, contact Pace at 746-9230.