Outstanding news from our friends at Lakota Immersion Childcare!

Lakota Immersion Childcare (Iyápi Glukínipi), a language revitalization initiative based in Oglala, SD, recently received a sizable three-year grant from the Administration for Native Americans (ANA).

These funds were awarded through the exceedingly competitive Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance initiative (NALPM) which, in addition to supporting immersion endeavors, provides grants for curriculum development, teacher training, and technology used to disseminate and preserve Native American languages.

ANA awarded approximately $2.6 million in new NALPM grants for 2014, which were conferred on 13 recipient organizations. Lakota Immersion Childcare, which is receiving the funds via its fiscal sponsor, Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, is the only organization in the Dakotas to be awarded ANA language funds, and one of only three in the Great Plains area.

Lakota Immersion Childcare currently has a staff of five, including two administrators, and three fluent speakers who work with the children on a daily basis. Their enrollment is currently 15 children, and the program admits a new cohort of five toddlers between 18-24 months of age each fall. The ANA funds will enable the program to develop and expand over the next three years and beyond, according to their long term plan, which includes partnering with a local school to create a full-immersion elementary program.

 

Kili! Taŋyáŋ ečhánuŋpi! (Fantastic! Well done, congratulations!)