Teaching the teachers
Culture Camp brings tribal childhood professionals together
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BARAGA -- The Wiikwedong Early Childhood Development Collaborative hosted the 5th Annual Wiikwedong Early Childhood Development Culture Camp Tuesday and Wednesday at the Niiwin Akeaa Community Center in Baraga. The two-day camp was aimed at bringing together tribal early childhood educators and caretakers in the Keweenaw Bay area. More than 60 educators and care providers from several organizations participated in the camp.
Wiikwedong Leadership Committee member and KBIC Early Childhood Program Director Heather Wood said the camp has steadily grown in participants each year. She said she was particularly enthusiastic for this year’s event. "We're excited because it brings in all the tribal early childhood centers into one place," she said. "All the places that serve families, they overlap. This gives us a chance and a place to collaborate and coordinate."
According to Wood, KBIC Pre-Primary Education, Ojibwa Early Learning Center, Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC) Little Eagles, KBIC Maternal and Child Health and other regional organizations were represented at the camp. Participants registered through MiRegistry could receive credit for certification with the state.
KBOCC Little Eagles Educator Melissa Paulson said gathering almost every regional tribal early childhood educator under one roof will help the educators' goals for child development long-term. "A lot of the things that we've learned here in culture camp are nice because it brings all the different organizations in our area together," she said. "We're all teaching the same things. No matter which classroom you're in or which program you're with, the teachings are going to be consistent."
Breakout sessions for Tuesday's camp, which centered around "Safe Sleep," included making dreamcatchers, proper baby swaddling, crib watching and more. Traditional Ojibwe Cradleboards were a key breakout station in the afternoon. The goal of a cradleboard is to provide a stable and comfortable position for the baby to rest.
Promised Neighborhoods Preschool Specialist Taylor Drift said she grew up around those traditional caretaking tools but never fully grasped their importance until she participated in the camp. "I grew up in a very traditional home but I didn't know how to use them, when to use them, or even if I was doing it right," she said. "After today, I've learned quite a bit about it."
One other component of Culture Camp was handling interactions with parents, including mothers. Wood said postpartum depression is a large -- and rarely discussed -- issue facing mothers who just gave birth. It was Wednesday's theme, along with nutrition.
"If you're serving a family or if you see a parent at only pick-up and drop-off, [educators] can look for signs that they might be having a hard time," she said. "It's a focus for the providers."
For more information about Wiikwedong Early Childhood Development or Culture Camp, email Team Coordinator Cheryl LaRose at larosecheryl@gmail.com.