Volume 35 Number 1
October 1995

Sharon Wilson, Parent, Conehatta

FACE was initiated in December 1990, as an innovative Pilot Project in Early Childhood/Parental Involvement. The name was changed in 1992 to the Family and Child Education Program (FACE). FACE has grown in just five short years to include projects in 10 different states serving over 10 different tribes. Today, FACE addresses several of the national goals in education, including: school readiness, high school completion, adult literacy, life long learning, and parental participation in education.

Adrenne Chee, Parent, Chi Chil Tah/Jones Ranch

In addition, the integration of tribal languages and cultures is fundamental to the FACE program. Languages and cultures are considered strengths and used in the daily operation of the program to enhance learning, create stronger home-school relationships, and facilitate communication between the home and school. Tribal languages and cultures are major influences in adapting national goals and programs in early childhood, family literacy, and adult education to meet local needs so they can become more meaningful and effective for parents and schools.

The program is based on three distinct and proven models; namely, Parents As Teachers (PAT), Parent and Child Education (PACE) as adapted by the National Center for Family Literacy, and the High/Scope curriculum for Early Childhood and K-3. The PAT program originated in Missouri in 1981 and is based on the premise that all parents will be their children's best teacher. PAT offers regularly scheduled visits by certified parent educators who provide information on child development. Group meetings with other parents and periodic screening for early detection of problems, and if needed, linkages to other providers if problems or services are beyond the scope of FACE. FACE utilizes the PAT model and curriculum in the home based setting for children ages 0-3 and their parents.

The National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) was established in 1989 and expanded the Kentucky based PACE programs. NCFL has identified the essential elements of family literacy and helped programs across the country combine these essential elements to fit their local needs and resources. As modified, FACE provides a center based program at the school where parents and children come to school together. The four components of the center based setting are adult education, early childhood, parent time and parent-child interactive time.

The High/Scope Curriculum approach to education encourages children to actively initiate their own learning experiences. The teaching adult's role is to create the conditions for children's active learning. Adults, therefore support, guide and challenge children who are engaged in productive, problem focused learning activities.

Through this combination of PAT, PACE, and High/Scope, a new paradigm in family literacy was created called FACE. Each program reflects the cultural traditions and values of the community and, therefore, each program is unique.

FACE serves children 0 - 5 years old and their parents or care givers in two settings-home based and center based. The home based component serves children 0 - 3 years old and their parents, primary care givers, and/or extended family members. A parent educator goes to the home and provides information to the parents about the development of their child. This includes activities and toys that can be used to enhance the development of their child and what to expect from their child as he/she continues to grow and develop. In addition to the home visits, parent meetings are held at least monthly for parents of like aged children to get together. These meetings provide opportunities for parents to share ideas and information and for commonality issues to be addressed. Parent educators also provide screening and referral services for the families. Parents of children 0 - 3 years old may also address their educational needs. The adult education teacher from the center based component will put together activities that the parent can work on at home.

The center based component is for children ages 3 - 5 years and their parents or primary care givers and provider opportunity for parents to attend school with their children and address their educational needs. In the center based component the parent and child come to school together, the adult addresses their educational need in the adult education classroom while the child is being provided developmentally appropriate learning activities in the early childhood classroom. The parent and the child participate together during supervised learning activities every day during parent and child interactive time. The parents in the center based component also have sessions in parenting during parent time. This provides a support group for the parents and gives them more information about their children.

FACE has made a significant difference in the lives of many individuals and their families. Currently, FACE is operating in 22 BIA schools. There are 187 elementary and secondary schools in the BIA education system. During the 1994-95 school year 1,215 adults, 1,289 children, and 951 families participated in the FACE program. Thirty-five adults received their GED's, nine adults received their high school diploma, 116 adults gained employment, and 101 FACE children transferred into Kindergarten. FACE means a shared vision, mission, commitment, and determination for many more families to plan their futures by working together.

For more information about the FACE program, contact the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Indian Education Programs, 1849 C Street NW, 3512 MIB, Washington, D.C. 20240 or Patsy Jones, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Cherokee Agency, Cherokee, N.C. 28719 (704-497-9131 x239).