The Suquamish Tribe: People of Chief Seattle - Marion Forsman-Boushie Early Learning Center

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Friday, September 10, 2010

Marion Forsman-Boushie Early Learning Center

Contact:

Marion Forsman-Boushie Early Learning Center
360.394.8578
5283 Totten Rd.
Poulsbo, WA 98370

ELC Programs:
(click each program to email coordinators)

- Head Start / Early Head Start
- RIF (Reading is Fundamental)
- Moms' Prenatal Program
- Nutrition Services
- Cultural Program
- Full-Day Preschool & Wraparound Childcare Program
- Fatherhood Program

Our Mission & Vision:

We believe that each child is unique, with different abilities, special talents and individual needs.

We offer an environment where the "whole child" can grow emotionally, socially, physically, intellectually and culturally.

We provide a stimulating, safe, and healthy environment encouraging learning through creative play.
The Head Start program provides grants to local public and private non-profit and for-profit agencies to provide comprehensive child development services to economically disadvantaged children and families, with a special focus on helping preschoolers develop the early reading and math skills they need to be successful in school. Head Start programs promote school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and families. They engage parents in their children's learning and help them in making progress toward their educational, literacy and employment goals. Significant emphasis is placed on the involvement of parents in the administration of local Head Start programs.

The center serves 130 students ranging from birth—12 years who are enrolled in either Early Head Start, Head Start or childcare.

Our Programs and Curriculum include:

Creative Curriculum
Second Step and Touching Curriculum
SPARKS
Touchpoints
RIF (Reading is Fundamental)
SPARCS
Cultural Education
Fatherhood Drum Making
Computer Bus
Lending Library—Families are encouraged to check out our wide variety of stories and activities.
Resource library—an assortment of books with topics ranging from parenting and discipline to developmental stages. Resources available in our Community are featured as well.
Prenatal Program—Sponsored by our Health Specialist, Tina Estabrook and is available to all expectant mothers.

Training Opportunity

The ELC also offers wrap around childcare for Head Start and Early Start plus a full day preschool program utilizing the same Creative Curriculum used in Head Start and Early Head Start Our wrap around program capacity is 76 and our preschool capacity is 75 children. The childcare program is available for children 6 weeks of age to 12 years.

elc4

The Cultural Program consists of the children learning basic Lutshootseed Language & Culture and life ways of the Suquamish Tribe. Lessons include: dyeing wool, spinning wool, Salish wool weaving, cedar weaving, learning paddle & friendships songs in Lutshootseed, counting in Lutshootseed as well as names of family and animals. The families are invited to make a drum for their child that stays with them in the classrooms until they graduate from the program. The children gain a sense of pride in who they are and where they come from as they are able to learn from the strong teachings that come out of the Cultural Education Program!

The ELC participates in the CACFP program for nutritional reimbursement. The USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care and making it more affordable for many low-income families. Through this program and the funding from Head Start, all children at our center are served a nutritious breakfast, lunch snack and milk each day. All meals are planned by a nutritionist and meet all of the USDA guidelines for healthy eating. The Tribal nutritionist Fran Miller works with the teaching staff of the center to create nutrition and dietary curriculum for all of the children. The focus of the nutrition education for the children is healthy eating. Height and weight screenings are done periodically throughout the year by our health specialist to monitor the healthy physical development of your child protecting against diabetes and childhood obesity.

Partners

The Marion Forsman Boushie Early Learning Center is associated with the Office of Head Start. We were nominated in January 2009 for the Centers of Excellence award by the Office of Head Start. www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs/

Our center is partnered with Touchpoints by a grant to educate teachers and parents regarding the Touchpoint method created by Dr. T. Berry Brazleton. We have two people on staff who have been trained in this method, and have been partners for over seven years, http://www.touchpoints.org/

Reading Is Fundamental is a grant the MFBELC holds which provides at least three reading programs each year to encourage parents, families and community members to read to children for at least 20 minutes per day www.rif.org

SPARK (Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids) is a non-competitive, physical activities program that encourages kids to move their body and develop healthy lifestyle habits.www.sparkpe.org

We are partnered with wiseupwomen.tamu.edu to provide ELC families with financial skills building.

Head Start and Early Head Start use the Creative Curriculum for their lessons. It is organized into four different areas of development; Social, Physical, Cognitive and Language. Early Head Start teachers focus on fulfilling 21 different goals and objectives in the areas of social, physical, cognitive, and language. Head Start focuses on fulfilling 50 goals and objectives. www.creativecurriculum.net

The Second Step curriculum helps children learn how to keep their bodies safe and healthy. Topics cover a wide range including fire and gun safety, stranger awareness, street safety, safe touches, 911, poison awareness and water safety. www.cfchildren.org/programs/ssp/prek/

SPARC Literacy, a section of the National Head Start Familiy Literacy group supports family literacy by providing education and training for families to help them achieve self-sufficiency and financial sustainablilty. www.sonoma.edu/cihs/familyliteracy/