Tlingit & Haida brings its Juneau early learning programs under one roof

The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska has brought its early childhood programs in Juneau under one roof, the tribe said in a video released Thursday. Head Start, Early Head Start, the LEARN child care center and a Lingít language immersion nest now share space at the former Floyd Dryden Middle School, which the tribe leases from the City and Borough of Juneau.

"It's been exciting, but even more exciting now because it's in real time happening," said Ethan Petticrew, the tribe's senior director of early education. LEARN will add more classrooms by December, he said.

The immersion nest, Haa Yoo X̲'atángi Kúdi, is a pre-kindergarten program for tribal citizen children ages 3 to 5, taught in Lingít, the Tlingit language. One parent in the video said all three of their children came through the nest, and described watching their "pride in knowing and understanding the language." The children call one another "nesty besties," the parent said, a bond "that I think is irreplaceable."

Head Start serves children ages 3 to 5 and Early Head Start children from 18 months to 3 years, at no cost to families of eligible children, according to the tribe. LEARN, short for Little Eagles and Raven's Nest, is a licensed, year-round child care center for children up to age 6. Its day is play-based, and "we try to incorporate our Tlingit culture," said Waughnita James-Elton, its administrator.

For many of the youngest students, the center is their first exposure to friends, to adults outside their family, and to sharing, taking turns and learning to state their emotions, said Kayla Tripp, the Head Start director. They carry those skills into elementary school, she said.

The tribe and the city announced the lease in November 2025. The building also houses the tribe's Wayfinders mentoring program for Alaska Native and American Indian high school students, and its gym remains open to the public through the city's parks and recreation department.

The tribe is building two similar campuses on Prince of Wales Island, in Craig and Klawock, Alaska News reported in April. The idea is to bring programs together "so we can braid them," a tribal representative said in the tribe's April video, "so that they provide the best resources, the best support for our families."

"We feel that culture heals," Petticrew said, "and if our kids are immersed in cultural education throughout their life, then we know we will grow up as strong people with healthy families, and that's our ultimate goal."