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TAHLEQUAH, OK - The National Indian Head Start Directors Association (NIHSDA) honored Cherokee Nation Tribal Council Member Charles "Chuck" Hoskin during NIHSDA’S annual training conference in Arlington, Virginia.

Hoskin was honored during a conference luncheon for his dedication to Head Start and for his work as a partner and friend to not only the Cherokee Nation Head Start program but also to all American/Alaska Native Head Start programs. He received a plaque of recognition and a special commendation from NIHSDA.

"To receive national recognition for my advocacy on behalf of Head Start, is truly a great honor and one that I want to share with every employee of the Cherokee Nation’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs, for their dedicated work with children", Hoskin said.

Hoskin has served on the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council since 1995. He chairs the tribe’s education committee and has played a part in appropriating more than three million dollars in higher education scholarships per year.

Since he was elected as a tribal councilman, Hoskin has been very active in the Head Start program on the local level and national level.

On behalf of NIHSDA, Hoskin has participated in hearings with the United States DHHS for increases in funding for Indian Head Start programs.

"We are very proud of Councilman Hoskin", said Verna Thompson, director of the Early Childhood Unit, which oversees the Head Start, Early Head Start and Child Development Center programs. “He has been an advocate for the Cherokee Nation Head Start for many years."

After being honored, Hoskin gave a speech on early childhood:

"No area of education is more important to the future of Native Americans, and indeed all Americans, than early childhood education. A recent study of Early Head Start programs suggests that children had larger vocabularies and could command more complex grammar by age five as a result of participating in these programs. The children scored higher on tests and showed lower signs of aggressive behavior. These are skills, lessons and behaviors that can last a lifetime.

"Our most powerful weapons against crime, poverty, and the general despair in Indian Country are parents, classrooms, teachers, directors and administrators.

"Policy makers in this country who celebrate the success of Head Start and similar early childhood education programs better start putting their money where their mouths are. We can’t expect to continue realizing great gains in early childhood education programs if we are under-funded and our buildings are dilapidated.

"The fact is, a two percent increase is simply not enough. Let’s remember in the weeks, months, and years ahead that we make choices each and every day at the tribal, state, and federal level that either help children or hurt children. It’s up to us as tribal leaders, as policy makers, as parents and as citizens to say which choice is right."

Hoskin has resided in Vinita all his life. He is ½ Cherokee and married with two children. He graduated from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master’s Degree in Education. He served in the U.S. Navy on the U.S.S. Independence; was a history teacher at Vinita Public Schools; a high school administrator for the Locust Grove Public Schools.

The goal of the NIHSDA conference was to emphasize the importance of advocacy and the Reauthorization of the Head Start Act for all Head Start stakeholders and to update participants on National and Regional information for the benefit of young children and their families.

Objectives for the conference were (1) to introduce participants to 11 Advocacy Issues that are of major importance to American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start programs; (2) to provide the opportunity for grantees to have input into prioritizing and solving critical advocacy issues; and (3) to support opportunities for Head Start and Early Head Start programs to network, share information and develop partnerships with others and federal staff.