The 2023 Montana Early Childhood Tribal Language Summit will be held at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana, June 14-15. The event aims to showcase and advance the work happening in Native communities surrounding tribal language education focused on young learners.
A child’s first language is critical to learning and maintaining their cultural identity. Young children who are exposed to dual languages are more likely to develop proficiency in both languages and experience advantages in focusing, memory, multitasking, and performing at higher levels of thinking. Tribal language vitalization is a cornerstone to Montana’s early care and education system.
This annual summit provides time and space to collectively share challenges and paths to success in Native language and culture acquisition. Join educators from Montana early childhood programs, tribal colleges, and immersion schools to discuss the best practices that help language and culture flourish within our tribal communities. To learn more, see the agenda.
“Young children experience a better understanding of their own cultural identity when they can learn their tribal language. This cultural knowledge helps heal some aspects of generational trauma that many indigenous families live with, showing children it is OK to learn and speak their language,” said Carrie Spotted Bear, Zero to Five Montana Early Childhood Tribal Policy Coordinator.
This summit is free to attend, but registration is required. Register here by May 31: http://bit.ly/2023MTLangSummit
