New Klamath Head Start center

The Yurok Tribe recently held a grand opening ceremony for a new building at the Margaret Keating School in Klamath to house its Head Start, Early Head Start and Child Care Programs.

“The new location is a one-stop opportunity for families to have their children at one site, whether they have kids in Child Care, Head Start or K-5,” said Education Director Jim McQuillen. “The new facility represents the Yurok Tribal Council’s dedication to the future of the community. The Council wants the best for the children.” 

The new facility doubles the capacity of the old building and accommodates more than 50 children of tribal and non-tribal families. There are four classrooms, which all bear the names of Yurok villages. The nearly 6,000-square-foot-building also boasts a commercial kitchen designed to satisfy the children’s nutritional needs and a full play area.

In addition to standard early childhood education, the Yurok Head Start and Early Head Start offer a Yurok language immersion class, which is a critical part of the Tribe’s goal of bringing back fluency.

The Early Head Start program provides services to parents with children 0 to 3 years. Children ages 3 to 5 are able to attend Head Start. 

The new site is being leased from the Del Norte County Unified School District. The $1.4 million project was funded by a Community Development Block Grant, the Yurok Tribal Council, federal Childcare grants and the Humboldt Area Foundation.

“It was truly a collaborative effort to make this dream a reality, McQuillen said.

“This has been a long time coming,” echoed Jan Moorehouse, the Del Norte Unified School District’s superintendent. “I applaud everyone who put in years of hard work to make this happen.”