Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation Cuts Ribbon on $3.5 Million Early Learning Expansion in Smith River

Press release from the Tolowa Dee-Ni’ Nation:

The Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation is celebrating the completion of the 7,500-square-foot expansion of our Head Start Early Learning Program (XELP) facility with a ribbon cutting at 9:30 a.m. July 22, at 12840 Mouth of Smith River Rd. in Smith River, Calif. We invite everyone to attend the event and tour the facility!

“This project represents the Nation’s vision to further develop the Department of Education. It allowed program staff to be integral to planning the building, including designing the natural playground,” said Sheryl Steinruck, the Nation’s Department of Education Director. 

This project is a model of teamwork and effort to meet the need for culturally appropriate early learning for infants and toddlers, Steinruck said.

“The Construction Committee’s collaboration was instrumental in the start-up phase, keeping things moving,” she said. “We express our sincere gratitude for the dedication to excellence, supported by various departments, especially the Finance Department, which ensures compliance with financial reporting requirements. We extend our sincere gratitude to our funding partners, Tribal leadership, staff, the construction crew, subcontractors, and everyone who helped make this project a reality.” 

The $3.5 million expansion will enable the Nation’s Head Start Program to provide childcare and educational services year-round for up to 16 children ages 0-3, including pregnant mothers. The expansion compliments the Nation’s existing Head Start Program, created in 2007 as a spin-off from the California Rural Indian Health Board (CRHIB), which continues to serve 34 children ages 3 to 5 and now includes a year-round program. 

The grant-funded expansion project, which took one year to complete, includes two classrooms, space for services, and educational and social experiences for children, parents and teachers. The Nation intends to employ four full-time teachers, two full-time teacher assistants, one classroom aide, a full-time cook, and a full-time janitor for the 0-3 program.

Starting three years ago, Tribal Council met with Head Start officials in Washington D.C to convey the urgent need for an expanded facility and operation dollars. The Nation wanted to address an unmet need for working parents seeking quality childcare for infants and toddlers. The lack of such placement creates a barrier for employment, as childcare costs exceed the affordability factor for parents. Further complicating the matter, working parents of multiple-aged children are currently forced to travel for services at separate locations due to the age factors between Early Head Start and Head Start. 

After the Tribal Council’s meeting in Washington D.C., tribal staff pursued grant applications to fund both the construction and operation of the early learning program. Two grants—Indian Community Development Block Grant and Early Head start Expansion Grant—totaling $3.9 million funded the construction. Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation generously donated $700,000 towards the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation match portion of the grants. The Nation also applied for and was awarded an additional $1.1 million per year to operate its Early Head Start Program. 

“This is a project the entire community can be proud of,” said the Nation’s Community Development Director Tim Hoone. “The Nation’s Construction Division, led by Construction Superintendent Allen Bommelyn, helped design the building, and then out-did themselves, handling the construction of the expansion, from the ground up, with quality workmanship throughout the facility.” 

The Early Head Start program hours of operation mirror the existing Head Start hours, beginning at 8 am and concluding at 2:30 p.m., for a total of 6.5 instructional hours per day with 200 days of operation within an eleven-month academic school year. These hours are intentionally aligned with the schedules of the neighboring Del Norte Unified School District (DNUSD) and Brookings-Harbor School District (BHSD) for families with school-age siblings. The upcoming academic 2026-2027 school year is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.