Hainipi… Hi, everyone. Welcome to The BAGO Mic, powered by Student Voice, where students lead the way.

Liam: We are students from Winnebago Public Schools broadcasting from the Winnebago Native American Reservation in Winnebago, Nebraska.

Nick: This podcast is created by us for the world.

Nick: Let’s start by introducing ourselves. My name is Nick.

Liam: My name is Liam.

Honor: My name is Honor.

Nick: Today’s episode is about education, helping young children grow, and creating opportunities for future generations in our community.

Before we begin, we want to share something we’re thankful for.

Nick: I’m thankful for my family.

Liam: I’m thankful for my family.

Honor: I’m thankful for family today.

Nick: Today we are here with Amy LaPointe, who is the Educare Winnebago Pre-K and Head Start Director and also the Education Director for the Ho-Chunk Tribe of Nebraska.

We also think it is really special because she is Nick’s mom.

We wanted to interview Ms. LaPointe because of her work helping children, families, and education in our community. Thank you for being here with us today.

Now, let’s get into it.

Nick: Can you tell us about yourself and your roles in education?

Ms. LaPointe: Okay, so I am a mother of five kids and a grandmother of four kids. I was born and raised here in Winnebago.

My roles in education — I served as the Head Start director for 14 years. Then we transitioned over to Educare Winnebago during that time. In 2018, I became the Education Director for the tribe.

Liam: What made you want to work in education and early childhood?

Ms. LaPointe: I often think the path that I went on was chosen for me. It wasn’t something that I saw myself being or doing.

I originally wanted to be a nurse and one of my mentors saw potential in me and recommended me for the Indigenous Roots program, which is a teacher training program through the University of Nebraska.

So I joined that program and graduated in 2004. Then the Parent Policy Council asked me to take on the role of director for Head Start later that same year.

I took on that role and fell in love with it, and I’ve been there ever since.

Honor: What were you like when you were our age?

Ms. LaPointe: I would say I was not very education focused. My class was pretty wild, and I wasn’t really worried about school very much.

I didn’t really start taking education seriously until I got to high school.

Nick: What is Educare Winnebago?

Ms. LaPointe: Educare Winnebago is our early childhood program. We serve kids ages 0 to 5 years old and are part of a network of 25 schools across the country.

We’re the only Native American Educare located on a reservation. All the others are in large cities.

We focus on preparing children for school.

Nick: Why is early childhood education so important?

Ms. LaPointe: It’s important because it creates the foundation for how children get started.

Before Educare, I saw children entering Head Start at age three who sometimes weren’t talking yet or were behind developmentally.

One of the first things I noticed after Educare was children talking sooner and being more prepared.

Kids from birth to five have brains like sponges. They absorb everything.

So we really focus on development so they arrive at kindergarten developmentally ready.

Liam: What is a typical day like in your work?

Ms. LaPointe: It depends on the day because I participate in a lot of activities and groups.

I oversee four programs under my department, and Educare is only one of them.

Some days are meetings. Some days are budgets and bills.

Every day is different, and I like that.

But every day is busy from the time I start until the time I leave.

Nick: What are some important things young children need while growing up?

Ms. LaPointe: I think the number one thing children need is love.

They need support.

They need acknowledgement.

They need conversation.

They need recognition.

Just greeting them every day and acknowledging that they matter is probably the most important thing.

Liam: How does Educare help families in the community?

Ms. LaPointe: Educare provides everything children need when they walk in the door.

Parents don’t have to worry about diapers, formula, food, or supplies.

Everything is provided free of charge.

That takes stress off families because childcare is expensive.

We also provide family events and activities and want families involved because parents are educators in their children’s lives too.

Nick: What is something people might not realize about working in education?

Ms. LaPointe: I think sometimes people assume things without realizing how much work happens behind the scenes.

Programs like Educare took years of planning.

People see a building and a finished product, but they don’t always see the teamwork, grant writing, meetings, and partnerships that made it happen.

There are many moving parts and many people involved.

Nick: Why is education important to the future of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska?

Ms. LaPointe: I would say the whole community of Winnebago is growing. You see houses being built out here and out there. We’re expanding. We’re also getting more revenue.

For you guys, education is important because you guys are going to be leading our community someday. It’s going to look a whole lot different because of what people today are building and creating.

The casinos are generating money. Our community and our way of living are going to look very different in ten years than they do right now.

Liam: How can schools and families work together to help students succeed?

Ms. LaPointe: I think that’s one of the most important things. There needs to be clear communication between schools and families and more activities to encourage family involvement.

Sometimes parents think school is where kids learn, but really kids are learning all the time.

You guys are learning outside school too — from what you see, hear, and experience.

Families play a huge role because students learn from everything around them.

Building strong relationships between schools and families helps everyone succeed.

Liam: Why is it important for students to learn about their culture and community?

Ms. LaPointe: For a lot of years there were laws and rules against learning language and culture.

Now we’re seeing the effects of that generations later because many people don’t know language or cultural practices as well as they want to.

It’s important to know your clan and your role within the tribe.

I’m Snake Clan, and my role is connected to being a caretaker and helping where needed.

My grandma always said we do the jobs nobody else wants to do.

That’s part of culture too — when someone asks you to help, you help.

Understanding culture and clan responsibilities helps move the tribe forward.

Nick: What is something you are proud of in your work?

Ms. LaPointe: There are a lot of things I’m proud of, but Educare is probably the biggest one.

My heart belongs to the little guys.

Even though I work in administration, I still drive the bus.

Today is the last day of school and it’s my last bus ride with several students moving on to kindergarten.

I’m kind of sad because I’ve watched them grow for two years.

You get attached to them.

That’s probably what makes me the proudest.

Liam: What is one learning experience in education that really stood out to you?

Ms. LaPointe: Learning the importance of collecting data.

We assess students when they enter Educare and again when they leave.

Watching growth happen through data tells a story.

You can say programs work, but when you see the numbers and progress, you know they work.

We also measure language growth and cultural growth now too.

Seeing those improvements matters.

Liam: Who inspired or influenced you growing up?

Ms. LaPointe: During school my class was pretty rough.

We had a teacher named Ms. Campadilli who followed our class from fourth grade into fifth grade because she was one of the few who could keep us in check.

She saw things in me that I didn’t see in myself.

She pushed me.

She challenged me.

And she believed in me before I believed in myself.

Nick: What hopes do you have for children growing up in the community?

Ms. LaPointe: My hope is that things continue changing for the better.

We have more people attending college and getting degrees now.

We need our own people running programs in the tribe.

I hope you all get your education, go to college, get degrees, and come back and help care for our tribe.

Liam: What advice would you give students our age?

Ms. LaPointe: I have regrets.

I wish I would have taken school more seriously earlier.

So my advice is to do it for yourself.

You’re smart.

Everybody has potential.

Live up to your fullest potential.

Liam: What qualities help someone become a good leader?

Ms. LaPointe: Always be willing to learn.

Things are always changing.

You can’t think you know everything already.

I’m constantly attending trainings and learning new things because growth never stops.

You’re never too old to learn.

Nick: What would you tell your younger self?

Ms. LaPointe: I would tell myself that you can do it.

You can do whatever you put your mind to.

I took the long road.

I was a teen mom.

It took me a long time to earn my degree.

So I’d tell myself not to put so much pressure on myself and remember there’s time to build the life you want.

Liam: Why does your work matter to the community?

Ms. LaPointe: Because we live in two worlds sometimes — our Native world and the outside world.

As our tribe grows, we need more educated tribal members leading programs.

We need doctors, grant writers, educators, and leaders from our own community.

We should become those people for future generations.

Liam: How can young people in our community change the world?

Ms. LaPointe: Be yourselves.

Be loving.

Be caring.

Respect one another.

Respect elders, teachers, and community members.

Respect is one of the biggest values we have.

There are a lot of difficult things happening in the world right now, and you guys have the power to change that.

Nick: Thank you for sharing your time and your story with us.

Liam: Thanks for listening to The BAGO Mic. Remember, your voice matters, our story matters, and you matter.

Wa’įniginąpšąną.

Žige hąącikjawi.