Culture as Treatment: Supporting the Well-Being of Reservation-Based Head Start Teachers

  • Culture as Treatment: Supporting the Well-Being of Reservation-Based Head Start Teachers

    This collaborative research project explored how culturally grounded practices can strengthen the health and well-being of Native American Head Start teachers serving on the Fort Peck Reservation. Through a community-based participatory research partnership, Tribal and university collaborators adapted and implemented a five-session wellness intervention centered on Indigenous culture, identity, and resilience. As a Fort Peck Tribal member and co-author, I helped bridge community knowledge with research to ensure the work reflected the voices, strengths, and lived experiences of our educators.

  • Reservation-based educators often face high levels of stress while having limited access to culturally responsive mental health resources. This project sought to determine whether a culturally informed wellness intervention would be both meaningful and effective for Native Head Start teachers.

    The study demonstrated strong participation, with a 93% attendance rate and no participant dropouts. Participants reported improvements in depression, strengthened tribal identity and resilience, and described the sessions as valuable for supporting their psychological well-being. The findings suggest that culturally grounded approaches can play an important role in strengthening educator wellness and sustaining early childhood programs in Tribal communities.

  • This project was guided by the principles of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), recognizing that meaningful solutions are developed alongside the communities they serve—not for them. Tribal educators, researchers, and community partners worked together to adapt the curriculum so it reflected local culture, values, and lived experiences.

    Rather than treating culture as an addition to the intervention, this project positioned Indigenous identity, relationships, and community strengths as central components of teacher well-being. This collaborative approach ensured the research remained culturally relevant, respectful, and responsive to the needs of reservation-based educators.

  • This project represents a successful partnership between Fort Peck Head Start, Tribal community members, and academic researchers committed to advancing Indigenous-led approaches to health and education. The research contributes to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that culturally informed interventions can improve educator well-being while honoring Tribal knowledge systems.

    For Pté Collective, this work reflects a broader commitment to partnering with Tribal Nations and Indigenous organizations to design research, evaluation, and community initiatives that are culturally grounded, community-driven, and focused on lasting systems change. The lessons learned through this project continue to shape how we approach leadership development, educator wellness, and collaborative research with Tribal communities.

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