Gila River Indian Community Early Education/Child Care Center
Early Education/Child Care Center, 280 S. Ocotillo Road, Sacaton, AZ 85283
About
Gila River Indian Community Early Education/Child Care Center offers early education and child care services that include indoor and outdoor environments that address children’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive needs. Activities at the center are age and developmentally appropriate, and the program emphasizes literacy-based environments as an important aspect of school readiness. The center seeks to create a multi-cultural rich environment by using parents, classroom staff, elders, and community cultural resources.
• Ages: 6 weeks–5 years old
• Price: All families that qualify may have co-pays that range from $0–$6 per full day based on income, and if the center fee is greater than the maximum subsidy coverage amount, parents are responsible for the remaining fees; CCDF does not pay anything at 100%, so there is always a portion parents are expected to pay.
The Early Education/Child Care Center is an entity of the Gila River Indian Community and operates as a sub department of the Tribal Education Department. The program serves children ages 6 weeks–5 years old while parents or guardians are working, in training, or pursuing their education. Child care assistance is offered through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) for all Gila River Indian Community enrolled children, and the program also assists with fees for off-reservation state licensed child care, home care providers within Gila River Indian Community boundaries, and relative care providers. Quality First Child Care Scholarships, funded by First Things First, are available for children from birth through age 5 who attend the center in Sacaton, and these scholarships are distributed to eligible families on a first-come, first-serve basis and are tied to family income level. The Tribal Early Learning Initiative (TELI), funded through CCDF, is described as a partnership between the Administration for Children and Families and tribal communities that focuses on coordinating early childhood programs such as child care, Head Start, home visiting, and other services.
The program’s stated goal is to provide quality early education and child care services to Gila River Indian Community enrolled members, employees, and its entities, with an objective of providing quality child care and early educational services to the community. The mission statement says the program is based on the belief that children learn through exploring, interacting, and experiencing the world around them, and that parents are their children’s first teachers and influence their development. The center states that it works toward building partnerships with parents by encouraging them to participate in center activities and reinforce skills at home, and it identifies culture and language as important parts of a child’s life, using parents, classroom staff, elders, and community cultural resources to support this. The mission also notes that the program will provide opportunities for professional development and in-service training for staff working at the center.
Home care providers connected with the program must have CPR/First Aid, a Food Handlers card, a Gila River Indian Community Background card, and an Arizona Department of Public Safety Fingerprint Card, and they must obtain a business license and submit a W-9. Relative care providers are exempt from these credentials but must obtain a business license and submit a W-9. Initial documents required for families include paycheck stubs for one month, proof of residency, and a completed application with supporting documents such as Social Security cards, immunization records, birth certificates, photo IDs, and Tribal IDs, and applicants for off-reservation state licensed child care must provide a current operating license and W-9 from their chosen center. The leadership information provided lists Starlit Poola as Compliance Monitor.
Last updated January 17, 2026.
• Ages: 6 weeks–5 years old
• Price: All families that qualify may have co-pays that range from $0–$6 per full day based on income, and if the center fee is greater than the maximum subsidy coverage amount, parents are responsible for the remaining fees; CCDF does not pay anything at 100%, so there is always a portion parents are expected to pay.
The Early Education/Child Care Center is an entity of the Gila River Indian Community and operates as a sub department of the Tribal Education Department. The program serves children ages 6 weeks–5 years old while parents or guardians are working, in training, or pursuing their education. Child care assistance is offered through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) for all Gila River Indian Community enrolled children, and the program also assists with fees for off-reservation state licensed child care, home care providers within Gila River Indian Community boundaries, and relative care providers. Quality First Child Care Scholarships, funded by First Things First, are available for children from birth through age 5 who attend the center in Sacaton, and these scholarships are distributed to eligible families on a first-come, first-serve basis and are tied to family income level. The Tribal Early Learning Initiative (TELI), funded through CCDF, is described as a partnership between the Administration for Children and Families and tribal communities that focuses on coordinating early childhood programs such as child care, Head Start, home visiting, and other services.
The program’s stated goal is to provide quality early education and child care services to Gila River Indian Community enrolled members, employees, and its entities, with an objective of providing quality child care and early educational services to the community. The mission statement says the program is based on the belief that children learn through exploring, interacting, and experiencing the world around them, and that parents are their children’s first teachers and influence their development. The center states that it works toward building partnerships with parents by encouraging them to participate in center activities and reinforce skills at home, and it identifies culture and language as important parts of a child’s life, using parents, classroom staff, elders, and community cultural resources to support this. The mission also notes that the program will provide opportunities for professional development and in-service training for staff working at the center.
Home care providers connected with the program must have CPR/First Aid, a Food Handlers card, a Gila River Indian Community Background card, and an Arizona Department of Public Safety Fingerprint Card, and they must obtain a business license and submit a W-9. Relative care providers are exempt from these credentials but must obtain a business license and submit a W-9. Initial documents required for families include paycheck stubs for one month, proof of residency, and a completed application with supporting documents such as Social Security cards, immunization records, birth certificates, photo IDs, and Tribal IDs, and applicants for off-reservation state licensed child care must provide a current operating license and W-9 from their chosen center. The leadership information provided lists Starlit Poola as Compliance Monitor.
Last updated January 17, 2026.
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