About
CRIHB Tribal Head Start includes child-initiated and adult-directed activities in individual and small group settings. Children take part in experimentation, inquiry, observation, play, and exploration, along with self-expression through art, music, and movement.
• Ages: 3–5 years old
• Schedule: Part-day, part-year program running September–May, Monday–Thursday, 8:30am–12:00pm
• Price: Free to income eligible families (below federal Poverty Income Guidelines)
The California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc. (CRIHB) is committed to the needs and interests that elevate and promote the health status and social conditions of the Indian people of California. CRIHB is the Head Start grantee and headquarters for three center-based programs that serve 90 income-eligible Indian children on Elk Valley Rancheria in Del Norte County, Lytton Rancheria in Sonoma County, and Manchester Band of Pomo Indians in Mendocino County. CRIHB also administers the Lytton First Step program, which provides preschool services modeled after Head Start to 20 additional children in Santa Rosa funded by Lytton Rancheria in Sonoma County.
The program is based on the premise that all children share certain needs and that children from low-income families can benefit from a comprehensive developmental program to meet those needs. It is a family-oriented, comprehensive, and community-based program that addresses developmental goals for children, support for parents in their work and child-rearing roles, and linkages with other service delivery systems. Developmentally and linguistically appropriate education in the program recognizes that children have individual rates of development, interests, temperaments, languages, cultural backgrounds, and learning styles. The program is inclusive of children with disabilities and provides an environment of acceptance that supports and respects gender, culture, language, ethnicity, and family composition.
The program supports social and emotional development, cognitive and language skills through experimentation, inquiry, observation, play, and exploration, and self-expression through art, music, and movement. It promotes interaction and language use among children and between children and adults, supports emerging literacy and numeracy development, and promotes each child’s health and physical development. Training is provided for all staff to increase knowledge and skills necessary to work with students with disabilities.
Children with disabilities are fully integrated into the preschool environment, and parents are assisted with any disability services they may need for their child. Support, collaboration, and training are provided to families with children who have disabilities, including support in parents’ rights, the referral process to the school district, and linkages to community support groups for children with disabilities. Head Start has interagency agreements with local school districts to address the needs of children and families with children who have disabilities, and it has a Disabilities Service Plan that serves as a working document for overall services to children and families with disabilities.
Each child is required to receive a physical exam for entrance into the program and must meet state immunization requirements for school entrance. Each child is also required to receive a dental examination, and follow-up needs are monitored through formal and ongoing communication between staff and parents. Staff track the delivery of health care services and ensure that health or developmental issues receive continuing care until concerns are resolved. The Head Start program has formal agreements with several local health agencies and providers in each community, who provide screenings as well as follow-up services.
The objective of the nutrition program is to promote child wellness by providing nutrition services that supplement and complement those of the home and community. Head Start’s child nutrition services assist families in meeting each child’s nutrition needs and in establishing good eating habits that nurture healthy development and promote life-long well-being. Early in the year, parents complete a nutritional survey about the child’s nutrition history, eating habits, and special diets. Twice during the school year, staff chart heights and weights for each child, and use nutrition and health information to identify each child’s nutritional or fitness needs and make referrals or accommodations as necessary.
CRIHB Tribal Head Start is sponsored by the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The goal of the CACFP program is to ensure that well-balanced, nutritious meals are served to children and to help them learn to eat a wide variety of foods as part of a balanced diet. CACFP, under the California Department of Education, is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the State of California. The CRIHB Nutritionist and Head Start staff plan weekly cycle menus that meet CACFP requirements and provide healthy, home-cooked meals, with most recipes coming from the USDA’s “Child Care Recipes” book. Monthly Cook’s Choice Days allow cooks, teachers, and parents to plan traditional meals that teach children about native foods in their community.
CRIHB is a network of Tribal Health Programs that are controlled and sanctioned by Indian people and their Tribal Governments. Head Start collaborates with local school districts to support a transition from the Head Start program to kindergarten.
Last updated May 19, 2026.
• Ages: 3–5 years old
• Schedule: Part-day, part-year program running September–May, Monday–Thursday, 8:30am–12:00pm
• Price: Free to income eligible families (below federal Poverty Income Guidelines)
The California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc. (CRIHB) is committed to the needs and interests that elevate and promote the health status and social conditions of the Indian people of California. CRIHB is the Head Start grantee and headquarters for three center-based programs that serve 90 income-eligible Indian children on Elk Valley Rancheria in Del Norte County, Lytton Rancheria in Sonoma County, and Manchester Band of Pomo Indians in Mendocino County. CRIHB also administers the Lytton First Step program, which provides preschool services modeled after Head Start to 20 additional children in Santa Rosa funded by Lytton Rancheria in Sonoma County.
The program is based on the premise that all children share certain needs and that children from low-income families can benefit from a comprehensive developmental program to meet those needs. It is a family-oriented, comprehensive, and community-based program that addresses developmental goals for children, support for parents in their work and child-rearing roles, and linkages with other service delivery systems. Developmentally and linguistically appropriate education in the program recognizes that children have individual rates of development, interests, temperaments, languages, cultural backgrounds, and learning styles. The program is inclusive of children with disabilities and provides an environment of acceptance that supports and respects gender, culture, language, ethnicity, and family composition.
The program supports social and emotional development, cognitive and language skills through experimentation, inquiry, observation, play, and exploration, and self-expression through art, music, and movement. It promotes interaction and language use among children and between children and adults, supports emerging literacy and numeracy development, and promotes each child’s health and physical development. Training is provided for all staff to increase knowledge and skills necessary to work with students with disabilities.
Children with disabilities are fully integrated into the preschool environment, and parents are assisted with any disability services they may need for their child. Support, collaboration, and training are provided to families with children who have disabilities, including support in parents’ rights, the referral process to the school district, and linkages to community support groups for children with disabilities. Head Start has interagency agreements with local school districts to address the needs of children and families with children who have disabilities, and it has a Disabilities Service Plan that serves as a working document for overall services to children and families with disabilities.
Each child is required to receive a physical exam for entrance into the program and must meet state immunization requirements for school entrance. Each child is also required to receive a dental examination, and follow-up needs are monitored through formal and ongoing communication between staff and parents. Staff track the delivery of health care services and ensure that health or developmental issues receive continuing care until concerns are resolved. The Head Start program has formal agreements with several local health agencies and providers in each community, who provide screenings as well as follow-up services.
The objective of the nutrition program is to promote child wellness by providing nutrition services that supplement and complement those of the home and community. Head Start’s child nutrition services assist families in meeting each child’s nutrition needs and in establishing good eating habits that nurture healthy development and promote life-long well-being. Early in the year, parents complete a nutritional survey about the child’s nutrition history, eating habits, and special diets. Twice during the school year, staff chart heights and weights for each child, and use nutrition and health information to identify each child’s nutritional or fitness needs and make referrals or accommodations as necessary.
CRIHB Tribal Head Start is sponsored by the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The goal of the CACFP program is to ensure that well-balanced, nutritious meals are served to children and to help them learn to eat a wide variety of foods as part of a balanced diet. CACFP, under the California Department of Education, is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the State of California. The CRIHB Nutritionist and Head Start staff plan weekly cycle menus that meet CACFP requirements and provide healthy, home-cooked meals, with most recipes coming from the USDA’s “Child Care Recipes” book. Monthly Cook’s Choice Days allow cooks, teachers, and parents to plan traditional meals that teach children about native foods in their community.
CRIHB is a network of Tribal Health Programs that are controlled and sanctioned by Indian people and their Tribal Governments. Head Start collaborates with local school districts to support a transition from the Head Start program to kindergarten.
Last updated May 19, 2026.
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