Pine Ridge Head Start unveils improvements

$1.2 million renovation updates building that serves 180 children

By Journal staff | Wednesday, December 05, 2007

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On Wednesday, Dec. 5, the community, along with family and friends of students attending Head Start programs in Pine Ridge, can see recent improvements to the Head Start center during an open house from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The center is behind Big Bat's Texaco in Pine Ridge.

The Head Start Center is normally closed to the public.

Oglala Lakota College used a $1.2 million federal Title III grant to renovate the former Shannon County elementary school building to provide a safe and pleasant place for children.

About 180 children attend Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Pine Ridge.

The building was in disrepair and did not meet compliance standards when Oglala Lakota College began operating Pine Ridge Head Start programs for the Oglala Sioux Tribe in 2005, according to Michelle Yankton, director of the Head Start program. Yankton supervises 10 Head Start and five Early Head Start centers on the reservation.

"We are pleased to report the building is now up to code," Yankton said.

Renovations included remodeling the restrooms by tripling the number of toilets from six to 18, adding sinks to make sure each classroom had a sink, and updating the heating system by removing an old boiler and converting the entire building to electric heat. A state-of-the-art kitchen was also installed.

"These children are our future leaders. They are our future OLC graduates, and it is our responsibility to keep them in a safe and structured learning environment," college president Thomas Short Bull said in a news release.