Submitted by Dr. Joseph Garcia
The Northwest Indian College Foundation (NWICF) is sending an innovative early learning program to every Tribe in the nation. The Foundation is partnering with Dr. Joseph Garcia, who owns Stratton Kehl Publications, to get his innovative program, Dr. Joseph’s Fingerspelling Book, into the hands of families during these times of isolation.
“Other innovators working to improve the human condition are encouraged to follow suit and prioritize supporting marginalized communities,” says Dr. Joseph.
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted educational systems throughout the United States, especially in areas of overlooked populations. Dr. Joseph’s Fingerspelling Book is a resource designed to help teachers and homeschooling parents engage first-time readers with a fun, tactile method of learning to read. This innovative learning tool will surely ease some of the difficulty for students and teachers during this challenging time.
Generally, advances in education tend to benefit those in privileged circumstances first. Marginalized and overlooked communities receive the benefits if and when they trickle down. NWICF and Dr. Joseph want the Tribal communities to be the first to benefit from his early learning developments.
According to Greg Masten, NWICF Executive Director: “The Northwest Indian College Foundation realizes the need for family activities during the pandemic and we also recognize innovative learning and the part it plays in our communities. For this reason, we have partnered with Dr. Joseph to get his learn-to-read program to all the nation’s Tribes.”
Dr. Joseph, an educational innovator, has joined the NWIC Foundation to help them raise $50 million for their endowment and Generations Student Scholarships Fund. He says, “I am so happy to offer this new learning resource to my Indigenous family.” Dr. Joseph was adopted off a Wisconsin reservation when he was 3 1/2 years old. He has worked in Indian Country for 35+ years in Alaska and Washington.
About Northwest Indian College Foundation
Northwest Indian College Foundation is dedicated to raising funds to help Northwest Indian College offer native students throughout the nation more educational opportunities to thrive in a changing world. With the assistance of generous donors, the Northwest Indian College campus continues to grow and bring in excellent instructors for its students. Greg Masten can be reached at gmasten@nwic.edu or (360)739-5800. The foundation’s website http://foundation.nwic.edu provides information on fundraising activities. The Northwest Indian College website https://www.nwic.edu shows more about the campus and its students.
About Dr. Joseph
In the early 1980s, Dr. Joseph, known as the Grandfather of Baby Sign Language, developed a program for using sign language to communicate with pre-speech babies. He has also developed a medical sign language program and created Dr. Joseph’s Fingerspelling Book. All of Dr. Joseph’s learning resources are available on his website https://drjosephgarcia.com. To schedule an interview with Dr. Joseph, contact him directly at drjosephgarcia@gmail.com or call (360)961-1306.
