Updated May 22, 2026 at 12:22 PM EDT
Affordable child care has always been hard to come by in Charles City County. Susann Brown ran into that problem more than two decades ago, when her kids were small. She relied on relatives to care for her children.
But that strategy doesn't work for everyone.
Brown, a citizen of the Chickahominy Nation, said her daughter-in-law quit her job following the birth of Brown's grandson in 2019 — because she couldn't find access to affordable care nearby.
Luckily, in 2021, Brown's daughter-in-law was able to access a federal grant the tribe had received to subsidize child care costs for Chickahominy citizens and those of other area tribes. She was able to enroll 2-year-old Adrian and go back to work.
"It's been a game-changer for them," Brown said, "because they need the two incomes."
Jessica Stewart, another Chickahominy citizen, received the subsidy for her daughter a few years ago that covered her total cost of care. Harper was almost two and hadn't started walking. After being around other kids in a child care center for a couple of weeks, she started taking steps.
"It was just tears of joy," Stewart said.
Around 50 indigenous children living in Central Virginia now rely on the subsidy. But Brown, who is director for the grant program, told VPM News, there's not enough child care centers in Charles City County — which has a population of about 6,600.
There's one licensed provider in the county that offers full-day care. Spots in the state-funded Virginia Preschool Initiative and federal Head Start program, which generally operate in local public schools, are limited. And care providers in nearby New Kent County often have waitlists as well. A neighboring, but separate, federally-recognized tribe — the Chickahominy Indian Tribe, Eastern Division — operates its own childcare center, called Chickahominy's Little Arrows, in New Kent County, which some Chickahominy children attend.
That shortage is why Brown is leading a charge to build a new child development center on Chickahominy land — just across the street from their tribal center. It's a dream that's years in the making.
Brown's enthusiasm for the project is infectious: Chickahominy Nation Chief Stephen Adkins said he "caught the dream right away."
"We have families where both parents work. We have families where it's a single parent," Adkins said. "We've got to be cognizant of that, and we have to find ways to meet the needs of those children."
The planned child care center would accommodate at least 100 kids ranging in age from six weeks to 12 years old. It will be open to both indigenous children and non-tribal residents in the broader community.
Brown said the lack of access to high-quality early childhood education has led some Chickahominy families to leave the county. Brown hopes the child care center will help stop the flight.
"It's going to build this community," Brown said.
The project is estimated to cost at least $15 million, and the tribe has raised about a third of that. They've commissioned architectural drawings and paid for the electricity service connection.
"The challenge right now is garnering the funds that we need to start today," said Chief Stephen Adkins.
The tribe is seeking donations and support from anyone who can help bring the project to fruition.
Tribal leaders also want to build an elder care center nearby. But first assistant Chickahominy Chief Wayne Adkins said the child development center is the priority. The larger goal is to integrate the lives of young children with the tribe's elders — even if just for lunch, or a craft.
"When generations come together, they all benefit," Adkins said.
Chickahominy elder Sydelle Stewart, 87, knows the importance of early childhood education. She taught in Charles City County for more than 30 years, in schools run by the tribe and the county.
The Chickahominy had a school of their own, the Samaria Indian School, before Charles City County Public Schools took over in the 1950's.
Stewart recalls bringing in fry bread to show her first-grade students: demonstrating how the ancestors would've prepared it using grease from the animals they'd cooked.
Tribal leaders also see the center as a way to preserve indigenous culture among the community.
Stewart hopes it will be a place to educate young tribal citizens about their ancestors, and help continue cultural traditions — like dances, and making of regalia and traditional pottery.
"They're going to be the future of tomorrow, she said. "They are the future of tomorrow."
Chief Stephen Adkins said it's an opportunity for both native and non-native kids to learn about history that's "sorely lacking" in textbooks.
"We're going to be filling some of that void here," he said.
Wayne Adkins is excited about weaving parts of Chickahominy culture into the building's design, and on the playground. They didn't live in teepees, but homes called yehakins.
There will be a historically-accurate model of the structure on the playground.
"They'll be learning as they're playing," he said.
The Chickahominy River will play a prominent role.
"We had 10 to 12 villages along the river," Wayne Adkins said. "So it would be great to be able to incorporate a map somewhere in either the playground or in the approach to the building."
And then there's Mamanahunt, the tribe's most culturally significant piece of land. It's about 20 miles from the site of the planned child care center.
Several years ago, the state helped the tribe purchase its more than 900 acres, including five miles of riverfront property. It originally belonged to the tribe and is believed to have been the seat of Chickahominy government when English colonizers arrived in 1607. The tribe was displaced, however, as part of a 1646 treaty.
Brown said when she's on this sacred land, she can feel the spirit of her ancestors. She hopes to bring kids from the child development center here someday, to learn about how their ancestors lived off the land.
But students won't have to go far to be connected to nature. Brown would like to have edible plants on the playground: like huckleberries and muscadines, a native staple for the Chickahominy.
Chickahominy tribal citizen Vicki Holmes has been working with Brown on the project for years. She's the program assistant for the subsidy program. But Holmes is overwhelmed as she walks through the property for the first time, envisioning a classroom filled with the voices of children.
"I feel emotional is what I feel," Holmes said. "Prayfully, this is happening. We still have a long way to go with the fundraising, but I can visually see it now. Not just on paper, but out here."
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