Bay Mills Community College (BMCC) in Brimley, Michigan, is in the process of developing a Bachelor of Arts degree in early childhood education. With support from the Administration for Native Americans, this new four-year, online program is intended to assist in the preparation of teachers and administrators of Native American Head Start/Early Head Start facilities nationwide. BMCC has been providing students with online education opportunities for over 15 years and currently offers an Associate of Arts and a Certificate of Completion in early childhood education completely online. This will be the first bachelor’s degree program offered by the college. Members of BMCC’s early childhood education advisory committee include professionals from the Sault Tribe Head Start and Early Head Start Program, the Bay Mills Indian Community Head Start and Early Head Start Program, the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, the Chippewa-Luce-Mackinac Community Action Agency, the Great Start Collaborative, the Eastern Upper Peninsula Immediate School District, Lake Superior State University, and BMCC.

Located on the southeastern shore of Lake Superior, within the Bay Mills Indian Community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, BMCC’s mission is to provide quality educational opportunities, promote research, and facilitate individual development in an accessible, community- based, and culturally diverse environment that supports and maintains the Anishinaabek culture and language.