The United States Federal Government's Indian Relocation Act (Public Law 959) promoted migration of American Indians and Alaskan Natives from their tribal lands to large cities across the United States during the 1950-1960's. 

The Act provided funding to establish "job training centers" for American Indians in various urban centers, and to finance the relocation of individual American Indians and American Indian families to these locales. This was in addition to a denial of funds for similar programs and economic development on the reservations themselves. Those who availed themselves of the "opportunity" for jobs, etc., were usually required to sign agreements that they would not return to their respective reservations to live.

Today, many American Indian and Alaska Natives are born and raised in urban areas and even more move between their reservations and urban centers because there are more employment opportunities in urban contexts.

Indigenous children in urban areas - the need

Urban American Indian children, like other minority groups, are disproportionately poor and suffer from socioeconomic distress. 

Although child poverty in the United States has decreased slightly in the last few years, in 2004 about 20% of all children in the United States were poor; for American Indian children the figure was even higher-over 32%. 

Children who are poor during the early school years are more likely to have problems completing school and score lower on measures of health, cognitive development, school achievement, and emotional well-being than are children in higher-income families.   

American Indian youth enter kindergarten with significantly lower reading, mathematics, and general knowledge achievement scores than other students and are at greater risk of school dropout. 

As a result of these and other indicators of low attainment, many urban-based area educators and policymakers are seeking ways to best serve this unique population of children.