Ka Pa’alana
The Ka Paʻalana Homeless Family Education Program aims to increase the success and self-sufficiency of homeless and at-risk families. In addition to its nationally accredited preschool site at Hope Shelter, Ka Pa’alana has numerous mobile preschool sites and outreach services on the Leeward Oʻahu coast, and also serves families on Hawaiʻi Island.
ABOUT
Through collaborative partnerships, Ka Paʻalana delivers a continuum of care to homeless and at-risk families. Its outreach team provides basic necessities and serves as an initial contact point for families who are ready to transition to local shelters or temporary housing facilities. Preschool staff provide nationally accredited comprehensive family education, and Home Visiting staff provide personal follow up and support.
While keiki are learning in preschool, parents are equipped with practical skills and knowledge on topics such as:
- How to support your child’s learning
- Health and nutrition
- Job readiness
- Trauma-informed care
- Computers and technology
- Hawaiian culture.
Keiki and caregivers learn together and are positioned for health and success!
Ka Paʻalana is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Kamehameha Schools, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Administration for Native Americans (ANA), the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), and Aloha United Way.
NAEYC Accreditation
In March of 2013, Ka Pa‘alana had the honor to be the first preschool serving homeless families to receive NAEYC accreditation. To receive this accreditation, Ka Paʻalana’s Hope Shelter site went through an extensive self-study and quality-improvement process. This was followed by an on-site visit from NAEYC Assessors to verify and ensure that the program met each of the 10 program standards, and hundreds of corresponding individual criteria. NAEYC-accredited programs must always be prepared for unannounced quality assurance visits during their accreditation term, which lasts five years.
In March of 2018, Ka Pa‘alana was re-accredited for an additional five years.
Mahalo to our families and partners for helping the program achieve such high standards for our children!
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality learning for all young children, from birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. It is the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children.
For more than 30 years the NAEYC has worked across the country to implement best practices and develop a consistent understanding of how to achieve and maintain high quality, research-based education that prepares children for future success. The path to accreditation is a four-step process that functions as a mechanism by which early learning programs demonstrate their commitment to high-quality early childhood education.
Program Components
Recent News
Ka Paʻalana Outreach Expands
Ka Paʻalana navigates communities and ʻohanas through pandemic uncertainty, providing more educational resources, supplies, and technology.
Ka Paʻalana Extends Distance Learning
Ka Paʻalana has announced plans to extend physical site closures through October 31st, 2020.
Celebrating Dr. Seuss with Ka Paʻalana
Our Ka Paʻalana’s HOPE Shelter site celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday with green pancakes and SPAM and some favorite stories.
ʻEleu Rally for FCIL
The annual ʻEleu rally for Family-Child Interaction Learning (FCIL) was held at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol building alongside our ʻEleu partners Keiki O Ka ʻĀina and INPEACE.