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ABOUT

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), Hawaii Community Foundation, Stupski Foundation, and Aloha United Way.

Preschool Locations

Preschool Locations

Ka Paʻalana inspires and equips keiki and adults, and gives them the tools they need: an educational foundation, parenting skills, and support to achieve family success. Since the program started, Ka Paʻalana has served over 6,500 people. To find the site nearest your ʻohana, use the drop-down menu below!

If you are interested in registering your keiki and ʻohana in a Ka Paʻalana preschool site, contact our team today! We can help get you started or answer your questions before enrolling.

Please note: [Updated May 2022] We hold sacred our kuleana to serve our families, and their health and safety remain our highest priorities. Ka Pa'alana returned to in-person programming on April 4, 2022. Please contact your Ka Paʻalana preschool site for the latest on enrollment and schedule options. We are strong in our commitment to walk through this pandemic together, and continue to strive for a better future for our families and community. Please check here for the latest updates or contact us if you have any questions. 

 

Program Components

Program Components

Mālama Mobile is a “first contact” homeless outreach that provides a modified center-based preschool experience for at-risk families near coastal beach parks and homeless families living at beach parks. Families receive canned and dried goods as well as educational and social services with partners from local shelters, outreach agencies, and government bodies. Adult educational services include goal-setting and budgeting, vocational training, job placement and GED preparation.

This is a Family-Child Interaction Learning (FCIL) program that provides services at various shelters, public housing facilities and neighborhoods on the Leeward coast of Oʻahu. The two-hour-a-day, twice-a-week program provides pre-and post-testing, portfolio assessment, and referrals for health and developmental needs through community partners, parenting classes and TANF program education. The curriculum meets the Hawaiʻi Early Learning and Development Standards and the “Learning to Grow” Infant and Toddler Development Guidelines.

Four hours a day, four days a week, families participate in the Family Education Services. Parents engage with their child for the first two hours of the program, then participate in various adult education and life skills programs while their children receive an intensive, developmentally-appropriate education through preschool teachers and assistants.

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.

Recent News

Recent News

Ka Paʻalana Earns National NAEYC Accreditation

Nov 16, 2023

Program recognized among the top in the nation by earning accreditation.

Informal Caregivers Are Propping Up Hawaii’s Child Care Industry With Little Support

May 9, 2023

Providing enrichment opportunities and training to grandparents and friends providing in-home child care can have a big impact on school readiness.

Keola Klaus virtual toy drive is coming to town!

Dec 5, 2022

Support PIDF’s program keiki for a very Merry Christmas! Donate $20 or more in this virtual toy drive and receive a FREE Box Combo from Raising Cane’s.

Nomi Health Announces November Launch of Keiki Book Drive for PIDF

Nov 7, 2022

Books to be Collected This Month for Partners in Development Foundation Early Education Programs at 7 Testing Sites on Oahu & the Big Island