Early Childhood Education Sees Holomua

Early Childhood Education Sees Holomua
Ke hoʻoholomua ʻia nei nō ke kākoʻo ʻia o ka papahana hoʻonauao kamaliʻi ma lalo o ka ʻōnaehana mokuʻāina ma ka holomua o kēia mau pila SB 1093 a 1095.

“Kākoʻo nui wau i ka hoʻonaʻauao kamaliʻi ʻana a kūpono kēia hoʻoholomua ʻia o kēia papahana koʻikoʻi nei,” wahi a ke Kenekoa ʻo Jill Tokuda. “Nui ka mana ikaika ma ʻaneʻi e hāpai ana i kēia manaʻo i mua o koʻu mau hoa hana ma ke Kapikala nei a me ka lehulehu ākea kekahi ʻoiai ʻo kēia ko mākou kuleana, ke kōkua a kākoʻo ʻana aku i kēia mau polokalamu i hāpai i kēia kuleana o ka mālama pono ʻana i ka hoʻonaʻauao kamaliʻi ʻana no ka manawa lōʻihi loa.”

ʻO kēia mau pila, he hoʻokahi keʻehina hou aku ia e paʻa ai kēia papahana koʻikoʻi o ka hoʻonaʻauao kamaliʻi ma lalo o ka papahana hoʻonaʻaua a mālama keiki o ka mokuʻāina. E ʻo nā manaʻo i hōʻano ʻia ai aku nei nā pila, he hōʻoia i ke kaʻa o kekahi mau papahana ʻoi kelakela ma lalo o kēia mau pila.

“Ua holomua a ua ‘ae ‘ia nā polokalamu e like me INPEACE, Keiki Steps, Parters in Development, Alu Like, Keiki o ka ʻĀina, ua holomua e hana i kekahi pila ʻae ʻia kēlā ʻano polokalamu. So ua hauʻoli nō a maikaʻi nō hoʻi,” wahi a Kanoe Nāone, ka CEO o INPEACE.

Ke walaʻau a hāpai kikoʻī nei ʻo Kanoe i nā polokalamu mālama a hoʻonaʻauao kamaliʻi e hoʻohui ʻia ai nā mākua a me nā kūpuna paha i loko pono o ka hana me nā kamaliʻi i mea e ulu like ai ka ʻohana me ke keiki.

“Noʻonoʻo hou ʻoe i ka wā kahiko, nā mākua ʻo ia nō nā mea e mahi ʻai, lawaiʻa a hana nui, a no nā kūpuna, nā mea e mālama i nā keiki. So, like kēia me ka wā kahiko,” i hoʻomau hou akula ʻo ia.

ʻO kekahi papahana kūikawā hou aku i pili i kēia hoʻonaʻauao kūpono ʻia o nā kamaliʻi, ʻo ia hoʻi nā kula kamaliʻi Pūnana Leo, a he koʻikoʻi hoʻi ka hōʻoia i ke kākoʻo o ia ʻano pōʻaiapili aʻo kamaliʻi ma lalo o kēia mau pila kekahi

“ʻAʻole hiki ke poina ia mea koʻikoʻi ʻo ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, a ʻoiai ʻo kēia ka ʻōlelo ponoʻī o kēia ʻāina. A no laila, ke ʻano pahu nei a ke paipai nui nei i nā poʻe o ka ʻAhaʻōlelo e nānā ʻia mai ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a me ka hana a ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo, ʻoiai ʻo ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo wale nō ka papahana nāna e hoʻōla ʻana i kēia- e aʻo ana ma o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi,” wahi a Noelani Iokepa-Gurrero, he polopeka hoʻomākaukau kumu no Ka Haka ʻUla ʻO Keʻelikōlani ma ke kula nui ʻo Hawaiʻi ma Hilo. “Ua ʻike ʻia mai kēia mau makahiki he nui, i ka hiki o kēia mau pēpē ke ulu, hoʻonaʻauao ʻia ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a hōʻea i ka pae kanaka makua a lanakila ma nā ʻano a pau. ʻAʻole ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, ʻaʻole ma nā mea Hawaiʻi wale nō, akā ma nā hana o ke ao nei.”

A ua ʻākoakoa aku nei ka ʻohana no ka hoʻomanaʻo i kēia nui holomua ma ko ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo hanana piha makahiki he kanakolu.

“Ua ulu a nui ka heluna o nā keiki i hiki ke ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi piha, a ʻo ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo ke alakaʻi o kēia nui holomua,” wahi a ke Kiaʻāina ʻo Neil Abercrombie ma kona haʻiʻōlelo ma ko ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo hanana piha makahiki he kanakolu.

A ua kūpono nō kēia mau pila no ka ʻimi ʻana i ke kākoʻo mau ʻia o nā papahana keu a ka maikaʻi, e laʻa hoʻi me ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo, mai kēia mua aku.

“But i kēia manawa, pono e komo i ke kālā i nā polokalamu. I kēia manawa, ʻaʻohe kālā i loko o ka pila,” wahi a Kanoe.

E nā hoa kamaʻāina, e makaʻala mai iā ʻŌiwiTV no ka nūhou i pili i kēia mau pila a e alu mai i ke kākoʻo i kēia mau papahana hoʻonauao i ko Hawaiʻi kamaliʻi.

State support for early education is gaining ground with Senate bills 1093 and 1095.

“Well I’m a huge supporter of early learning and I think it’s about time that Hawai’i takes itself out of the minority of states that don’t have publically supported early learning,” says Jill Tokuda, who the Senate Chair on Education. “The energy here is just amazing and I think it sends a great message to all of our lawmakers, my colleagues, policy makers and the public to say that it’s about time that we step up, we do our part, join the private providers that have shouldered the burden for so long and we do what’s right for our youngest of children.”

The bills are an important step for Early Chilhood programs and recent ammendments ensure support for a wider range of successfull approaches to early learning.

“These bills will allow us to continue these types of programs such as INPEACE, Keiki Steps, Partners in Development, Alu Like, Keiki o ka ʻĀina, so we are very pleased,” says Kanoe Nāone, CEO of INPEACE.

Kanoe is speaking in particular to programs that include parents and even grandparents in the the learning environment with their keiki.

“For generations in Hawaiʻi, parents and grandparents have played critical roles in childcare and they still do,” Kanoe continues to say.

Antoher unique early edcuation program is our Pūnana Leo. It is important that these state initiatives allow for their support as well.

“We cannot forget that Hawaiian is an official language of the state. So we appeal to our legislators to ensure that these initiatives allow for support of the Pūnana Leo preschools, the only program being taught through the Hawaiian language,” says Noelani Iokepa-Gurrero, who is a professor for developing teachers at Ka Haka ʻUla ʻO Keʻelikōlani, college for Hawaiian language at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. “We have seen how this type of education helps the child develop not just in terms of things Hawaiian, but academically, socially and in all ways critical to their long-term success.”

A success recently celebrated and honored at the ʻAha Pūnana Leo’s 30th anniversary event.

“Today, thirty years later, the number of children fluent in Hawaiian has grown fifty fold and ʻAha Pūnana Leo is the world leader in indigenous language rejuvenation,” says Governor Neil Abercrombie in his speech at the ʻAha Pūnana Leo’s anniversary event.

And these current bills have the potential to provide ongoing support for these successful programs.

And Kanoe has hopes for plans moving forward. “The next step is getting these bills to fund these types of programs.”

Stay tuned to ʻŌiwiTV for updates on these measures supporting the education of our kamaliʻi o Hawaiʻi.

ʻŌiwi TV reaches across generations, socio-economic statuses, and geographic locations as the sole media venue where the Hawaiian language, culture and perspective thrive. Through Digital Channel 326, ʻŌiwi TV reaches over 220,000 households across the entire State via Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s network. Through its website, mobile, and social media venues, ʻŌiwi TV is reaching Hawaiians everywhere and engaging a generation of Hawaiians that expect to access anything and everything from anywhere at anytime.

2 Comments

  1. Kuulei Medeiros 11 years ago

    “I support this bill with Punana Leo Amendments.”

  2. KILINOEMAILANI OKAMI 11 years ago

    I support Punana Leo and all the Hawaiian Language Immersion Programs 100%, being a haumana parent who’s son is part of the lst graduating class on Kaua’i at Kapa’a High School class of 2002, I’m so proud that my son is fluent in Hawaiian n keeps it up to this day thou’ he’s all the way in Florida. We must not lose these programs; we must not lose our language or everything Hawaiian is lost.

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