Ka Pua holds blessing for Early Learning Complex

KS’ Kalei Ka‘ilihiwa, Nicole Souza and Paula-Ann Burgess, and Silvia Sharrar and Melodie Vega from PACT – Early Head Start help Kahu Kordell Kekoa untie the maile lei at the entrance to the Infant and Toddler Center.

July 22, 2014

Contributed by Shaundor Chillingworth

Over the next two weeks, the eight organizations moving and expanding their services into Community Learning Center at Mā‘ili will begin readying their classrooms for the over 275 families who will soon bring the joy and laughter of learning to that space.

On Wednesday July 16, Kamehameha Schools’ Ka Pua Initiative hosted a blessing to bring together the organizations who will be at the center's Early Learning Complex and set the stage for the work that will take place there.

Kahu Kordell Kekoa reminded folks that these buildings are just shells, and that the life will come with the sounds of the keiki and families who will be enriched by the work of the people who occupy those spaces.

The Early Learning Complex has come a long way in the nine months since breaking ground. The first two sections, a Preschool Complex and an Infant and Toddler Center, will open its doors in August.

Ka Pua Initiative Director of Community Programs Kalei Ka‘ilihiwa summed it up well by sharing how the ambitious timeline may have been thought of as impossible at the start of the project, but has become a testament to the community effort taking place.

The Early Learning Complex is unique in that it will house seven preschool programs and three infant-toddler programs from eight different organizations on the same site.

Nicole Souza, director of early childhood for Ka Pua, is excited about developing the professional learning community and the opportunity for programs to build off of one another’s strengths. “Being next door to one another, we’re learning from each other. We’re neighbors, just like in a community,” she said.

The organizations offering preschool or infant-toddler programs at the center include:

Kamehameha Schools
‘Aha Pūnana Leo
HCAP - Head Start
Keiki o ka ‘Āina Family Learning Centers
Keiki Steps by INPEACE
PACT – Early Head Start
Partners in Development
Wai‘anae Coast Early Education Center

Programs range from center-based preschool experiences to family-child interactive learning. A total of 245 preschool seats (185 of which are new) and 32 infant-toddler seats are available through the center’s programs.

“Being a part of this space allows us an opportunity to serve more families and meet the needs of those kids,” said Jennifer Timpe, VP of Human Resources and Operations for INPEACE. “It’s so powerful to be a part of this and to be able to partner with the other organizations and have a place for all of the children and families to come.”

Families interested in applying for available preschool and infant and toddler seats can inquire directly with each program or contact Hō‘ala by INPEACE at 696-9300 or by email hoala@inpeace.org for help completing applications and applicable forms.

An Early Learning Kauhale is the third component of the Early Learning Complex and will come online later this year, providing office, meeting and multipurpose space for early learning organizations, allowing for additional collaboration and serving as a “one-stop-shop” for families to access KS resources.

The Community Learning Center at Mā‘ili was developed to support one of the three strategies behind KS’ Ka Pua Initiative. Other strategies include collaborating with programs that can “move the needle” in key academic measures for student success, and aligning resources so that schools are the centers of their communities and can support a variety of services for students and their families.

The center is located at 87-0790 Kulauku St. For more information or individual program contacts, visit www.ksbe.edu/kapua.

Watch highlights from the blessing below:

Watch the ‘Ōiwi TV video from the Community Learning Center at Mā‘ili Early Learning Complex groundbreaking below:

Kahu Kordell Kekoa and Darlene Morikawa from KS, Karen Hanabusa of HCAP, Stacey Fujimoto Kauka of PIDF and Jennifer Timpe of INPEACE help untie the maile at the new Preschool Complex.