Kamehameha Schools announces new dean of Early Childhood Education

November 17, 2005

Contributed by Liz Ahana

"Our preschools serve approximately 1,500 three- and four- year olds across the state," said Lock. "The Hi'ilani program is a new early childhood family education program focused on prenatal to age three; and the Pauahi Keiki Scholars program provides financial aid to Hawaiian preschool-age children who enroll in accredited preschools in our communities. The Education Strategic Plan will guide our Division to enhance and sustain positive educational outcomes for greater numbers of Native Hawaiian children, with specific emphasis on young learners (ages 0-8) across our state over the next 5-10 years."

With nearly 30 years of experience in early childhood education, Lock recently returned from Washington, D.C. where she was selected to work for a year as a National Head Start Fellow. She was taught in and managed programs serving infants to eight years old; initiated parent support groups; taught in the field of early childhood education and human services at the university and community college levels; coordinated family literacy services for parents and their preschoolers; and has been an advocate for early childhood education at the state and national levels.

"One must appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life-cycle, a time when work with children must be based on knowledge of a child's development and learning, said Lock. "We must recognize that children are best understood in the context of family, culture and society, and that Early Childhood Education programs are best built on an appreciation of and with support to the close ties between child and family."

Before her departure to Washington, Lock was the Maui County Early Childhood Resource Coordinator and worked in partnership with the Maui County Good Beginnings Community Council and the Maui Good Beginnings Team to develop a coordinated early care and education system for the County of Maui.

Lock has a Bachelors degree in Human Development which she obtained at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and a Masters degree in Human Development with specialization in Parent/Community Work and Early Childhood Education from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California.

Kamehameha Schools is a statewide educational system founded and endowed by the legacy of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Currently, more than 6,900 students of Hawaiian ancestry are enrolled in K-12 campuses on three islands and at more than 30 preschool sites statewide. Kamehameha Schools also serves thousands of other Hawaiian learners each year through a range of outreach programs, community collaborations and financial aid opportunities in Hawai'i and across the continental United States.