Nov. 10, 2025

Cross-sector collaborators gathered for Kapolei Parkway Preschool’s opening ceremony. From left to right: EVP of Early Education Programs at Parents and Children Together (PACT) Ben Naki, Parkway Village Preschool Board Chair Kim Gould, Rep. Kanani Souza, Sen. Mike Gabbard, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, Exec. Dir. of the Leadership Institute at Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture Ed Noh, Center Dir. of Parkway Village Preschool Grace Nagel and President and CEO at PACT Ryan Kusumoto. Photo courtesy: Norma Spierings, PACT

Kapolei Parkway Preschool, a public charter school serving three- and four-year-old keiki, opened this fall with support from KS Kaiāulu, expanding access to community-based early learning opportunities in West Oʻahu. 

Nestled within the Parkway Village at Kapolei — a mixed-use development that includes affordable rental housing and a second on-site preschool — the new facility is fully enrolled and already serving local families. It is operated by Parents and Children Together (PACT).

“ʻAʻohe hana nui ke alu ʻia. Equity begins with access, and access begins with partnerships,” said Nāpua Rosehill, Hiʻialo strategy consultant at Kamehameha Schools. “Kapolei Parkway Preschool is an excellent example of how collective action across sectors can bring dreams to life.” 

This effort represents a first-of-its-kind collaboration among an early learning advocate, a nonprofit preschool provider, and an affordable housing developer with a shared vision to embed educational infrastructure within a residential development. The model reduces transportation barriers and centers ʻohana needs, highlighting what’s possible when systems, community and mission align.

The preschool’s reach extends to four Hawaiian homestead communities in the Kapolei region, increasing opportunities for Native Hawaiian ʻohana who once had limited early learning options close to home. 

“With this effort, we’re one step closer to creating a Hawaiʻi where every keiki has a pathway to early learning, no matter where they live,” Rosehill added.

For KS Kaiāulu, investing in Kapolei Parkway Preschool was an opportunity to increase the availability of high-quality early learning and support the state’s goal of providing preschool access to all three- and four-year-old keiki in Hawaiʻi by 2032.

Bringing this design to life required the dedication of many hands. The project was developed by Kobayashi Group and Āhē Group in partnership with the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation, CREA LLC and Bank of Hawaiʻi.