OKAY.
YOU CAN RELATE TO THIS.
YOU WANT YOUR KEIKI TO
GO TO A GOOD PRESCHOOL.
TAKE IT FROM US, PARENTS
CAN BE PICKY.
IT STARTS FROM EARLY.
WE'RE ON THE GROUNDS OF
ANUENUE ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL IN PALOLO.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH
US.
APPRECIATE IT.
TELL ME, I KNOW THAT
KHON WORKS SO CLOSE WITH
KEIKI O KA AINA FOR A
NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
PROJECTS BUT CAN YOU
TELL THE FOLKS THAT
DON'T KNOW, WHAT IS
KEIKI O KA AINA?
IT'S A NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION.
OUR PRIMARY GOAL,
MISSION, VISION IS TO
WORK WITH FAMILIES, IT'S
FAMILY EDUCATION, WITH A
CULTURAL EDUCATION BASE,
STRONG FAMILY
STRENGTHENING AND EARLY
CHILDHOOD.
SPEAKING OF EARLY
CHILDHOOD WE'RE AT A
FACILITY RIGHT NOW
THAT'S COMPLETELY KEIKI
O KA AINA THAT'S SOME OF
THE NEIGHBORING
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
WHY IS PRE-SCREEN SO
IMPORTANT?
I GUESS THE FIRST
REASON WHY WE HAVE
PRESCHOOL IS BECAUSE
PARENTS WORK.
SO 100% OF THE PARENTS
THAT BRING THEIR
CHILDREN TO THIS
PRESCHOOL, THEY WORK.
WE WEREN'T TO MAKE SURE
IT'S JUST NIGHT
BABY-SITTING, A PLACE
WHERE ALL THEY ARE GOING
TO DO POSSIBLY PLAY
OUTSIDE ALL DAY WHICH IS
NOT A BAD THING BUT
THERE'S A LOT OF RICH
EXPERIENCE.
AND SO PRESCHOOL SHOULD
BE ABOUT THAT, A LOT OF
RICH EXPERIENCES,
DIFFERENT KINDS OF
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
BUT ALSO A LOT OF -- ALL
OF IT IS PLAY, ALL OF IT
IS WORK FOR THEM.
ON THAT NOTE WALKING
UP HERE I WAS LISTENING
TO THE KIDS CHANTING,
SPEAKING IN HAWAIIAN.
THAT'S GOT TO BE
ENRICHING FOR THEM AND
THE PARENTS MUST BE
PRETTY HAPPY FOR THEM TO
KNOW THEY ARE LEARNING
SOMETHING NEW.
ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS
ARE DUAL LEARNING
PROGRAMS.
WE OFFER OLELO HAWAI'I
WHICH IS HAWAIIAN
LANGUAGE AND THEY HEAR
ENGLISH LANGUAGE.
A LITTLE MORE IN WITH
THE OLELO HAWAI'I AND
THEIR ABILITY TO SPEAK
THE LANGUAGE BUT WE
TRAIN ALL OF OUR FOLKS
TO SAY PRAISES, TO
EXPECT DIFFERENT
RESPONSES FROM THE
CHILDREN AND WE WANT OUR
CHILDREN TO HEAR BOTH
LANGUAGES.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
SPECIAL NEEDS THAT
PRESCHOOL ADDRESSES FOR
SOME OF THE CHILDREN?
WE DO HAVE SOME
CHILDREN THAT HAVE SOME
MILD BEHAVIORAL
CHALLENGES.
THAT MEANS MAYBE THEY
ARE DEVELOPMENTALLY
YOUNGER THAN OTHERS WHEN
THEY COME TO US.
WE HELP THEM LEARN HOW
TO LISTEN, HOW TO MAKE
SIT IN A GROUP SETTING,
FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS.
THAT'S IMPORTANT.
THE AVERAGE CHILD IS
ABLE DO THAT AT A
CERTAIN AGE AND SOME
CHILDREN AREN'T.
WE HAVE SOME CHILDREN
THAT MAY NEED MORE
LANGUAGE.
WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO
UNDERSTAND THEM OR THEY
MAY NOT HAVE ANY
LANGUAGE AT ALL.
WE HAVE TO PROVIDE AND
HELP THEM LEARN
LANGUAGE.
I KNOW THAT YOU'VE
EXPRESSED THEM ALREADY
BUT I'D LIKE TO KNOW IN
YOUR OPINION THE KEIKI O
KA AINA ARE WITH THE
SOME OF THE OTHERS?
I THINK WE HAVE THREE
REALLY STRONG THINGS
HERE.
ONE IS WE HAVE A
CULTURAL FOUNDATION SO
EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IS
BUILT ON TRADITIONAL
PRACTICE, PRACTICES THAT
HAVE MAYBE NO LONGER BE
PRACTICE OR THOSE THAT
WE PRACTICE STILL AND
THE LAST THING IS WE
HAVE A STRONG FAMILY
STRENGTH, FAMILY
EDUCATION BASE, SO IT'S
REALLY NOT ONLY ABOUT
THE CHILD.
IT'S ABOUT THE FAMILY.
AND IF WE DON'T ADDRESS
WHATEVER THE FAMILY'S
NEEDS ARE, IT'S REALLY
HARD FOR THOSE CHILDREN
TO GROW UP AND BE READY.
HOW MANY KEIKI O KA
AINA PRESCHOOLS ARE
THERE?
WE HAVE TWO SITES,
ONE HERE IN PALOLO AND
ONE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF
THE ISLAND IN MA'ILI.
THIS IS FOUR DIFFERENT
CLASSROOM.
IT SERVICES CHILDREN
FROM ABOUT TWO AND A
HALF TO SIX YEARS OLD
AND THEN OUR MA'ILI SITE
HAS TWO CLASSROOMS,
PRESCHOOL, TWO AND A
HALF TO AROUND SIX.
SO THAT'S FOR BABIES SIX
WEEKS TO ABOUT 36
MONTHS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING WITH US, AND IF
YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE
ABOUT KEIKI O KA AINA
PRESCHOOLS OR JUST MORE
ABOUT KEIKI O KA AINA IN
GENERAL, WE'LL HAVE A
LINK ON OUR WEBSITE
RIGHT AFTER THE SHOW.
APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU.
SO AMAZING.
IT'S LIKE WORKING OUT.
YOU TRY TO GET STRONGER,
YOU WANT TO LIFT
WEIGHTS, YOU WANT TO
WORK OUT.
SAME GOES FOR YOUR BRAIN
AND THEY ARE STARTING IT
AT A YOUNG AGE.
THEY ARE TEACHING SO
MANY DIFFERENT THINGS.
YOU SEE THIS AND I
REMEMBER YOU'RE DOING
SOME OF THE PARENT
PARTICIPATION
PRESCHOOLS.
THEY ARE SORE GOOD.
KIDS DON'T EVEN
NECESSARILY KNOW THEY
ARE LEARNING THESE
LESSONS.
LONG GONE ARE THE
DAYS I USED TO PUT THE
RED BLOCK IN FRONT OF
THE BLUE BLOCK.
IT'S COME A LITTLE
WAYS.
MAYBE I HAVEN'T.
SWITCHING GEARS TO
SOME WHACKY WEDNESDAY
STORIES NOW, THERE ARE