Jan Dill founded Partners in Development Foundation in 1997 with the goal of strengthening Hawai’i’s families, particularly ones facing adversity, and inspiring them to become future leaders in their communities. The foundation’s first and most well-known program, the Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool, is focused on intergenerational learning, caregiving and school readiness. There are now 24 sites throughout the state providing close to 3,000 children with a free preschool education and cultivating a true connection to their kupuna and knowledge of the past. In the years since then, Partners in Development Foundation has expanded to encompass a more holistic view of the health of Hawaiian communities, supporting a variety of programs ranging from social services and health outreach to environmental projects and early educational initiatives that serve close to 10,000 people. They make every effort to utilize traditional Hawaiian concepts, such as ho’ona’auao or mentorship and the ahapua’a system of environmental stewardship, in addressing the challenges facing Hawaiian communities in today’s world.
The dedicated staff at PID Foundation spends a lot of time and energy on trying to understand the full situation of a family rather than simply focusing on improving the academic scores of a single child. They initiated their family education program Nā Pono No Nā ‘Ohana in Waimānalo with two families, spending 16 hours a week discussing each individual family member’s issues, challenges and hopes, and working on improving the family as a whole. Partners in Development Foundation now works with close to 300 families on communicating their feelings, strengthening their relationships and sharing their aloha for one other.
Ka Pa’alana Traveling Preschool and Homeless Family Education Program serves families struggling on the beaches and in the shelters on the Leeward Coast of O’ahu, about 90 percent of whom are of Native Hawaiian descent. The program’s pioneers, Danny Goya and Terry Nakamura, are the only two active male NCFL (National Center for Family Literacy) Certified Trainers in the country, as well as the only ones concentrating their efforts on helping homeless families. They direct a parent participation preschool under blue tarps on the beach, distribute food and other essentials and provide information and assistance for families ready to transition to other temporary housing facilities. The only homeless preschool in the entire country, Ka Pa’alana is excited about further refining, then possibly replicating the program on the mainland.
About five years ago, the foundation got involved in foster care reform and learned that 52 percent of kids in the system were Native Hawaiian, yet only half of those children were placed with families who share their cultural values and Hawaiian heritage. This realization came as both a shock and a challenge to the people at Partners in Development and led them to create the Kōkua ‘Ohana and Hui Ho’omalu programs. In 2006, they were awarded a master contract with the State of Hawai’i Department of Human Services to design and execute innovative strategies to both better care for Hawai’i’s children in foster care and better prepare and support the resource families who wish to take on that responsibility. Since PID Foundation’s start in foster care reform, the percentage of Hawaiian kids in the system has dropped to one quarter, and there is now a long list of Hawaiian families waiting to welcome Hawaiian children into their hearts and homes.
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The organization runs several other ground-breaking programs, including Tech Together, STEM Scholars, the Ho’oma’ema’ewai watershed education project, the Green Machine wetland wastewater treatment facility, and the Baibala Hemolele project to increase access to the Bible for the next generation of Hawaiian language speakers. A common thread throughout all of PID Foundation’s programs, whether they are social work-based or educational in nature, is a focus on improving the well-being of Hawaiian children and families while sustaining strong ties to Hawaiian cultural values throughout the process. The staff at PID Foundation is always on the lookout for new challenges and is excited about opportunities to create even more innovative and effective programs across the state. Their concern about the future of sustainability for our islands has motivated them to begin developing a farm in Wai’anae. President Jan Dill is looking forward to creating programs focused on caring for our kupuna and working with Hawai’i’s special needs population in the coming years. The foundation is increasing its advocacy efforts to get more Hawaiians involved in their communities, so that they can better understand the challenges of their neighbors and offer their kōkua when needed.
Please see www.pidfoundation.org for more information on their innovative programs and services.
* The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the views of the entire Council.