Throughout their transformation from a small playschool .JPG)
group in Kalihi to one of the largest and most successful early childhood education organizations in the state, the folks at Keiki o ka ‘Āina (KOKA) say that their inspiration has always been their kids. The group recognized the need for more sophisticated curriculum as their children grew older, and has since expanded their family education programs to serve thousands of children and parents across Hawai’i with the mission to “build strong communities by building strong families.” They focus on four main objectives in their work: educating children, strengthening families, enriching communities and perpetuating culture. Everything they do is focused on nurturing the whole person, with a strong foundation in Hawaiian language and cultural values. Momi Akana, founder and president of KOKA, says she has discovered through her years in the education field that “if things aren’t right at home, the kids can’t do well in school.”
One of the group’s strengths has been their ability to adapt proven research-based programs, such as Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) for children ages three to five and Parents as Teachers (PAT) for prenatal to age three, to Hawai’i’s unique cultural landscape by integrating Hawaiian values into the curriculum. Some of KOKA’s other programs include Poli’s Place, an inclusion preschool setting that encourages children and toddlers both with and without special needs to interact and learn together. The Healthy Marriages Initiative supports couples who want to work on creating and maintaining lasting, stable relationships for themselves and their keiki. The Outdoor Classroom and Cultural Training Center in Kalihi Valley is a place where students from public and private schools can come and learn about native plants and their different uses in an interactive way, deepening their understanding of Hawaiian values and traditions in the process. Another successful program, Supporting Families Affected by Incarceration (SFAI), seeks to strengthen the relationship between children and their imprisoned parents through mentoring and parenting classes. Momi and her staff are especially proud of their newest program, Kulia I Ka Nu’u, which they built from the bottom up by combining interactive Montessori curriculum with Hawaiian language and culture to create lessons for parents to share with their young children.
Momi says a big reason they have been so successful is because good research and evaluation continues to be a major priority. They insist that participating families fill out surveys, and have worked with Kamehameha Schools on improving their data collection methods for several years. They hope to perfect their methodology soon and make it available to all early childhood providers in Hawai’i.
Momi and her staff at KOKA are excited about reaching more families with even more comprehensive services in 2011 and beyond. They are especially enthusiastic about serving Hawaiian children with special needs and their families, and providing broader cultural experiences for our communities. Looking towards the future, Momi and KOKA are enthusiastic about moving towards self-sustainability. They aspire to have all their community centers completely energy-efficient one day and imagine their preschool students walking outside into the cultural garden to pick some fresh fruit for snack time. Keiki o ka ‘Āina shared a beautiful image of their popular ‘Uala activity that perfectly illustrates their dreams for the future: All the children take home young ‘Uala plants along with their newfound knowledge to start a home garden after their day of discovery in the Hawaiian cultural garden. Before leaving Kalihi Valley, the children plant new ‘Uala plants for the next class to enjoy, with the profound understanding that they are giving back what they have taken and are providing for future generations in the process.
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Check out www.keikiokaaina.org for more information on KOKA’s programs.
Photo provided by Keiki o ka ‘Āina.
* The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the views of the entire Council.