Family-child interaction learning programs deserve legislative consideration

It is encouraging to know that our legislators are aware of the importance of early childhood education (preschool) and the critical need that we have in Hawaii to ensure that our youngest learners are entering school with a good educational foundation.

In your front-page article on the state’s plan for early education ("Officials target early learning," (Star-Advertiser, Feb. 5), one of the current options for early learning in the state of Hawaii was left out. Family-child interaction learning programs, such as the Tutu and Me Traveling Preschool, Keiki O Ka ‘Aina Family Learning Center and Keiki Steps have been serving families with young children, ages birth-5, in communities throughout our state for more than 10 years. These programs, which require that a parent or adult caregiver attend the bi-weekly or tri-weekly sessions with the child, have been successful in both preparing children for school and in strengthening families.

The programs mentioned above meet the needs of children/families in the "gap" group — those who do not qualify for Head Start but yet cannot afford a quality preschool education.

In addition, they serve families who for various reasons choose to keep their keiki at home (cared for by a parent, tutu or other relative) instead of sending them to a drop-off preschool. The tremendous advantage of family-child interaction learning programs is the integration of family into the preschool educational process. Longitudinal studies point to the lasting positive effects of having caregivers participating in the preschool experience of their children. Caregivers learn effective child-care skill sets that become available to other members of the extended family.

It is for this reason that the Partners in Development Foundation has implemented this approach for its Tutu and Me Traveling Preschool program, the Ka Pa‘alana Preschool and Family Education program for the homeless in the shelters and on the beaches (of the Leeward Coast), and for years the foundation’s Na Pono No Na Ohana Family Education program at Blanche Pope Elementary School in Waimanalo.

In recent years, Hawaii’s nonprofit models for family-child interaction have pioneered similar programs across the mainland. These meet national standards and are specifically designed to be culturally appropriate for the communities which they serve.

It is important for the administration and Legislature to include these successful programs as a viable option in the preschool experience offered to the keiki of Hawaii.