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Last August, Hawai‘i Baptist Academy opened HBA Preschool at GracePoint, its first satellite preschool located in Mililani Mauka. A collaboration with GracePoint Church, the new preschool has a veteran staff with 160 years of combined experience and is able to serve 60 students in five classes — four are dedicated to preschoolers and the fifth class is for infants/toddlers. The school’s mission is to provide a Christ-centered environment where the community’s youngest learners can thrive and learn.

“Our heart is to partner with the community and support families and children, as well as strengthening the educational pipeline especially for young learners,” says Kalei DeMello, director of preschools. DeMello has more than 30 years of experience in early childhood education.

“One thing that makes HBA Preschool at GracePoint special is the passion and inspiration our team has for serving others. We call it serving with a spirit of excellence. Our goal is to develop the whole child with an emphasis on genuinely expressing God’s love for each and every child daily,” DeMello adds.

“I love how the church and HBA were able to work together to reach more families in our community,” says James Shiroma, lead pastor at GracePoint Church. “This partnership allows the preschool to focus on being the very best preschool it can be and fulfilling a need in the community, while allowing the church to focus on ministering to the community.”

Founded in 1949, HBA educates elementary, middle and high school students at its campuses in Nu‘uanu. In 2021, HBA added a junior kindergarten class at the elementary campus before adding the new preschool in 2022. HBA as a school is known for having a strong track record of providing nurturing, passionate and committed professionals who support the needs of its students. Going beyond academics, HBA provides opportunities for its students to develop a deeper relationship with Christ. While not every student who attends HBA is a Christian, they learn about Christ and Christian values. The core values of HBA — including the preschool — are humility, curiosity, love and commitment.

“Our students are lights in our community, and we are excited to expand beyond the greater Honolulu area and into Central O‘ahu,” says Ron Shiira, class of 1975 member and president of HBA. “Believing Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth and the life, HBA continues to bring faith and learning together so that we may join God in the formation of people and the transformation of the world.”

There are currently 58 students enrolled at the preschool and its maximum enrollment is 60. Limited spots are available for the 2024-25 school year.

The deadline for the first round of acceptances is Sunday, Oct. 1. Financial assistance is available and tuition includes meals, general school supplies, excursions and school shirts. School hours are 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Interested families may apply online at hba.net/academics/preschool.

For those who are interested in visiting, tours generally take place on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Schedule a tour at the preschool office by calling 808-626-8798 or emailing preschool@hba.net.

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