Parents As Teachers 2006 Losos National Award Recipients

The national prize recognizing excellence in services to young children and their families was created this year through a donation from Carolyn W. Losos, a lifetime early childhood proponent and member of the Parents as Teachers National Center Board of Directors. Besides receiving a monetary award of $2,500, Parents as Teachers National Center brought each program to St. Louis to attend an awards banquet on October 5 and share their story at a panel discussion the next day.

All of the winning programs was selected because of their creative and innovative initiatives to serve families. They all plan to use the prize money to continue to expand and support their specific projects.

Originating Parents As Teachers article

Keiki O Ka Aina Family Learning Centers, Outreach to culturally isolated and undeserved communities

Initiative: The program in Hawaii devised an innovative way to recruit parents to the program by tapping into the cultural importance of food, drawing families out of housing projects and building a trusted relationship and resource in the Parents as Teachers program. The program also works with young mothers who are pursuing high school diplomas and provides parenting support to incarcerated parents.

Future endeavor: The program will use the funds for expansion of staff training. They will use the money to train a supervisor for Maui to cut down on inter-island travel expenses, get training on Parent as Teachers National Center’s Issues in Working with Teen Parents and Supporting Families of Children with Special Needs, and purchase the 2005 Parents as Teachers Born to Learn™ Curriculum.

Kulia I Ka Nu'u (Strive for the Highest)

Accelerated Integrated Montessori-Home Instruction (AIM-HI) for families of 2 1/5 through 3 1/2 year old Native Hawaiian keiki. Weekly group meetings starting in October 2006 at four O'ahu sites. Families will receive new Montessori and Hawaiian cultural 24 week curriculum as well as support, instruction, child care and materials.

AIM-HI for your keiki's future! Call 843-2502 for an application and visit the AIM- HI page on our website

Keiki O Ka Aina visits Ulupo Heiau and Loi in Kailua and Waimea Falls Park

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Summer 2006

The first of two summer huakai that have been planned by Keiki Ok A Aina took us to Kailua to visit the Ulupo heiau and work in the lo'i. About 100 parents, keiki, and staff attended the huakai and got a guided tour of the heiau, the natural streams, the lo`i and the surrounding area. Keiki O Ka Aina got the opportunity to work in the lo`i by pulling weeds and working over the soil to plant Keiki O Ka Aina's own taro patch.

The Ulupo Heiau and Loi is a historic site said to have been built by menehunes to worship Hawaiian gods. It is located next to the Kailua YMCA on Kailua road.

The second huakai took us to the Waimea Valley Audubon Center on Oahu's North Shore. Another large group of Keiki O Ka Aina families and staff spent the morning taking the walk up to Waihi Falls and had fun splashing and wading in the water, swimming out to the falls, and chasing after tadpoles.

Ulupo Heiau and Loi Photos

Waimea Falls Park Photos

USS Denver Makes A Difference at Keiki O Ka Aina

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June 2006

While visiting Honolulu during the Rim Pac exercises, some of the crew of San Diego based USS Denver helped Keiki O Ka Aina Family Learning Centers move one of their school locations and did landscaping at another.

More about the USS Denver helping Keiki O Ka Aina and the Keiki O Ka Aina tour on the USS Denver.

2006 End of Year Celebration

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May 2006

Keiki O Ka Aina's annual End of the Year celebration was held this year at the Honolulu Zoo and featured special guest Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona, local entertainers included the Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner Riatea Helm, Kapena, the New Hope Men's Ministry and Hula, and backyard favorites Waiaulu.

Keiki enjoyed activities put on by the Zoo, and the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative, bouncers, Keiki ID's by the Honolulu Police Department, a silent auction, and a fish pond.

The day was a celebration for the participants in Keiki O Ka Aina's four major programs including the Parent Participation Preschool (PPP) program, the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program, Supporting Families Affected by Incarceration (SFAI) and the Parents As Teachers (PAT) program were on hand as well.

This year's celebration also marks the 10 year anniversary of Keiki O Ka Aina Family Learning Centers. Started in the back of Kalihi Baptist Church with a few families, a storage locker and no funding, Keiki O Ka Aina now serves more than 2,000 each year with our free programs on 2 islands and at 40 different community sites.

More about the celebration

Keiki O Ka Aina Attend HIPPY National Conference

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April 2006

HIPPY, the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters program that Keiki O Ka Aina is part of held it's 18th annual conference April 2-5, 2006 in Arlington Virginia. Keiki O Ka Aina's HIPPY program leader Kim Mok and HIPPY lead facilitators joined Keiki O Ka Aina executive director Momi Akana and Kanoe Naone to participate in the conference.

The Hawaii HIPPY delegation visiting the office of Senator Daniel Akaka

The conference theme was Getting Results with HIPPY and the main focus was to promote the advocacy efforts that will result in greater knowledge about and support of HIPPY on the local and national fronts, as well as foster the crucial advocacy performed by HIPPY staff on behalf of children and families.

Keiki O Ka Aina'a Momi Akana presenting Senator Hilary Clinton with a lei

The HIPPY USA Board of Trustees voted to honor Senator Hillary Clinton and Jeffrey E. Tabak, Esq. with the 2006 Avima D. Lombard Award. The awards will be presented at a gala banquet on Sunday evening, April 2nd. Conference attendees were invited to join the Board in celebrating yet another HIPPY champion who has worked tirelessly on behalf of children and HIPPY

Keiki O Ka Aina'a Momi Akana Kanoe Naone, and Kim Mok with Senator Daniel Akaka

The Keiki O Ka Aina HIPPY program serves over 600 parents and children on the island of Oahu and was certified by HIPPY USA for the program year 2004-2005 as a Stellar HIPPY Program and received special recognition for quality programming and services delivered to HIPPY children and families.

Links
Keiki O Ka Aina HIPPY page
HIPPY USA website
Senator Akaka's website

End of Year Celebration set for May13th

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March 2006

Keiki O Ka Aina will be having it's annual End of the Year Celebration at the Honolulu Zoo this year on May 13th. Keiki O Ka will be celebrating it's 10th Anniversary and will be featuring Kelly Boy Delima of Kapena and Raiatea Helm as their special guests.

The celebration begins at 10:00am and will end at 3:00. Parking will be at Kapiolani Community College with shuttle buses providing transportation to and from the Zoo during and after the event. Keiki O Ka Aina's Celebration will coincide with the FIL-COM 100th Anniversary Festival at Kapiolani Park and there will be no parking available at the Waikiki Shell.

Admission will be 10.00 per family. For more information or details of the event, please contact Keiki O Ka Aina offices at 853-2211.

Keiki O Ka Aina joins Hawaiian Airlines Affiliate Program

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March 2006

Keiki O Ka Aina has joined the Hawaiian Air Affiliate Program and can offer various discounts and special promotions to anyone who visits our website and clicks on a Hawaiian Air link. The links on Keiki O Ka Aina's website will look similar as the banner ad below and will take the user directly to the online booking page of Hawaiian Airlines. When at the online booking site the current discounts and offers along with their codes can be found.

Keiki O Ka Aina will earn one mile for every dollar spent on tickets purchased online.

Keiki O Ka Aina Hawaiian Air affiliate web page