About Ka Pa‘alana

The Ka Pa‘alana Traveling Preschool and Homeless Family Education Program serves houseless families on the Leeward coast of O‘ahu.  Through collaborative partnerships with Leeward coast outreach agencies, Ka Pa‘alana assists families by delivering or providing access to essential services, such as a parent-child participatory preschool, FoodBank, toiletry, and dental supplies distribution, and more.  Ka Pa‘alana also serves as an initial contact agency for families who are ready to transition to local shelters or temporary housing facilities.

There are four components to the Ka Pa‘alana Traveling Preschool and Homeless Family Education Program:

Mālama Mobile . . . A “first contact” homeless outreach that provides a modified center-based preschool experience for at-risk families near coastal beach parks and homeless families living at beach parks.  Families receive canned and dried goods as well as educational and social services with partners from local shelters, outreaches and government agencies.  Adult educational services include goal-setting and budgeting, vocational training, job placement and GED preparation.  Ninety-five percent of the families we serve are Native Hawaiian.

Traveling Preschool . . . A parent-child participatory preschool that provides services at two family shelters on the Leeward Coast.  The two-hour-a-day, two-day-a-week program provides pre- and post-testing, portfolio assessment, referrals for health and developmental needs through community partners, parenting classes and TANF education.  Adult educational services include goal-setting and budgeting, vocational training, job placement and GED preparation.  The curriculum of the preschool meets the Hawai‘i Preschool Content Standards and the “Learning to Grow” Infant and Toddler Development standards.

Family Education Services . . . A four-hour-a-day, four-day-a-week comprehensive Family Education Service.  Parents interact with their child for the first two hours of the program, then participate in various adult education and life skills programs while their children receive an intensive, developmentally appropriate education through preschool teachers and assistants.  Adult educational services include goal-setting and budgeting, vocational training, job placement, and GED preparation.  A drop-off service is provided for parents who meet the criteria of the program.

‘Ike No‘eau . . . Traveling program provides developmentally appropriate, culturally relevant math and science preschool curriculum to families at the shelters and at Hawaiian Homelands in Wai‘anae and Waimānalo.

Ka Pa‘alana is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kamehameha Schools, Hawai‘i State Department of Human Services, and the Administration for Native Americans.

To support the work of PIDF’s Ka Pa‘alana Program, click here.

Mahalo no kou makana ‘ana mai (Thank you for your gift)

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