Lauri Sagle, English Professor at UH Hilo, invited Ishigo to speak to her class, which had chosen Tūtū and Me as the lens through which students would explore literacy in young children and community advocacy. The class had also organized a book drive for the program, collecting more than 50 books to donate to our keiki. A tangible act of care that set the tone for everything that followed.

“I was so impressed that you chose Tūtū and Me as a focus for studying literacy in young children and community advocacy. It was wonderful to meet a former Tūtū and Me participant in your class. What a great reminder of our program’s vision!”
– Amanda Ishigo, Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool Program Director

Among the students in the class was a former Tūtū and Me participant, a testament to the program’s reach throughout the years in East Hawaiʻi. Seeing a young adult who once sat in the traveling preschool now studying its impact at the university level was, for Ishigo, a great reminder of the program’s vision.

Taking the initiative entirely on their own, students handwrote more than 50 postcards addressed to Hawaiʻi’s Mayor in support of funding for Tūtū and Me. Through this experience, the students practiced their right to civic engagement, using their voices to express their concerns to our elected officials. Advocacy from our youth carries a weight that cannot be manufactured.

The generosity didn’t end there. The class donated more than 50 books for the keiki served by Tūtū and Me. Our families are currently building an “At-Home” library for summertime reading, and these books will be matched with keikiwho will treasure them.

This visit is a beautiful example of what happens when education and community care meet in the same room. Mahalo nui to Professor Lauri Sagle and her students for their passion, their postcards, their books, and their belief that our keiki deserve every opportunity to thrive.

To learn more about Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool and ways to support our mission, visit pidf.org/tutuandme.

Honolulu-based nonprofit Partners in Development Foundation has been intentional about stabilizing its early childhood workforce over time, according to COO Terry Nakamura.

He told Aloha State Daily that despite ongoing challenges, the organization has been “trying to increase the salary for entry-level positions.”

“Incrementally, we raised their pay from $15 to $16 and then to $17,” Nakamura explained. “So, it was a deliberate attempt to make it affordable for folks. And it does make a difference, it helps.”

“I feel seen. Being in this field we never enter for the pay, we enter to make a difference, so living paycheck to paycheck is just a part of my life, but to have the extra help is such a blessing.”
– Testimony from Staff

So has offering stipends to workers.

With early childhood educators in mind, PIDF dispersed a grant, then called Early Childhood Workforce Stabilization and Compensation Assistance Award (ECWSCA), to employees in May of 2025 from Hawaiʻi P-20 Partnership for Education, which includes the Executive Office on Early Learning, the state Department of Education and the University of Hawaiʻi System.

The total amount awarded was $176,250 to 85 early childhood education staff via one-time stipends. The 56 full-time staff received $2,500 and the 29 part-time staff received $1,250.

“These stipends have been a huge benefit. For both the first and second rounds of this, it was a surprise. I was the one that primarily submitted our application, and we did it per program.”

Of PIDF’s 10 free community programs offered statewide, three are dedicated to early childhood education: Ka Pa’alana Homeless Family Education, Nā Pono No Nā ʻOhana and Tūtū and Me.

Most recently, the organization was awarded a total of $153,750, which was used for stipends distributed to 62 early childhood education staff.

To read the full article written Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros, click here.