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.

Our guests joined keiki and ʻohana and observed a Family-Child Interaction Learning (FCIL) program in action. They watched our teaching team integrate early literacy, math, art, and science with Hawaiian values through playful, hands-on experiences that keep parents and caregivers deeply engaged in their keiki’s learning.

“We had a wonderful visit from the delegation yesterday. The hui visited our Panaʻewa site and then returned to our Home Visiting office for further discussion,” shared Amanda Ishigo, Project Director of Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool. “It was an honor to share our work and be inspired by the progressive ways they are supporting families in their own community.

Visits like this deepen understanding of Hawaiʻi’s families and the importance of community-based early learning opportunities. By observing how keiki and caregivers learn together, the Pueblo of Jemez Delegation gained valuable insight into how programs like Tūtū and Me help build a strong foundation for school success, while honoring culture and ʻohana.

Mahalo nui loa to our guests of the Pueblo of Jemez Delegation for spending time with our keiki, ʻohana, and staff on Hawaiʻi Island. We are grateful for partners (and now friends) who share our commitment to inspiring and equipping families through culturally grounded, relationship-based learning.

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

“Poi represents the values and mission of our work, symbolizing ʻohana (family), kūpuna (ancestors), and ʻāina (land),” shares Amanda Ishigo, Tūtū and Me Project Director. “These connections form the broader purpose of our curriculum and learning environment. While we want keiki to progress in areas such as language, math and science, we are also very conscious of integrating concepts that emphasize cultural preservation and caring for Hawaiʻi.” 

The multi-island coordination required months of planning with several local farms like Hua ‘Āina Kalo (Molokaʻi), Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi (Oʻahu), Aloha Poi (Maui), Aloha ʻĀina Poi Company (Kauaʻi), and Hawaiʻi Fresh Specialties (Hawaiʻi) to source poi local to the participating families. This partnership approach ensured that families received poi made from kalo grown on their home islands, representing a significant investment in both cultural education and local agriculture. When the poi distribution day came around, families and keiki were smiling from ear to ear with excitement.  

Kawehi Carpio, Tūtū and Me Site Manager of Waimea and Honokaʻa sites, was there for the distribution of poi to their participating families. “What an amazing opportunity and privilege it was to be a part of feeding the hearts, minds, and bodies of our keiki and their families,” Carpio shares, “The poi distribution was a great success, with heartfelt gratitude evident on the faces of keiki and caregivers alike.” 

Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool integrates Hawaiian Culture Based Education into their curriculum in over 24 locations throughout Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Hawaiʻi. Through a Family-Child Interaction Learning (FCIL) model, their approach ensures that keiki, from birth to five years old, build a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning and success. Providing poi, a staple in Hawaiian culture, was just one of the ways that Tūtū and Me provides families with experiences for extended learning at home. 

“Aunty Malia used to always say, ‘It doesn’t matter if you are Hawaiian or not. If you live in Hawaiʻi, you have the kuleana (responsibility) to be educated about Hawaiʻi and to take care of it’” Ishigo noted. The poi distribution aligns with the mission of Partners in Development Foundation, to inspire and equip families and communities with success and service using timeless Native Hawaiian values and traditions, which has served over 170,000 people across more than 75 communities since 1997. 

This story can also be found on KITV Island News – written by Kayli Pascal-Martinez

Reading Rocks, a division of Lakeside Industries based in Issaquah, Washington, initiated this transformative project with a generous $10,000 book donation in May 2024. The impact doubled through PaperPie’s Literacy for a Lifetime matching grant program, which added 50% more books to the initial donation.

The distribution began on August 12th in Lahaina, where families received their first sets of books. The program will continue to reach families across Central Maui, Upcountry, and Kihei. Each participating child receives more than 15 books to start their home library, creating a foundation for lifelong learning.

This initiative holds special significance for families affected by the 2023 Lahaina Wildfires, offering a bright spot of hope and opportunity through education. “The smiles on the faces of our keiki as they received their books were priceless,” says Mele Hooper, Site Manager of Maui’s Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool sites. “This generous donation will have a lasting impact on our community, cultivating a love for reading and learning among our young ones.”

This collaboration between Reading Rocks and PaperPie exemplifies the power of community partnerships in supporting multi-generational education. Through their combined efforts, these organizations are helping Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool fulfill its mission of nurturing early childhood education in Maui’s communities.

To learn more about PaperPie or the Literacy for a Lifetime matching grant program, you can contact Hawai’i Island-based PaperPie Director, Kim Pickard, at kimpickard.paperpie@gmail.com or c6882.paperpielearning.com.

For more information about Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool programs or to learn how you can support our mission, please contact us.

With sensitivity to both staff and families directly impacted, the program started a new Parent Hui on Maui, creating a gracious space for connecting and healing together. Tūtū and Me’s Parent Education Hui aims to provide a lifeline for caregivers on Maui by emphasizing the importance of self-care, offering essential parenting insights, and fostering a sense of community among caregivers.  

“This is just one of the ways that we are working to uplift the community of Maui as they continue to grieve and heal from the wildfires,” Amanda Ishigo, Tūtū, and Me Project Manager, shares. “Our entire Tūtū and Me team continues to look for ways to respond to the needs of our keiki and families on Maui. We hope to provide the additional support our families need for however long they need it.” 

Tūtū and Me began serving the Maui community in 2008 and currently operates four sites serving a little over 650 Maui keiki and families each school year. This culture-based education program serves families with keiki ages birth to five in underserved communities on the five major islands in Hawaiʻi. The goal of Tūtū and Me is to meet the educational and emotional needs of families so that keiki will enter school ready to learn and succeed.  

One of the remarkable features of Tūtū and Me is its adaptability. It is a traveling preschool that can go to communities, setting up joyful learning locations where they are most needed. When the program’s previous site in Lahaina became unsafe for families, the dedicated Tūtū and Me Maui team jumped into action to find alternative sites at parks that provided a safe space for the 72 keiki and caregivers who attended that location. They reopened three of the four sites the following Monday. 

Mele Hooper, the Tūtū and Me Site Manager for Maui, expressed the mutual need for connection during challenging times, saying, “Our kumu needed to see our keiki as much as our keiki needed to see our kumu and play with their friends. We just wanted to be there for our keiki and families and provide a sense of what life was like before the fires. It has been heartwarming to see our keiki play and enjoy their time at Tūtū and Me.” 

Staff were seeing children and families in great need, so the Maui Tūtū and Me office, which once held preschool supplies and books, is now stocked with new clothing, toiletries, and toys that were gathered from the Tūtū and Me families and PIDF staff and supporters.  

Funding in part from the Maui Strong Fund of the Hawai’i Community Foundation has enabled the Partners in Development Foundation to extend a helping hand to families and staff affected by the wildfires. This support includes vital monetary assistance to aid in recovery efforts and more hands on deck to support the caring staff. Additionally, PIDF has received a significant in-kind donation of school supplies and backpacks from Kamehameha Schools and the Molokai community, further enhancing their commitment to the community’s recovery.  

President and CEO Shawn Kanaʻiaupuni summarizes the organization’s collective sentiments, stating, “We all felt the devastating impact of the wildfires — the entire PIDF team, the families we serve, our staff and supporters. That motivated us to do everything possible to assist Maui families and keiki.”  

Partners in Development Foundation is working to raise funds to bring its Ka Paʻalana preschool, serving families with young children, ages birth to five, with a literacy-rich, science-oriented, culturally grounded curriculum and instruction that also integrates trauma-informed care, crisis counseling, childcare, financial, and family strengthening into its daily program. 

Original story published on Honolulu Civil Beat by Jackie Mader, click here to view, and on The Hechinger Report, click here to view.

In the basement of a church at the foothills of the Koolau mountains, Darrylnn Ferreira perched on a plastic chair at the edge of a large blue rug while her 4-year-old granddaughter, Talia, settled down for circle time. Three teachers welcomed other families as they trickled in and sat down, then launched into a morning greeting song in English and Hawaiian. 

Ferreira followed suit, clapping along and singing, before settling back in her chair and paying close attention as a teacher held up a picture book about the Honolulu Zoo and started to read to the class.

As a grandmother, Ferreira is as much a member of the target audience for this free, traveling preschool program as Talia. Named Tutu and Me after the Hawaiian word for “grandparent,” the program introduces children to early academic and social skills as well as Native Hawaiian language and culture.

At the same time, caregivers, many of whom are grandparents, learn about child development and how to navigate toddler tantrums, support early language and math skills and help children learn through play.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Ferreira and Talia drive up a narrow, winding road, flanked with deep green foliage, to a hilltop church in Kaneohe. They amble down to a basement classroom that mimics a traditional school or center-based program, with multiple teachers for the dozen children, a structured routine and thoughtfully designed activity centers, each of which includes a poster for caregivers with instructions and tips to encourage exploration and learning.

When circle time ends, Ferreira and Talia rotate through the centers to Talia’s favorite activities: drawing, painting and — on at least one day — riding a small tricycle in dizzying circles. 

“This is amazing,” Ferreira said, motioning around the room as toddlers and preschoolers, trailed by their caregivers, dashed from one activity to the next. “We have this resource that gives this for us to learn.”

Tutu and Me is one of several family-child interaction learning programs in Hawaii that offers support to the state’s large number of non-parental caregivers who provide child care each day. At least 43% of young children in Hawaii were watched by friends or relatives in 2019. The state has the highest percentage of families — 72% — that use federal funds to pay for unlicensed care, such as that provided by grandparents and friends. 

These caregivers — mostly women and largely invisible within the broader child care ecosystem — are often isolated in their homes and can’t always access the funding and training critical to offering the best care possible during a pivotal time of children’s brain development.

“What they learn in our program, what we’re trying to teach them, is that they are that child’s most important educator,” said Shawn Kanaʻiaupuni, president and CEO of the Hawaii-based Partners in Development Foundation, which runs Tutu and Me. “Nobody is born knowing how to be a parent or caregiver, we all have to learn it.”

Ferreira, who brought another grandchild to a different Tutu and Me location more than 15 years ago, has seen immense benefits for Talia. The preschooler is now more prepared for kindergarten, Ferreira said, and has learned aspects of Native Hawaiian culture that are meaningful to their family. Through the program, Ferreira has learned how to teach Talia how to form letters.

 “She won’t do that here,” Ferreira whispered, as Talia eyed some handwriting practice sheets before opening a drawing journal and coloring in a picture with a thick pink crayon. “But I’m doing it at home, just to reinforce it,” she added. 

At home, Ferreira infuses more counting into their day, as well as reading, English and Hawaiian songs, and creative activities, like painting and making homemade playdough. She and Talia have attended field trips and live theater, and Ferreira has enrolled Talia in gymnastics, a program she learned about through Tutu and Me.  

“We’re very fortunate this program is here,” she said. 

A Necessary Form Of Child Care

For generations, families have relied on friends, family members and neighbors to help care for young children during the day. Friend, family and neighbor — FFN — care is the most common form of non-parental child care in America. Experts estimate at least 60% of children under age 6 spend their days in such arrangements with more than 4 million caregivers — mostly grandparents or aunts — a number that has grown over the past decade. 

This type of care is especially common in low income communities, among families with limited English proficiency, in immigrant communities and for children with disabilities. During the pandemic, friend and family caregivers were a lifeline for many parents; recent data shows parents continue to desire and value it. Child care provided by relatives or other informal caregivers can offer valuable benefits for children, such as consistency of care, support of native language and culture, flexibility and affordability. 

As states work to stabilize the child care industry in the wake of the pandemic, experts are calling for more support for all child care settings, including the informal, home-based care, where so many children spend their days.

“The individuals that provide FFN care are doing a huge service to young children and their families, and they’re also doing a considerable service to the community and the economy,” said Natalie Renew, executive director of Home Grown, a nonprofit aimed at increasing the access to and quality of home-based child care.

“Our high-priority children and families are often in this setting, and if we really want them to be ready for kindergarten and able to thrive, we really need to care for them in this setting with these caregivers,” she added. 

In Hawaii, friend, family and neighbor care is valued both culturally and by necessity. Extremely high real estate costs coupled with a high cost of living means several generations of families often live together. While many working families choose and prefer ohana, or family, care, while their children are young, other options are scarce. Before the pandemic, the state had only enough licensed infant-toddler center spots for one out of every 37 children under age 3. 

The state lost 12% of its child care spots during the pandemic. In some parts of Hawaii, including the islands of Kauai, Molokai and Lanai, there are no child care centers serving infants and toddlers. The average cost of center-based infant child care, when it is available in Hawaii, is more than $1,700 a month, several hundred more than the national average. 

Nationwide, aid for family and friend caregivers is rare. In 23 states, there are no known statewide supports for relatives and friends who provide child care. Many of these providers don’t view themselves as educators, but rather as caregivers who are simply helping their families. Few attend educational workshops or get help from a home visitor or coach. During the pandemic, when family members and friends were a critical caregiving lifeline, only 13 states used federal stabilization funding to invest in these providers. 

Policymakers have mixed views on whether grandparents, neighbors, and family friends should be included in formal child care policy, said Patricia Lozano, executive director of Early Edge California, which advocates for high-quality early learning programs in a variety of settings. “It’s complicated,” she said. “It’s really difficult to have policies that apply to all.”

But a few states, such as Alabama and California, do offer formal training specifically for this population. In California, where one in five FFN caregivers watch four or more children, the state runs play groups and training for caregivers through a child care agency. Other states offer programs like those in Hawaii: play groups for caregivers and children, featuring key aspects of formal preschool programs, as well as educational materials through the mail. 

Several states, including Colorado and Massachusetts, have expanded home visitation programs to serve relatives and friends who care for children. This model is especially promising, helping ensure that informal caregivers don’t feel they’re being pushed into the regulations and oversight involved in formal child care, said Linda Smith, director of the early childhood development initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Center. 

“There’s this constant debate … ‘If I’m the grandparent, do I want somebody coming in and telling me how to care for my grandchildren?’” she said. “The other side of that coin is, ‘Hey, I haven’t been around little kids in a long time. What do I need to know now, that I didn’t know before?’” she added. “How do you support grandparents in this whole role, without regulating them and telling them what to do?”

Fewer Resources

Despite the benefits these caregivers offer, there are also challenges. 

Children in informal care settings may have fewer resources than their peers in formal, licensed child care programs, spend more time watching television and have lower cognitive and school readiness scores. Research has found some caregivers are less likely to play with children and engage in the back-and-forth conversation known to stimulate cognitive development. In some states, caregivers can care for up to six children without a license, mirroring more formal home care settings, but without the support provided to licensed programs. 

Without access to information or training, caregivers may rely on their own child-rearing experiences, which, for some, could be limited. 

The essential components of “identity and love and affection and reciprocity,” are already baked in to care provided by family friends and relatives, said Renew from Home Grown. “And with more resources, I think we could do so much more to intervene on the cognitive pieces of the development.”

Caregivers nationwide largely report that they’d welcome help and information, especially on health and safety, how to offer nutritious meals and navigate state systems, as well as how to use materials to support play and learning. 

And some caregivers simply need immediate tips on how to handle challenges with the children they watch each day. 

On a recent Wednesday morning in Kapolei, Hawaii, caregivers followed children inside two brown yurts sitting in tall grass on the grounds of two homeless shelters. Although this program, the Ka Paalana Homeless Family Education Program at Hope Shelter, is aimed at families experiencing homelessness, many local families drive to the homeless shelter to take advantage of the free early learning opportunity.

Ka Paalana’s shelter-based location is of such high quality, it is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Like their counterparts at Tutu and Me, the teachers with Ka Paalana, which runs the shelter location and several traveling sites, see themselves as guides for caregivers of young children. For a portion of the class at Hope Shelter, teachers mind the children while caregivers receive instruction on topics like child development and career and life skills. 

Inside one of the yurts, Cece Kailiwai trailed a boisterous 1-year-old, who recently has been experimenting with climbing, pushing and was experiencing big feelings. Kailiwai, whose own children are grown, lives at one of the shelters and watches the toddler, who also lives in the shelter, as a favor for the child’s parents while they work. She chatted with teachers and watched their interactions with the boy when a tower of blocks fell over and he erupted in tears, kicking at some of the blocks.

Kailiwai said the program benefits them both. Without it, the toddler would miss out on socialization with other children and the stimulation of educational activities and toys. Kailiwai would be on her own to learn how to manage tantrums and behavior, how to play in ways that support his development and make sure he is on track with age-appropriate skills. 

The program has impacted her as a caregiver. “For me, it’s learning patience and structure … and learning that when you’re consistent, things will flow,” she said.

A growing body of research shows support programs for informal caregivers can make a positive difference, increasing caregiver knowledge of child development and decreasing caregiver depression and isolation. 

There are also long-term benefits for children. In Hawaii, a study of a small group of Tutu and Me graduates found 86% were proficient in reading and math by third grade, nearly 20 percentage points higher than the statewide average. Ninety-eight percent of children leaving Tutu and Me met school readiness standards on state tests, and Native Hawaiian graduates of the program were generally performing at the same levels as their non-Native Hawaiian peers, closing a persistent gap among children in the state. 

A longitudinal study of Keiki Steps, a family-child interaction program in the state similar to Tutu  and Me, found similar positive results: A survey of 80% of the first seven cohorts of Keiki Steps graduates found they all graduated from high school on time and 75% were college bound. These results are particularly stunning in a state where the Native Hawaiian population faces “generational effects of colonization,” said Maile Keli’ipio-Acoba, CEO of the Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture, or INPEACE, which runs Keiki Steps.

More Support Needed

Despite the promise and success of these programs, the state provides little funding for these efforts. Tutu and Me and Keiki Steps get most of their funding from the federal government, an amount set aside for Native Hawaiian Education programs, as well as from foundations and other private donors. The state’s Executive Office on Early Learning funnels some $300,000 into two other family-child interaction programs, held at two elementary schools.

FFN support programs also receive some funding from the state’s Department of Human Services, which invests about $188,000 toward these programs. The bulk of this investment is steered toward Learning to Grow, an outreach program for FFN caregivers and home-based providers, run by the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Windward Community College. Every month, caregivers across the Hawaiian Islands who are registered with the state can receive packets of educational materials centered around a theme, like learning through play and early brain development.

Hawaii has been largely focused on expanding pre-K for 3-year-olds and constructing pre-K facilities — investing $200 million last year toward efforts to do so. This approach ignores the family-and-friend settings that advocates say many parents choose and, in many cases, prefer.

“Our Native Hawaiian population really continues to hold a cultural value of their child being raised at home with their families,” said Keli’ipio-Acoba, instead of in an “institutional, educational kind of setting” for young children. 

More funding could help expand the reach of programs for informal caregivers, advocates say. But in the meantime, the caregivers who have access to this support say it’s made a difference.

Four days a week, teachers from Keiki Steps fan out across the islands to set up makeshift classrooms in nine communities. On a recent morning in Waianae, on a farm tucked away on the edge of Makaha Valley, a half-dozen families roamed around activity centers under a lush canopy of macadamia nut, jackfruit and ulu trees. 

On the edge of the large, outdoor classroom, Dee Kila crouched down next to her 2-year-old granddaughter, Hi’iaka, at a painting station.

“Can you say blue?” she asked as Hi’iaka picked up a paintbrush and smeared turquoise paint on a piece of cardboard depicting Hawaiian goddess Pele’s journey home.

“Dab, dab, dab,” Kila said as her granddaughter dipped her paintbrush in more paint. Kila gently put her hand over Hi’iaka’s hand and moved it back and forth, showing her how to create long strokes that resembled waves. 

“Nice job, high five!” she said, high fiving the toddler.

Kila watches Hi’iaka and her 1-year-old brother five days a week, from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., for free. “It’s very exhausting,” Kila said. “I am underpaid,” she added, laughing. Kila said her grandchildren are benefiting from the activities, songs and books at Keiki Steps. But the program has helped her, too. In addition to her grandchildren, Kila also cares for her 81-year-old mother, a combination Kila said can be overwhelming. 

The biggest change she’s noticed since she started coming to Keiki Steps is in herself. Having a place to bring the children to learn and socialize with others, where she can also learn about child development and interact with other caregivers, has been helpful, Kila said, especially since no such programs existed in her community when she was a young mom learning how to be a caregiver. 

“It’s made me more calm, and taught me how to be more patient,” she said. “Now that I’m caregiving, I’m like, I gotta go to Keiki Steps, so I can learn.”

This story about informal childcare was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter.

HONOLULU (HI Now) – Partners in Development Foundation believes that providing services and support for Hawaiʻi’s keiki, youth and caregivers will lead to thriving communities. Their work to inspire and equip families has led them to take up Initiatives centered around early education, family strengthening, and sustainability.

Over its 25-year history, PIDF has impacted the lives of over 128,000 individuals across our state through its direct services, including mentoring organizations like We Are Oceania and managing a quarantine hotel.

To donate to their $25 for the 25th campaign, visit www.pidf.org/donate. For more information about Partners in Development Foundation’s free programs and services, visit www.pidf.org.

100% of the donations will benefit Partners in Development Foundation’s families and communities through free programs like Nā Pono, Ka Paʻalana, and Project Pilina.

It’s the Keola Klaus’ Virtual Toy Drive together with Raising Cane’s who wish you “One Love” this holiday season!

* Limit one Free Box Combo Card per person.

“I’m grateful that I am able to experience and recreate memories with my baby that her big sister and I enjoyed with Ka Pa’alana three years ago. We’ve been attending for six years now and there’s a reason we always come back, they’re such an amazing program,” said Grace, Ka Paʻalana parent. 

The keiki and their ʻohana went on huakaʻi (field trips) to Aloun Farms in Kapolei and Waimānalo Country Farms. The programs enjoyed a variety of activities offered at the farms including hay rides through palaʻai (pumpkin), corn, or sunflower fields. 

“To come together as one big preschool ‘ohana and return to in-person field trips has been a blessing for our families after being virtual for so long,” said Jess Reyes, Ka Paʻalana program Assistant. “There’s something truly special about seeing a smile face-to-face, exploring new environments, and making fun memories together.”

Some keiki visited a small petting zoo, where they heard the different noises and observed the animals that they may have never seen before like goats, lamas, and pigs. They even got to feed animals hay, who ate straight out of the kids’ hands.

Visiting the farms is a great way for keiki to explore how their Fall time favorite palaʻai are grown and where they come from. Each ʻohana picked out their own local-grown pumpkin to take home and do with it as they please, like carve, paint, or eat! 

“My baby’s first Huaka’i and Ka Pa’alana never disappoints. Charlotte especially enjoyed looking for pumpkins and meeting new friends. Forever grateful!,” said Grace. 

Throughout the year the program curriculum guides keiki to observe particular things and notice them when they’re out on field trips. In class at Ka Paʻalana, the students just learned about round shapes and are asked to observe the things in their lives that are round, like pumpkins!

Shortly after keiki joined in mele and dance, they broke into stations set with fun activities ready to kickstart the summer fun. The Tūtū and Me Hawaiʻi North team felt it was important to bring their community lāhui together in a safe manner while providing ʻohana with networking opportunities. 

Present were four PIDF programs: Pili A Paʻa, Tūtū and Me ʻOhana Support, Project Pilina, and Hoʻopalekana Ola. Also present was Hāmākua Health, who distributed keiki-friendly first aid kits, the Community Police officers Waimea Station, County of Hawaii Police Department, and Mahina Mea, who graciously shared all kinds of ʻono freeze dried candies for the keiki and their ʻohana to take home and enjoy. 

“As an extension of our gratitude, we honored our kūpuna, mākua and keiki for their perseverance through the pandemic,” said Yonette Nakamura, Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool Site Manager – Hawaiʻi North. “Being a virtual team since April 2020, it is our intention to acknowledge accomplishments and to also offer encouragement as we continue to journey through life as we have come to know. Together we are stronger!”

Pili A Paʻa, the PIDF educational project based out of the Kohala School Complex, set up an outdoor obstacle course, with challenges for all preschool-aged keiki. Caregivers supported their little ones in balancing while other keiki jumped over posts. The Tūtū and Me haumāna chased their laughter throughout the course and circled round over and over again, until they could fine-tune their gymnastics. 

Tūtū and Me ʻOhana Support, the PIDF Home Visiting and Parent Hui services, engaged keiki in kai (ocean) themed activities. Keiki and their caregivers water painted a local fish, uhu. The keiki also went fishing! In a small pool filled with toy sea life, caregivers helped their keiki fish out plastics and trash to help mālama i ke kai, take care of the ocean. 

Project Pilina, PIDF’s Foster Care program, handed out wooden unicorn keychains for the keiki to color in. ʻOhana came by and talked story with West Hawaiʻi Community Liaison, Chelsea, to learn more about the many ways they can support keiki in foster care. Project Pilina hopes to strengthen household units, both birth and hānai alike, through family-friendly activities. 

Hoʻopalekana Ola, PIDF’s newest project to strengthen rural and remote island communities to navigate the new norm, handed out over 300 at-home Covid-19 test kits. The team equipped multi-generational ʻohana with the tools needed to stay safe and healthy this summer in case someone in the household is exposed to or becomes Covid positive.  

After 25 years of serving Hawaiʻi’s families and living Hawaiian values, PIDF is proud to call on the support of our fellow programs, as well as our community organizations. Many memories were made and laughter shared— hoʻomaikaʻi to our graduating class of 2022! 

“As a new mother with your baby wailing in the back, it’s hard for you to drive that long way,” said Merlani Pablo, full-time caregiver. 

Fortunately, Merlani was enrolled in Tūtū and Me’s Home Visiting program and phoned a friend to assist. Sommer, a Tūtū and Me Hilo Home Visitor, dropped off extra diapers and helped Merlani and her baby.  

“If I couldn’t get to the store, maybe this happened once or twice, I asked Tūtū and Me if they had extra diapers,” said Merlani. 

Merlani is one of more than 100 Tūtū and Me ʻohana on Hawaiʻi Island who benefit from the monthly diaper and wipes distributions made possible through a partnership with the Hawaiʻi Diaper Bank, a nonprofit organization aimed to connect these staples for families with young keiki. 

“It is unacceptable that any parent is struggling to provide their child with this basic essential,” said Hannah London, Hawaiʻi Diaper Bank Board Chair. “We see diapers as such a big link for families, you cannot go without them when you’re a parent.” 

The idea to start up the Hawaiʻi Diaper Bank evolved when former Tūtū and Me Nurse Jessica Histo wanted to donate her son’s unused diapers, but didn’t know anyone who needed them at the time. In a search to find a local place to donate the diapers, Jessica discovered the National Diaper Bank Network— only to find that Hawaiʻi did not have any locations at the time. 

“I couldn’t just throw them away,” said Jessica. As a parent of a newborn and nurse specializing in labor and delivery, she knew all too well how precious diapers are and saw value in connecting parents of young keiki with the staple product. 

She hosted a local diaper drive with the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics, and neonatal nurses during National Diaper Need Awareness week and donated the collected diapers to places like women’s shelters and Tūtū and Me. 

Jessica’s humble, yet necessary, advocacy work in bridging the diaper need gap caught Hannah’s eyes, who was moving from the mainland to Kona and brought with her experience in nonprofit work, particularly with diaper banks. 

What started as a simple diaper drive evolved into Hawaiʻi’s first diaper bank, established in 2018 by Jessica and Hannah in Kona. Only four years later and the Hawaiʻi Diaper Bank already serves over 1,500 keiki on Hawaiʻi Island. 

“What I love about the diaper bank model is that it works with partners who work with families,” said Hannah. “We have these amazing community partners that can provide families with a more holistic type of service and help so that families don’t feel like they’re just receiving something and then we leave.” 

The Hawaiʻi Diaper Bank consciously onboards partners that strengthen families and the household unit altogether so that there is continuous support. Hannah and Jessica work behind the scenes— they gather the diapers through donations and grants and distribute them to up to 19 community partners who can couple their services with diapers and other basic needs. 

For Merlani, the diaper services were the blessing she didn’t know she needed. With a nine year difference between her newborn and her last child, “it was kind of like starting over again. Your brain forgets how things used to be when you had an infant. So it was really good having Tūtū and Me and being able to talk to someone about having a newborn in the house.” 

While Merlani’s older sons attended Tūtū and Me Traveling preschool years ago, she connected with Tūtū and Me’s new Home Visiting program and benefited from the recently added diaper service through Hawaiʻi Diaper Bank, which “helped to save money, and time, which is huge when it comes to a growing family.”

Since the partnership, Hawaiʻi Diaper Bank has distributed nearly 60,000 diapers to PIDF’s Tūtū and Me Hawaiʻi island families. 

On average, keiki can use about 8-12 diapers per day, depending on their age. That comes out to about $100 a month. For most families that the Hawaiʻi Diaper Bank serves, that cost adds up to more than $1,000 a year, which accounts for up to 14% of the average family’s income— and that’s just for one child. 

“We aim to cover 50 diapers per child per month to cover that gap,” said Jessica. “We say about 8-10 extra diapers a week support families so they don’t feel like they’re being stretched or leaving their kid in diapers longer than they need to.”

The Hawaiʻi Diaper Bank only provides direct services to Hawaiʻi Island right now, but their impact reaches statewide. The team pushed for a bill (H.B. No. 2414) to pass that would establish a GE tax exemption on the sale of diapers and relieve many Hawaiʻi families from an expense that adds up quickly. 

The Hawaiʻi Diaper Bank paved the way for Hawaiʻi, as the first of its kind in the state among 250 diaper banks in the nation and looks forward to expanding its services to neighboring islands. 

When a parent reaches out and asks if the Hawaiʻi Diaper Bank will take their child’s unused diapers, Hannah and Jessica are reassured that the work they do comes full circle and helps new and growing families.

“We have four generations living on one property. From a one-year-old to an eighty-seven-year- old, there’s 18 of us under one roof,” she shared. 

Multigenerational homes are common in Hawaiʻi, and for some neighboring island communities where access to resources and services aren’t always readily available, having a Covid-19 outbreak at home could be life-threatening. 

In an effort to bridge the gap, PIDF kickstarted Hoʻopalekana Ola (to strengthen and defend life), an initiative through the Department of Health’s Hawaiʻi Pacific Health Institute (HIPHI) Cares Grant. Once the grant was contracted, the Hoʻopalekana Ola team wasted no time.

“PIDF has never been afraid to jump to the frontline of our community’s needs. In our 25 years, we have served over 128,000 family members in more than 50 communities. Where there is a call for support, we try to respond to our lāhui however best we can,” said Shawn Kanaʻiaupuni, PIDF President and CEO.  

Hoʻopalekana Ola HIPHI Cares Program Manager, Perlas Bardouche, previously managed the Open Arms Harbor Isolation-quarantine facility that PIDF opened during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020 through March of 2021. She is supported by team members with vast experience in health care. 

When the HIPHI contracted team began its outreach efforts, the recent Covid-19 outbreak on Molokaʻi seemed like the right place to start. Hoʻopalekana Ola partnered with Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool to set up booths at the Molokaʻi Island Foundation’s Molokaʻi Drug-Free Movement event, which hosted local vendors and speakers to share more about their community-strengthening stories, services and programming.

During the event, Hoʻopalekana Ola met with local residents, distributed hundreds of free at-home Covid-19 test kits, provided safety guidelines and resources, and shared more about upcoming education programs like the Global Biorisk Advisory Council certification, a course to prepare for, respond to and recover from biohazards in our community spaces.

The Hoʻopalekana Ola team also connected with members at the Molokaʻi General Hospital, Molokaʻi Community Health Center, and local retailers. They were greeted by smiles as residents recognized PIDFʻs kalo logo.

“Are you with Tūtū and Me?” The Molokaʻi residents asked, and shared stories about attending Tūtū and Me or the people they knew (if not themselves!) who worked with Tūtū and Me. 

The small-town island community has been home to a Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool for over 15 years. Hoʻopalekana Ola is partnering with other PIDF programs like Tūtū and Me and Ka Paʻalana that serve neighbor island communities and are trusted by their local residents, many of whom live in multi-generational homes. 

For households with ʻohana ranging from keiki to kūpuna, access to Covid-19 at-home test kits and knowledge about infectious disease control, and knowing what to do when someone at home is exposed or tests positive, will prepare families and save lives. 

While society at large transitions into a post-pandemic world, rural communities are vulnerable to the detrimental impacts of Covid-19 with fewer medical resources, hospital beds, and physicians. 

“Coronavirus is here to stay, so we’re committed to helping our communities navigate in the safest and healthiest way. We want our ʻohana to survive and thrive,” said Bardouche. 

That’s why PIDF is committed to strengthening ʻohana and to seeing that our communities are healthy and sustainable.