Throughout the day, board members and leaders were guided by the dedicated program teams who serve these communities every day. Mahalo to the project directors and staff who led the visits and offered firsthand insight into each program’s impact!

From participating in Parent And Children Together (PACT) time, to sitting in on Parent Education classes, to walking through a puʻuhonua created for youth at Ke Kama Pono, the day was filled with powerful moments of pilina (relationship-building) and ʻike (understanding). Each site visit offered a closer look at how PIDF’s programs support families through culturally grounded approaches, and how staff and participants continue to shape these spaces with care, resilience, and aloha.

At the close of the visit, the Board and Leadership Team left with a renewed understanding of why this work matters—and the collective commitment that makes it possible. As the ʻŌlelo Noʻeau reminds us, “ʻAʻohe hana nui ke alu ʻia”—no task is too big when done together. That spirit was felt throughout the day in the way PIDF comes together to uplift one another and strengthen Hawaiʻi’s communities.

We extend a sincere mahalo to the staff and participants who welcomed the Board and Leadership Team with such warmth and aloha. Your stories are the heartbeat of this organization, and a meaningful reminder of the purpose that guides this work.

A Milestone Achievement 

The Accreditation+ designation represents the highest level of quality recognition in early childhood education, awarded only to programs that demonstrate exceptional standards in teaching practices, curriculum, family engagement, and administrative policies. Ka Paʻalana’s Hope Preschool Site, which serves as a model for all their preschool sites, joins an elite group of early childhood education programs nationwide to receive this honor. 

“This achievement reflects our unwavering commitment to providing high-quality educational experiences for children and families experiencing homelessness and other challenging circumstances,” said Kasey Popken, Project Director of Ka Paʻalana. “We are honored to be recognized by NAEYC for our dedication to excellence in early childhood education.” 

About NAEYC Accreditation+ 

The NAEYC Accreditation+ system sets professional standards for early learning programs and helps families identify high-quality programs for their children. The re-envisioned NAEYC accreditation process is based on the commitment to continuous quality improvement, lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and feedback from the field. 

To earn NAEYC Accreditation+, Ka Paʻalana went through an extensive self-study and quality-improvement process, followed by on-site visits by NAEYC assessors to verify program quality. The program was evaluated on ten program standards and dozens of corresponding individual criteria to determine its level of excellence. 

Impact on Families and Communities 

Ka Paʻalana’s focus on serving homeless, at-risk, and ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families makes this continued achievement particularly significant. The program provides comprehensive services including preschool education, parent education, and family support services through its innovative mobile preschool and Family-Child Interaction Learning (FCIL) model. 

“Achieving Accreditation+ status validates our approach to serving Hawaiʻi’s most vulnerable keiki and their families,” said Terry Nakamura, Vice President of Operations of Partners in Development Foundation. “It demonstrates that high-quality early education can and should be accessible to all children, regardless of their living situation or economic circumstances.” 

Moving Forward 

With this recognition, Ka Paʻalana reaffirms its commitment to providing high-quality education and family support to communities in Leeward Oʻahu, West Hawaiʻi Island, and Maui. Project Director, Kasey Popken shared that, “All sites will continue to incorporate culturally responsive practices and innovative approaches to address the unique needs of homeless and at-risk families in Hawaiʻi.”

For more information about Ka Paʻalana, please visit pidf.org/kapaalana/

CUTTER CHEVROLET & CUTTER FORD ALONG WITH 94.7 KUMU
INSPIRE AND EQUIP KEIKI TO GET BACK-TO-SCHOOL
The keiki of the Partners in Development Foundation’s programs in underserved communities will receive supplies and support as they prepare for an in-person school year.

Shoppers will have an opportunity to support Hawaiʻi’s keiki of Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) on Saturday, July 24th from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM at the WalMart in the Town Center of Mililani. The Back-to-School Supply Drive is sponsored by the family operated Cutter Chevrolet and Cutter Ford dealerships, in partnership with 94.7 KUMU-FM of Pacific Media Group.

Supporters and donors will have a chance to check out the 94.7 KUMU-FM Rise and Drive Morning Host Esme Infante’s Cutter Chevy Traverse “Xena” while dropping off donations to help our underserved youth. The supplies will support preschool- and elementary-aged keiki of two PIDF programs that aim to serve (ALICE) Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed Communities.

The Ka Paʻalana family education program serves the Leeward coast of Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island, and Nā Pono No Nā ʻOhana, youth education program, serves ʻohana in Waimānalo. The Cutter team aims to equip over 300 keiki with basic school supplies – plus, 87x backpacks filled with school supplies for the keiki at Hope Shelter. Any additional donations will support keiki at other Ka Paʻalana preschool sites as well as Nā Pono No Nā ʻOhana.

The Back-to-School Supply Drive will feature music and prize giveaways from supporting sponsors, including Ruby Tuesday Hawaii, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ, Jeans Warehouse, and Raising Canes.

Can’t make it to the drive but still want to support our keiki? Make a donation here and help us raise a goal of $1,000!

To fulfill our mission of inspiring and equipping families and communities for success and service, Ka Pa‘alana provides comprehensive family education programming for homeless and at-risk families with young children. The program operates across Oʻahu from the Leeward Coast to Kakaʻako and Kailua, as well as East Hawaiʻi Island.

Annually, Ka Paʻalana serves about 500 children ages birth to five and their caregivers by preparing children for school, equipping caregivers to be their child’s first and most important teacher, and empowering adults to not only move toward self-sufficiency, but to give back to their community.

“We are ecstatic to receive this grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs,” said Jan E. Hanohano Dill, our president and founder. “We are grateful for their generous support and for all they do to help fulfill the mission and vision of building healthy and resilient communities throughout Hawaiʻi.”

To learn more about Ka Paʻalana or the rest of our programs, explore our website and be sure to follow our social media accounts at @pidfoundation.

Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public foundation that inspires and equips families and communities for success and service, using timeless Native Hawaiian values and traditions. The goal is to help these communities overcome difficult challenges in ways that would make them, in turn, teachers and helpers of others in need. Since 1997, PIDF has served over 100,000 people in 75 communities across the Hawaiian Islands. To learn more about all of PIDF’s programs serving Hawaiian families, visit www.pidf.org.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) was established by the state Constitutional Convention in 1978. OHA is a semi-autonomous state agency mandated to better the conditions of Native Hawaiians. Guided by a board of nine publicly elected trustees, OHA fulfills its mandate through advocacy, research, community engagement, land management and the funding of community programs. Learn more at www.oha.org.

OHA’s Grants Program supports non-profit organizations whose projects and programs serve the Native Hawaiian community and align with OHA’s Strategic Results. For more information about the Grants Program, please visit www.oha.org/grants.

This year, Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) had two teams: one on Hawaiʻi Island and one on Oʻahu. The teams were not competing, but raised money for different specific programs of PIDF.

On Oʻahu, the team raised over $1,300 for our Ka Paʻalana Homeless Family Education Program. More than two dozen staff and families turned out to walk the 5 miles through Waikiki, and everyone enjoyed the snacks and refreshing beverages along the way.

Almost $1,000 was raised for the Kona Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool sites. Their team included different sensory activities for keiki to participate in, such as rainbow rice, frozen dinosaur eggs, and more. One of their keiki graduates also placed second in the running competition.

“Tūtū and Me Kona had such a fabulous time participating in the [Hawaii Visitor Industry] Charity Walk,” said Dawn Taniyama, Site Manager I at Kailua-Kona. “Mahalo, mahalo, mahalo to all the helping hands and support received in making this such a valuable event!”

“Ka Paʻalana started this program with the hopes that we could join families of different cultures together,” said Kasey Galariada, a Family Education Coordinator with Ka Paʻalana.

The families at HOPE Shelter work hard throughout the year to put together dances and other performances from their different cultures. The time allows them to connect to their cultural roots, and take a break from their struggles to just celebrate with one another.

Qahhara Griffin is a participant of our Ka Paʻalana program and says that the annual event fosters a lot of love between the families. “It helps everyone become closer, to appreciate each other’s music, dancing, traditions… I’m so grateful I was a part of it.”

To see more photos from Culture Night, visit our Facebook page here.

“From all accounts, the conference provided many opportunities for professional development – building knowledge, insight, practical applications, and relationships – and the learning continues today,” conference officials said in a release.

June “Pua” Aquino, Preschool Teacher and Cultural Curriculum Specialist for our Ka Paʻalana Homeless Family Education Program, was part of the conference’s national STEM panel.

Pua was chosen for her expertise in implementing culture into STEAM-based curriculum. Her experience serving our homeless and at-risk families on Oʻahu added a unique layer to the panel’s multi-facted background.

This year’s conference panel was comprised of experienced educators working directly with children, implementing STEM concepts into the classroom on a daily basis. The panel’s conversation aimed to inspire and engage the participants in a “practical, inclusive, and meaningful exploration” of what it means to utilize STEM.

Pua recalled the first ECSTEM conference that Ka Paʻalana attended back in 2015. She noticed after the first day that none of the sessions had mentioned culture. “That’s one thing we always try to push [at Ka Paʻalana] is having culture be a part of the STEAM curriculum,” she says.

Since their first presentation, Ka Paʻalana’s culture-based proposals have been consistently accepted by ECSTEM. They present every year, and look forward to the exchange of information between the STEAM professionals.

“Culture is one of the top two things that we do that we can share,” says Kasey Galariada. Kasey is a veteran Family Education Coordinator with Ka Paʻalana and also attended ECSTEM 2019.

She goes on to explain that the other vital part of Ka Paʻalana’s work is making connections with the parents of the keiki they teach. Being able to empower the caregivers to use their own knowledge in the curriculum is powerful, and means that “it sticks.”

“At Ka Paʻalana, we try to validate our parents and caregivers’ experiences,” says Pua. “We tell them things they grew up doing – like weaving or making lau lau – can lead to a learning experience. They can all be teaching moments for their children.”

“Culture is kind of an afterthought with STEM, but looking back in the past to what our ancestors did is just as STEAM-y or STEM-y as what it is today. It’s their version, it’s the raw version of STEM.”

The elementary and middle school-aged keiki residing at the Hope Shelter in Kalaeloa received a donation of nearly 100 science kits from Super Science Kids, Inc. Inside the kits were a range of activities incorporating aspects of science as well as engineering, math and art, all components of STEAM that Ka Paʻalana has included in its curriculum since 2014.

“The kids are getting an opportunity to explore science kits, play with them, and see what types of materials are in them,” says Kasey Galariada, a family education coordinator with Ka Paʻalana. She went on to explain the different ways the keiki interacted with the kits, following along the scientific method of experimenting.

Angela Krubeck, a young teen from Georgia, started the nonprofit Super Science Kids when she was 9 years old to spread the love of science through the kits she creates. She especially focuses on teaching and engaging at-risk youth, like our keiki of Ka Paʻalana.

“Any time we have someone invest in our families or in our children here at Ka Paʻalana or at [Hope Shelter], I think it says something about them being important and valued,” says Galariada. “It makes the children feel like theyʻre important.”

Besides the educational benefits, the kits allowed the kids to work with one another to complete some of the activities. Super Science Kid’s mission is to help children who have a lot of worry in their lives to briefly remove themselves from that situation, to explore science, and have fun.

“That’s what the kits did today. They really allowed our kids to sort of step away from some of their worries and their troubles that they’re going through, and just have fun and explore the kits together.”

Costa works for the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaiʻi at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Kalihi, Honoulu. He previously worked with feeding the puʻuhonua at Waianae Boat Harbor and recognized our Ka Paʻalana program.

St. Elizabeth’s had recently come into possession of a large quantity of slippers donated by KC Hawaii. The slippers were referred to Costa through ʻIolani School alumni and the school’s chaplain.

Dill was speaking at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol building during the annual ʻEleu Rally, which brings together nonprofit organizations dedicated to Native Hawaiian early learning and family education. Other organizations present included Keiki O Ka ʻĀina and INPEACE.

During the ʻEleu Rally, the Ven. Costa was also in the building working to better our communities. He was there for prison reform. “Keiki need all the push they can get,” Costa said. He made the decision to donate the hundreds of slippers to PIDF.

About 250 pairs of the slippers will go to Tūtū and Me families on Oʻahu, with the rest going out to Ka Paʻalana families and other Tūtū and Me sites on Molokaʻi and Maui.

When asked why PIDF was chosen to receive the slippers, the humble Archdeacon said simply, “I feel you do good work.”

“We had so much food and water leftover,” said crew member and volunteer coordinator Mariah Hugho. “We estimated our crews would take about 30 days [to reach San Francisco from Honolulu], so we packed our canoes with 40 days’ worth of food and water.”

Hikianalia reached California on September 10th after 23 days at sea. After spending nearly four months on the California coast, she returned to Honolulu on December 12th after 19 days of sailing.

The voyage was named Alahula Kai O Maleka, honoring “the frequented pathway” across the “sea of America,” the ocean between Hawaiʻi and California.

Alahula Kai O Maleka celebrates “the many island-continent relationships that reflect a shared vision for a sustainable Island Earth, a thriving future for our children, and a global consciousness towards human kindness.”

This focus on human kindness branches out into the daily efforts of the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) outside of their famous voyages. Not wanting the leftover provisions to go to waste, the crew members decided to donate what was left to Partners in Development Foundation.

“We are glad we were able to put [the provisions] to good use, to nourish some children’s bodies,” said Hugho. The supplies were picked up by our Ka Paʻalana program and distributed to the Puʻuhonua o Waiʻanae community at the Waiʻanae Boat Harbor.

Puʻuhonua o Waiʻanae is a village of over 200 ‘houseless’ people, including keiki, kūpuna, and working families. The majority of the residents are Native Hawaiian, and all of the residents believe in the shared kuleana of caring for the children there.

“Much mahalo, we are so grateful for the people out there [the Polynesian Voyaging Society],” said one resident who came to help unload the many provisions into the village’s donation tent.

Within a week of the food and water being distributed to the kānaka of Puʻuhonua o Waiʻanae, the Polynesian Voyaging Society donated another invaluable resource: their time.

Taking time off from work and other obligations, 13 crew members hosted families from our Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool sites at Papakōlea and Makakilo.

Over two days, dozens of keiki and their caregivers had the opportunity to come aboard both the Hikianalia and her sister canoe, Hōkūleʻa, where they are currently docked in Honolulu. The crew members walked the families through the ins and outs of the canoes from the rigging and steering to the necessities of daily living like the galleys and sleeping areas.

Besides the tours of the famous canoes, the families were able to spend time in the nearby classrooms with our Hui Nohona culture team. Cultural Specialist Malia Scanlan and cultural practitioner Aaron Mahi organized a lesson about traditional Hawaiian sailing techniques.

They taught the families about how Hawaiian navigators use star lines to find their way across oceans. Scanlan and Mahi explained the Hawaiian names for stars, combining Hawaiian stories with astronomical observations.

Mahi led the families on ʻukulele to learn a song created by Scanlan to explain some of the main stars and constellations used in traditional navigation: “Nā Hōkū Hoʻokele o Kaiwikuamoʻo,” or “The Navigating Stars of [the star line] Kaiwikuamoʻo.”

At the end of the huakaʻi, the families, Tūtū and me staff, and PVS crew gathered together around Hōkūleʻa for a photo. Mahi led everyone in the “Nā Hōkū” song, which the PVS crew were excited to learn. It was a day of mutual learning and appreciation.

“They’re not our canoes,” said another crew member. “They’re the community’s canoes.”

“We focus not on necessarily the excitement of presents or the commercialism of Christmas, but on the family and us as an organization,” says Hawaiian Airlines’ Community Relations Director, Debbie Nakanelua-Richards.

Families are asked to make a nominal contribution to participate in the parade, and for the last 10 years the monies were collected in an envelope and delivered to Partners in Development Foundation.

This year to honor their employees and their families that give, Nakanelua-Richards delivered a bigger presentation so that everyone at PIDF could see the generous check going to our Ka Paʻalana Homeless Family Education program. She described the giving campaign at Hawaiian Airlines, how about five years ago, charitable giving became a top priority for the organization.

Her leadership with the airline has seen the development of the Hawaiian Airlines Team Kōkua, which oversees the company’s giving, “including the deployment of more than 1,000 employee volunteers and their family members every year to assist and support communities throughout the Islands,” according to a press release.

“It’s been proven that any time you engage in giving, in supporting, in kokua, it often impacts you more than the people you think you’re helping. From our families to your Ka Paʻalana families, we mahalo you.”

The holidays are a time of holidays, of reconnecting to family and loved ones, and charity. This last year, we were so blessed to receive numerous contributions from partner organizations and individuals across the state.

Aloha United Way and PetSmart Donate 100 Plush Toys

Aloha United Way, the Hawaiʻi office of national nonprofit United Way, partnered with PetSmart to collect 100 plush toys for our Ka Paʻalana Homeless Family Education Program. The toys were distributed to the keiki at the December holiday parties.

Nā Pono No Nā ʻOhana Throws Thanksgiving

Near the end of November, Nā Pono No Nā ʻOhana held its annual Thanksgiving luncheon. They provided meals to the dozens of Waimānalo families who came to the site at Blanche Pope Elementary School. The Nā Pono team even brought in a shaved ice truck!

“It’s really a very important time for us because we thank the families for being part of our program,” says Nā Pono’s Project Director, Lora Perry. “It’s heartfelt, and they are heartfelt… we couldn’t have this program without them. We are blessed, and that’s what Thanksgiving is all about.”

Leeward Community College’s Toy Drive

In the first week of December, Leeward Community College’s library facilitated a toy drive for Ka Paʻalana families. They collected new, unwrapped toys for keiki under 5 years old.

Tūtū and Me – Kauaʻi Raises Over $1,300

Our Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool Kauaʻi-East team completed their yearly fundraiser on Friday, December 7. The coffee, bake, and rummage sale raised over $1,300.

“We are truly blessed for all the help and donations from our school families and friends,” said Site Manager Michelle Curammeng.

American Savings Bank: Mahalo Mail & Kahiau Giving Campaign

On December 12, we received some ‘Mahalo Mail’ from American Savings Bank (ASB) – Hawaiʻi. We are fortunate enough to be part of their Kahiau Giving Campaign, an annual teammate program that supports select community organizations.

The mail consisted of letters, cards and notes, handwritten by ASB employees expressing their ‘mahalo’ for our work serving Hawaiian families across the state.

Kamehameha Schools Provides Critical Items

Sheryl Kahue, a teacher at Kamehameha Schools (KS), facilitated a large donation of toys, books, backpacks, and hygiene items. KS students participated in the drive by helping to collect items that are necessary to our program families, but not as frequently donated.

Zumbathons Collect Toys for Keiki

Two ‘Zumbathons’ were put on by Nisi and Friends and Pomai and Friends. The Zumbathons collected toys for Ka Paʻalana keiki, which were given out at the various holiday parties put on by our program staff throughout December.

For several years, Pomai Akiona (a former Parent Educator with Ka Paʻalana) hosts a Zumba class where she does not charge attendees cash for participating. Instead, she asks attendees to bring a toy to donate to the families of Ka Paʻalana. This year, over $1,500 worth of toys was collected for the keiki!

Cricket Donates Needed Supplies to Ka Paʻalana

Joy, Patrick and Natasha from Cricket Wireless brought much-needed donations of household items to Ka Paʻalana on December 13. The items included boxes of diapers, packs of wipes, and infant teething rings.

The kind donation will go to the unsheltered families with infants that the Ka Paʻalana outreach team encounters living on the Leeward Coast of Oʻahu.

NASW Delivers Doughnuts to We Are Oceania

The National Association of Social Workers – Hawaiʻi (NASW – Hawaiʻi) is currently running a campaign called ‘tell NASW why you need donuts’. The campaign is meant to reward the hard work of registered NASW members, and We Are Oceania was the first winner!

Project Director Jocelyn Howard and the rest of the We Are Oceania staff worked tirelessly for weeks to ensure their constituents were able to sign up for health insurance during the open enrollment period. Everyone welcomed the respite of doughnuts!

Wyndham Vacation Resorts Donates Toys, Books

Every year, Robert Nelson and Kathy Goo with Wyndham Vacations and his team help organize donations for Ka Paʻalana families. This year they collected over $1,700 worth of toys and books!

Hula Grill Waikiki Gives Gifts to Over 50 Keiki

On December 19, Hula Grill Waikīkī’s General Manager, Drew Crocker, and Community Relations Coordinator Kaitlyn Taketa paid our office a visit. They had coordinated with our Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool and home visiting programs, and our Ka Hana Noʻeau mentorship program, to organize gifts for over 50 children and youth across the islands.

We were blown away by these generous presents, as so many of our families are just scraping by and do not have the resources to make the holidays special for their keiki. Drew and Kaitlyn said they are excited to organize this drive again next year, and collect gifts for even more keiki.

Program Keiki See Snow and Santa Claus

Several of our Tūtū and Me and Ka Paʻalana program sites across the state held holiday parties, from Christmas to the traditional makahiki.

The holiday parties included thematic activities and games created by our staff, from homemade holiday playdough and real snow to visits from Santa Claus. The keiki also received wrapped gifts from our staff, partners and from the many donations received over the holidays.

To see more photos of our programs’ holiday activities, click here.

Mahalo nui loa to all of these amazing organizations, foundations, partners and individuals, and of course all our wonderful staff, for making the a season of giving for our families in need!