The phrase “Back to School” doesn’t just apply to students in kindergarten or elementary school. Starting in August, children from birth through age five can begin attending Keiki Steps at local elementary schools. Pre-registration for the FREE program will start on June 28, 2010 at 86-088 Farrington Highway, Room #105, under the Leeward Community College Wai‘anae office). Each child who is fully registered will receive a free book for their child.
Requirements for complete registration include:
- Registration form
- Child’s birth certificate
- Child’s immunization
- Child’s TB clearance
- Participating adult’s TB clearance
For more info please visit our registration page online or to pre-register your child call 620-9043 for an appointment. Walk-ins are also welcomed during pre-registration or at any time.
The Keiki Steps program offers a wonderful opportunity for families to learn together through a specialized curriculum designed to promote Family-Child Interactive Learning (FCIL). Targeted activities help parents better understand their role as their keiki’s first teacher, while children are provided with an educational environment where they can experience the world around them at their own pace. This culturally responsive instruction model follows a Native Hawaiian system of teaching and learning, which integrates outdoor activities and cultural references.
“Applications of these principles offer a promise of narrowing, if not closing, the gap between educational achievement of Native Hawaiian students and mainstream peers,” says Lisa Pakele, Program Director of INPEACE’s Keiki Steps.
Keiki Steps also offers children the basic building blocks of knowledge they will need in order to succeed in elementary school. Important skills, such as following directions and socializing with other children, are taught through playful activities so keiki look forward to attending the program.
“Parents learn to support their child’s learning through a variety of developmentally and culturally related activities that are fun, easy to do, and can be extended to the comforts of their own home,” says Pakele.
Activities Include:
- Water & Sand Play
- Blocks
- Play Dough
- Art
- Craft Activities
- Reading
- Circle Time
- Dramatic Play
- Science
- Puzzles
- Large Motor Activities
Keiki Steps will be offered at the following locations:
O‘AHU
- Kapolei - Barbers Point Elementary School
- Nānākuli - Nānākuli Elementary School
- Mā‘ili - Mā‘ili Elementary School
- Leihoku - Leihoku Elementary School
- Wai‘anae - Wai‘anae Elementary School
- Kamaile - Kamaile Academy
- Mākaha - Mākaha Elementary School
- Ulu Ke Kukui - Transitional Home Units
HILO
- Hilo - TBA
- Kapi‘olani - Kapi‘olani Elementary School
- Keaukaha - Keaukaha Elementary School
WEST HAWAI‘I
- Kahikolu - Kahikolu Church
MOLOKA‘I
- Kilohana - Kilohana Community Center
