, ’s Hawaiian immersion childcare center, which is free for qualified students, was a saving grace for Alana Grace, a single mother of four.

“If they didn’t have a childcare center, I wouldn’t have come back to school, I would have still been out and I wouldn’t have been able to finish my AA degree,” Grace said.

It took Grace 15 years to earn her associate’s degree in liberal arts in 2021, but ����Բ������ܱ��� gave her the boost she needed after the birth of her fourth child Ioane in 2020. Now, she works as an office assistant there, and is on track to earn a bachelor’s degree in Hawaiian Indigenous health and healing from the University of �鶹��ý–West Oʻahu in May.

• Learn more:

Thanks to being part of a nationwide initiative that led to the 2024 report , single parents at Windward CC have even more support services. The student parent lounge—a safe space for parents to study that welcomes children—opened in 2022.

4 in 5 single mothers below poverty level

According to the , 80% of single female headed households were below the poverty level—highlighting the severity of the problem in �鶹��ý.

“We realized that education being the largest vehicle for economic opportunity and mobility in our society that we had to figure out how to serve single mothers,” said Windward CC Chancellor Ardis Eschenberg, who is also a single mother.

That year, was one of eight community colleges nationwide selected through a competitive application process to participate in . Funded by and led by the , the goal of the three-year project was to identify the needs of single mother students and develop a plan to expand key practices and services to enhance their success.

‘You can’t wait’

…school is possible. Even when you have kids, it might be different, but it’s possible.
—Puanani Kama

As part of College Success for Single Mothers and Parenting Students, Windward CC has developed a based on survey data and other sources to identify students each semester and provide the support that student parents need to meet their goals, such as scholarships for childcare. And it has added a variety of parenting resources to the campus’ student basic needs website.

“You can’t wait. Every day that we wait is the day that that mother and that child are in poverty—needlessly,” said Eschenberg. “So the whole time we were developing the action plan, we were implementing the action plan. By the time it was done, we pretty much had all of the pieces there and we were formalizing them.”

����Բ������ܱ��� Director Puanani Kama wants prospective students to know free childcare is available for parents who qualify, and Windward CC provides many other services to support them in areas such as financial aid and career development.

Kama said, “I would want them to know that school is possible. Even when you have kids, it might be different, but it’s possible. And if you come to Windward, we make it even easier.”

is hosting an inaugural fundraiser golf tournament on Friday, March 17 at the Pearl Country Club. Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit Windward CC’s .

“This is not your average golf tournament,” said Puanani Kama, tournament chair and director of Ke Kula Kamaliʻi ʻo ����Բ������ܱ���. “In addition to a hole-in-one contest with tickets to the Super Bowl as the prize, golfers will play in individual hole contests for Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin, plus Raffles and 50/50.”

Windward CC is partnering with KamaHawaii to host the tournament.

Lunch bentos will be prepared by Pearl Country Club and there will also be an awards ceremony and banquet dinner at the end of the day. Below is the tournament’s full schedule:

• Registration: 10 a.m.
• Shotgun start: 12 p.m.
• Awards banquet: 6 p.m.

Golf sponsorships start at $1,500, which includes lunch, refreshments, dinner and more. Other sponsorship opportunities range from golf tee hole recognition at $300 to beverage cart and on-course activities at $1,000.

For more details on sponsorship packages, .

“There are so many ways to contribute, even for non-golfers!” said Kama. “Our goal is to provide funding to keep our students going to college and getting the care they need for their keiki while they pursue their dreams—and let’s have some fun golfing!”

Ke Kula Kamaliʻi ʻo ����Բ������ܱ��� is a Hawaiian immersion childcare center dedicated to student parents and their success in their college journey. Through Hawaiian language immersion and culture-based early childhood education and care, the center aims to increase graduation rates at Windward CC and perpetuate Hawaiian language and culture. Proceeds from the tournament will go toward scholarships for student parents, as well as resources and supplies needed to maintain safety and health on campus.

Golfers and golf enthusiasts can online through March 10.

For more information, visit the or contact Kama at puananir@hawaii.edu.

As �鶹��ý faces a desperate shortage of child care options, is helping those interested in providing these critical services. You can sign up for free classes and additional financial support. A new cohort of Windward CC’s (FCCE) certificate program launches on January 25, 2023.

The Windward CC program supports new and future family child care providers with their business practices and is available to participants across the state.

“FCCE had a big impact on my decision to open a family child care business,” said a former participant. “When I first started the program, I had no confidence in myself. I learned so much from the program and am very grateful. I have faith and confidence in starting up my business. I know, with the knowledge I have now, I will be successful.”

The FCCE program launched in 2021 and was developed to address the critical shortage in child care throughout the state. Current child care capacity in �鶹��ý for children ages 0–5 years is less than a third of the existing need, according to (a stakeholder group to improve care for �鶹��ý’s youngest children). This situation increases stress and pressure on working parents, which in turn impacts �鶹��ý’s employers and economy.

Through the support of the �鶹��ý Community Foundation’s �鶹��ý Resilience Fund and the Omidyar ‘Ohana Fund, students enrolled in the program receive course books valued at more than $1,100 for free.

Kamehameha Schools recognized the challenges faced by students in the family child care business pathway and is also providing funding. Enrolled students can receive up to a total of $900–$300 for each 10 sessions of the 30-session program they complete. The program includes training from , non-credit online courses from Windward CC, and group and individual coaching sessions.

Upon completion of the program, students can apply for an additional $1,000 completion grant.

“Becoming more educated adds to the confidence of operating my family child care business. I am so thankful for this program!” said Ashley, a previous participant.

For more information, call (808) 235-7363. Course information, registration and sign ups for information sessions can be found at .

A new playground is generating excitement and joy for preschoolers at the on the campus. The program is operated in collaboration with faculty at . The two campuses announced the opening of the new playground on September 6.

The new features include a rock wall, slides, a swinging bridge and even drums! Alani Children’s Center provides early childhood care and education for children ages 2.5–5 in the campus community, and also serves as a laboratory for the early childhood teacher training programs, service learning and related programs in the University of �鶹��ý system.

The celebration included a blessing by Honolulu CC Hawaiian Studies education specialist Mahi LaPierre. It had been a dream of the Alani staff to have a new, bigger play structure for many years and they expressed gratitude to the administrations of both campuses for making those dreams a reality.

“Alani is a shining example of UHCC cross-system collaboration,” said Liz Hartline, instructor of early childhood education and site coordinator of Alani Children’s Center. “Honolulu CC and Kapiʻolani CC pooled resources to fund a new play structure, to replace one that was 25 years old and showing its age.”

As a laboratory site for training early childhood teachers, the program is informed by research-based, best practices and guided by instructional faculty with expertise and experience in high-quality early childhood pedagogy and programming. The center is staffed by mentor teachers who work closely with faculty to provide quality education and care to the children and families of the center.

Priority is given to children whose parents or guardians are Kapiʻolani CC students or employees. Any remaining spaces are allocated to children of other UH system students and employees, and then to the general community. Spaces are allocated based upon priority and number of openings available in each age group and gender.

Friends and alumni can help to support through the UH Foundation.

In response to a need for child care to support working families, is piloting the online certificate program. Students will learn how to set up and manage a high-quality family child care business, including becoming licensed, financial record keeping, marketing and working with children and families.

A 2017 study by the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa’s found that 64% of children of working parents need child care, and existing providers could only serve 25% of them. The current pandemic has disrupted services and reduced the number of existing child care providers, just as more parents are returning to the workforce. This puts added stress on families, making it harder for some parents to return to work and ultimately slowing economic recovery.

To address this growing need, Windward CC’s developed the program in partnership with People Attentive to Children (PATCH), a child care resource and referral agency, and Learning to Grow, a multi-faceted project that supports families and family child care providers. To earn the Family Child Care Essentials certificate of professional development, students must complete:

• Six required online courses with PATCH
• 20 noncredit training hours with Windward CC in a community of practice, a collaborative environment with other providers

“We are excited to be offering a program to increase child care capacity across �鶹��ý, support new family child care providers, and benefit working parents and their keiki,” said Windward CC Chancellor Ardis Eschenberg.

Tuition for the Family Child Care Essentials certificate program is free. Students will also receive course materials and additional resources at no cost, and access to one-on-one coaching. Student participation in the program is sponsored through 2022 by the �鶹��ý Resilience Fund and the Omidyar ʻOhana Fund of the �鶹��ý Community Foundation.

Classes start weekly with open enrollment. For more information, call Cassia Simms-Smith, program coordinator, at (808) 235-7363 or email cassias@hawaii.edu.

is one of only eight community colleges nationwide selected through a competitive application process to participate in . Funded by and led by the (NCTN), the goal of the three-year project is to identify the needs of single mother students on campus and develop a plan to expand key practices and services to enhance their college and career success.

Single mothers make up an increasing part of the postsecondary student population in the U.S. Eighty-six percent of single mothers in �鶹��ý live in poverty or are working poor. This means more than 20 percent of �鶹��ý‘s keiki are also living with these hard economic realities. Windward CC is committed to addressing the barriers single mothers face in attaining higher education and forging a path for economic mobility and success for their families.

“As a single mother myself, I am blessed to have an amazing career with the ability to provide for my children…thanks to higher education. However, the vast majority of single mothers here in �鶹��ý nei are struggling to provide for basic needs. We must as a society address this if all our keiki and our communities are to flourish. Making college success possible for single mothers creates lasting, intergenerational change,” said Windward CC Chancellor Ardis Eschenberg.

To achieve the project goals, the NCTN is partnering with the at Endicott College, developers of the , and , a national leader in community college reform. These two organizations complement NCTN’s expertise designing effective college and career pathways for adult learners.

College Success for Single Mothers builds on NCTN’s 2019 report, No Matter What Obstacle is Thrown My Way, which documents examples of 17 community colleges that offer targeted programming for student parents. The report recommends that significant work remains to increase institutional capacity to collect data to identify single mothers on campus; provide professional development to faculty and staff on the needs of single mothers; develop diverse and flexible funding sources; and advocate for policies within and outside of the institutions that support single mothers.

Commitment to student parents

Windward CC has already made a significant commitment to serving the needs of student parents by opening a childcare center for infants and toddlers in 2017.

“Ke Kula Kamaliʻi ʻO Hānaiaulu helps to build the capacity of our institution through our Hawaiian Immersion childcare services. We make a difference for student parents, and also cater to a growing community of Hawaiian language speakers, making ʻōlelo �鶹��ý and quality childcare the new norm,” said Pua Kama, director of the Hānaiaulu Childcare Center.

To learn more about Windward CC’s participation in College Success for Single Mothers or to donate to support student parents at Windward CC, contact Chancellor Eschenberg at (808) 235-7402, ardise@hawaii.edu. .

After months of greeting their teachers and classmates through online platforms, the keiki of the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa Children’s Center (UHMCC) are carefully being welcomed back into the classroom.

Prior to reopening, UHMCC developed a staggered opening plan to better control processes and procedures. On June 15, UHMCC opened its doors to three ʻohana groups, or smaller classes, to create a more stable and self-contained environment with assigned indoor and outdoor spaces with 22 children, 11 staff members and five student helpers. Then, on June 22, the children’s center added 23 more children, six more employees and three student helpers.

As of July 6, 72 children were enrolled in six ʻohana groups—five on the UH campus, one at Kuhio Elementary School—with 23 UH employees and 13 student workers helping in the classrooms.

“When we closed March 23, we thought it would be just for a short while,” said UHMCC Director Leilani Au. “Three months later, we are delighted to be back at work with the children and families. We do have non-stop, on-going worry about keeping children and staff safe, but are mostly happy to be here doing what we do best! The families are grateful to have childcare again, both so they can work more effectively and also because the children missed their friends and teachers and at this age social interactions matter for their healthy development.”

To ensure a safe classroom environment for the children, faculty and staff, UHMCC reduced its enrollment to nearly half of the students it accepted in spring 2020. UHMCC has also designated a single-entry point into the campus where keiki are greeted by staff wearing face coverings to give initial health screenings before they can enter the classrooms. Parents and visitors are currently not allowed inside the classroom or playground spaces.

Children and staff remain separated from other groups and are kept smaller than usual to encourage social distancing while still providing essential social interactions for the keiki. The children have most of their fun outdoors on the playground or running through sprinklers to beat the summer heat. If they take walks on UH or DOE property outside of the UHMCC program, all children will wear face coverings.

“We clean more and do more handwashing, in addition to the morning and midday health checks, making it possible for children to be in a safer ʻohana bubble,” Au said. “There’s still lots of play, hugs and laughs!”

For more details on the reopening, visit the UHMCC website.

—By Janica Marie Pascua

Toddlers clink-clank on musical instruments, open books and smile eyes-wide as they play in the colorful and spacious room designed expressly for their size and learning potential. The long-awaited dream of a campus childcare center came true at with the blessing and opening of the new ����Բ������ܱ��� Childcare Center on August 15, 2019. ����Բ������ܱ��� means “to feed, or adopt and grow.”

Chancellor Ardis Eschenberg called the Hawaiian immersion childcare center a “vehicle to increase education for Koʻolaupoko and Koʻolauloa for generations to come.” It is currently serving three infants and eight toddlers—with potential to expand to 12 infants and 20 toddlers—exclusively for use by Windward CC students.

For now, services are free during the life of a grant that ends next school year. Priority is given to those who are full-time students, Hawaiian language speaking or taking classes in Hawaiian language, eligible for Pell Grants and in good academic standing.

An intergenerational force

“Our goal is to help our students persist in school and graduate, as well as provide quality care for our infants and toddlers ages six months through 36 months,” said Puanani Kama, childcare center director.

“If a mother earns her degree, her children are all more likely to earn their degrees, which in turn means that the next generation is more likely, and on and on. Maternal education is the largest predictor of higher education attainment for an individual,” said Eschenberg. “This project addresses a gap both in the Windward community, where infant and toddler care facilities are scarce, and at Windward Community College, where we were the only community college in �鶹��ý lacking a childcare center.”

Designed by , the ����Բ������ܱ��� Childcare Center includes a childcare main area, welcome area, lānai area and an outdoor play area. The center is equipped with Hawaiian language learning materials, books, music and comfortable furniture and fixtures sized for infant and toddler keiki, and is licensed with the Department of Human Services.

Eschenberg said, “The ����Բ������ܱ��� Childcare Center is the birth of dreams of generations of students, faculty, and staff at Windward CC. Our larger Koʻolau community has made this resource come to fruition, allowing parents and children to thrive at Windward. It not only provides a foundation of Hawaiian language for our youngest community members, but sets them on a college–going trajectory to build knowledge and waiwai (wealth) in our community. The largest determinant of a child’s likelihood to receive a college degree is the attainment of this degree by their parents. Thus, ����Բ������ܱ��� is a force for intergenerational and community–wide change.”

For more information about the new ����Բ������ܱ��� Childcare Center, please contact Puanani Kama, childcare center director at (808) 462-4799 or puananir@hawaii.edu

Read the full story at .

—By Bonnie Beatson

Economic conditions may finally be improving, and families continue to offer a strong foundation for �鶹��ý’s children, according to the released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Data Book, which examines trends in child well-being during the post-recession years, found that �鶹��ý now ranks 23 in child economic well-being, and 17 for child well-being overall.

“We’re seeing a steady decrease in the number of children living in families where the parents lack secure employment,” says Ivette Rodriguez Stern, the �鶹��ý KIDS COUNT project director at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa . “As parental employment improves, we begin to see improvements in other indicators of economic well-being.”

The rate of children living in households with a high housing cost burden—defined as a household spending more than 30 percent or more of income on housing—is one indicator that has steadily improved, decreasing from 46 percent in 2010 to 38 percent in 2015. However, �鶹��ý still has among the worst housing cost burden rates in the nation, ranking 46th for this indicator.

“High housing costs remain a significant challenge in our state. When families spend so much of their income on housing, they have fewer resources to meet other basic needs. We all—including government and the private sector—need to come together to build more affordable housing in �鶹��ý,” said Nicole Woo, senior policy analyst at the .

Despite some improvements on individual indicators, �鶹��ý is lagging in the education domain, ranking 36th. Although there have been some improvements in reading and math proficiency, �鶹��ý’s children are still below national proficiency rates and more than half of 3- and 4-year-olds are not enrolled in preschool programs.

“Access to high-quality, affordable child care and preschool must remain a priority in our state,” said Barbara DeBaryshe, interim director of the UH Center on the Family. “Strong programs support school readiness and give an extra boost to children facing the difficult odds of poverty or family hardship. Sadly, we simply do not have enough child care seats in our state, especially for infants and toddlers. We need policy incentives that allow providers to serve more children, give families more assistance paying for care and help more programs reach quality benchmarks. Investments in our keiki now will have large payoffs in the future.”

Significant �鶹��ý findings

The annual KIDS COUNT Data Book uses 16 indicators to rank each state across four domains that represent what children need most to thrive. Findings for �鶹��ý include the following:

• Three of four economic indicators—the percentage of children whose parents lack secure employment, children in households with a high housing cost burden, and teens not in school and not working—have improved since the release of the 2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book. The percentage of children living in poverty has failed to improve past 2010 levels and returned to 14 percent in 2015.
• There were improvements in three of the four indicators in the education domain compared to 2010 data—reading and math proficiency and the percentage of high schoolers graduating on time—however, the percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds not in preschool increased by 18 percent from 2010 to 2015.
• With only 2 percent of our children lacking health insurance coverage, �鶹��ý continues to lead the nation in health, ranking eighth in this domain. This represents a 50 percent decrease in the percentage of kids without insurance compared to 2010.
• �鶹��ý is also doing well in the family and community context, ranking 10th in this domain. The teen birth rate has continued an impressive decline of 36 percent since 2010, and we have fewer children living in high poverty neighborhoods in 2015 than in 2010.

Besides emphasizing investments in early childhood education programs, with the Data Book, the Annie E. Casey Foundation demonstrates the need for protecting health insurance coverage for children and expanding programs that create economic stability for families at the state and federal levels.

“We’ve done well in making sure that our children have health insurance coverage. However, health care reforms that limit federal funds coming to our state for Medicaid or that allow insurers to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions will threaten the well-being of our most vulnerable children and youth. We must continue to work hard at all levels to make sure that coverage is not jeopardized,” said Stern.

Woo adds, “On a positive note, this year the Legislature approved a state earned income tax credit (EITC). Unfortunately, the state credit is non-refundable, which will limit tax refunds available to families when the amount of their EITC is larger than what they owe in state income tax. Nevertheless, this is a great start and represents breakthrough legislation that supports low-income families and children in our state.” 

A long-awaited dream is moving closer to reality with the groundbreaking of Windward Community College’s new Hānaiaulu Childcare Center on March 7.

The project, which Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Ardis Eschenberg says is a “vehicle to increase education for Koʻolaupoko and Koʻolauloa for generations to come,” is expected to be completed by the end of 2018. The Hawaiian immersion childcare center is anticipated to serve up to six infants and eight toddlers, and is exclusive to Windward CC students.

“If a mother earns her degree, her children are all more likely to earn their degrees, which in turn means that the next generation is more likely, and on and on. Maternal education is the largest predictor of higher education attainment for an individual,” said Eschenberg. “This project will address a gap both in the Windward community, where infant and toddler care facilities are scarce, and at Windward Community College—the only community college in �鶹��ý lacking a childcare center.”

“So many people have worked together to make this childcare center project become a reality,” said Windward CC Chancellor Doug Dykstra. “We are so fortunate to have received this funding, as Windward CC students desperately need a childcare center.”

Get involved

Attend the Hānaiaulu Lūʻau: A Benefit for Hānaiaulu Childcare Center on May 6, 5–10 p.m. at the Windward CC’s Hale Aʻo.

To help offset expenses for interior furnishings, books, supplies and special needs equipment for infants and toddlers, the college is hosting a benefit lūʻau with Hawaiian food, entertainment and a special silent auction (bidding closes at 7:30 p.m.).

Tickets are $55 and can be purchased at . RSVP by April 30. For questions, call Dorene Niibu at (808) 235-7402.

More about the Hānaiaulu Childcare Center

Designed by KYA Design Group, construction will include the renovation and modification of portions of the existing Hale ʻĀkoakoa building encompassing space currently occupied by two existing conference rooms comprising 1,062 square feet; and adjacent outdoor space of 2,218 square feet at the southwestern end of the building. The Hānaiaulu Childcare Center will include a childcare main area (1,450 square-feet), welcome area/lānai extension (530 square-feet), lānai area (330 square-feet) and an outdoor play area (970 square-feet).

The UH Community Colleges Office of Facilities and Environmental Health was instrumental in putting this project together under the leadership of Director Denise Yoshimori-Yamamoto and Architect/Project Manager Ray Teramae. General Contractor S&M Sakamoto, Inc. will build the facility.

The U.S. Department of Education Title III Grant Project award totaling $9.9 million over five years will be used in part to build the childcare center and renovate STEM learning environments at Windward. The grant was written as a result of the diligent efforts in needs assessment and planning by the Windward CC Student Parent Group and Natural Sciences department, coordinated by Eschenberg, Kumu Tuti Kanahele and Ke Kumu Pali, Windward CC’s Native Hawaiian Advisory Council.

Those responsible for the planning of childcare center efforts include Student Parent Group members Michelle Kam, Francine Vierra, Crystal Kamahalohanuilai, Sheila Sarsuela, Natajah Kekawa-Maynes, Joel Harding, Tanti Septiani, Lehua You, Nolan Brown, Tevi Tolentino, Kekai Edayan and Kehaulani Pelekai.

—By Bonnie Beatson