HCAP WEEKLY December 9, 2024

Building a Culture of Family Engagement

Family engagement is at the heart of HCAP Head Start & Early Head Start. It fosters mutual, respectful and culturally responsive relationships amongst families, children and staff. The ongoing process of family engagement, especially in the early childhood years, encourages positive parent-child relationships, promotes healthy and well-rounded development in young children, supports school readiness and creates a secure partnership between families and staff.

The Head Start children and families at Makaha created buildings from recycled materials around their own homes. This family engagement activity was in celebration of the conclusion of their study on buildings. Not only were the children able to make real-life connections, the activity extended their learning and artistic creativity through engaging in a family-based activity.

Head Start parent, Suzanne shared that “working on this project with our children has inspired us to do more creative and fun activities together at home.”

Shanell, another parent in attendance, was asked how her son, Caspian, decided on what building they would construct she shared that “when asked what type of building he wanted to make, Caspian said a grocery store because that’s where I get all my special snacks from, Waianae Store!”

Head Start parent, Ania expressed that “it was great to see Lily get creative. Seeing her growth in using scissors was exciting. My favorite part was when she completed a section and would say, “Wow, I did it!”

A big mahalo to all of the Head Start & Early Head Start families for taking the time to engage with their children in and out of the classroom and for entrusting Head Start staff with their children’s early childhood experience! Family engagement, support and partnership are truly appreciated!

Click here to learn more about Head Start and Early Head Start.

Kumuhonua Celebrates Participant’s Securement of Permanent Housing

Kumuhonua Transitional Living Center (KTLC) would like to congratulate program participant Jessie, who has secured permanent housing. Jessie started his journey at KTLC on November 17, 2022. Since then, he has been working hard to stay on track toward self-sufficiency by keeping consistent meetings with his case manager and maintaining all of his appointments with his health professionals. Despite the many challenges Jessie has encountered with his health, he has received his section 8 voucher and secured permanent housing in November 2024. He shared that after all these years of being homeless and being in shelters he is happy to finally have a place to call his own. Jessie also stated that he is so lucky to have had his son who stood by his side and whom he was able to count on when he was needed the most.

Nevertheless, Jessie couldn’t express enough how grateful he is for all the love, aloha and help he received from KTLC staff and his case manager Carolyn Pule. KTLC staff is so very proud of all the work that was put into making this a successful transition for Jessie and the Kumuhonua staff would like to wish him the best of luck in this new chapter of his life.

Click here to learn more about Kumuhonua Transitional Living Center.

Central Staff and Helemano Elementary School Give Back to the Community

For nearly 20 years, Central District Service Center‘s Kōkua E Hānai Keiki Project (Help Feed The Children) has collaborated with elementary schools to collect canned foods and hygiene products to distribute to low-income families. This holiday season, Central staff joined forces with Helemano Elementary School to support the local community.

Helemano Elementary School currently has an enrollment of approximately 620 students in grades preschool through fifth grade. The school’s mission is to provide a safe and caring environment where learning can take place, to develop partnerships between parents, teachers, students and the community to provide students appropriate learning opportunities to think, create and succeed. The faculty and staff constantly strive to create a safe and caring environment where learning can take place because it is their belief that every child is a unique individual who is able to learn and that learning is a developmental and lifelong process.

With the guidance of Student Activities Coordinator, Leigh Padilla, this year’s Helemano Student Council students turned their annual holiday canned food drive into a Toiletry Drive held from November 12th to the 15th. Mrs. Padilla shared that “It is an initiative aimed at providing essential personal care items to those in our community and we believe that small acts of kindness can create a big impact for others. As a Helemano Ohana, we can create a strong and supportive community where everyone has access to basic necessities.” These sentiments have always been a part of Helemano Elementary School’s motto. Their dedicated teachers, wonderful students and families have shown time after time how much they value family and community.

Central District Service Center is honored to be able to be part of such a wonderful project and grateful that Helemano Elementary School’s dedicated staff and wonderful students and families continue to support HCAP efforts.

Click here to learn more about HCAP programs and services.