HCAP WEEKLY January 19, 2026

Head Start Keiki Create Buildings and Community Connection

Head Start classrooms concluded their Building Study with a special focus on the buildings they see in their community. Throughout the study, keiki compared different structures, explored their features and learned how people design and use buildings in everyday life.

Teachers extended this learning by transforming the Block Center into a construction site, where children painted “cinder block” boxes and engaged families to build their own structures while at home.

This study fostered their learning and development through the use of gross and fine motor skills and problem solving while recreating the unique details of the buildings in their communities. The children and families recreated Longs, Walmart, Kid City, Arakawa’s and the Sugar Plantation, all while strengthening early math and language skills along with a strong sense of community connection.

Click here to learn more about Head Start.

Central ECS Client Achieves 180-Days of Employment

Dezmond was referred to HCAP’s Central District Service Center for intake into the Nā Lima Hana Employment Core Services (ECS) Program. At the time, he was not employed and had no income to support himself. Dezmond had experienced a life with adversity and setbacks, and was a participant in a reintegration program designed to support future success and growth. 

In May of 2025, he was able to successfully complete his intake, Job Readiness Training and received two months of transportation assistance with a HOLO card through the ECS program. He was also assisted with creating an effective resume to further help him with his job search. His goals were to find employment, maintain employment for at least 180 days, and continue on his journey towards self-sufficiency. 

With the assistance of HCAP’s Employment Core Services program, Dezmond was able to successfully find full time employment in less than 30 days after completing his intake. As he did not have income at the time, HCAP was able to further assist Dezmond with sourcing and purchasing clothes for work at his new job. Once he successfully obtained employment, Dezmond was able to purchase his own HOLO card for transportation, obtain health insurance from his employer, move into a clean and sober home, purchase his own cellphone, and advance towards his goal of self-sufficiency. 

After continuing to maintain consistent communication with HCAP, Dezmond reported that he accomplished his goal of reaching 180 days of employment in November 2025. HCAP provided Dezmond with a total of four Target gift cards for achieving this milestone. Dezmond is grateful and very happy that he was able to overcome the obstacles he faced, and change the trajectory of his life for the better. HCAP congratulates Dezmond for this amazing accomplishment and wishes him the best in all of his future endeavors.

Click here to learn more about Nā Lima Hana.

Look Back at Hā Initiative’s Holiday Season

Last month, students across the Hā Initiative: Creative STEM After-School Program wrapped up the year by celebrating the holidays together through hands-on STEM activities that connected culture, science, engineering, and design.

Students learned how other cultures celebrate this season with holidays such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, creating their own kinaras (seven-branched candleholders used in Kwanzaa celebrations) while learning about the cultural meaning behind the holiday. They also explored math and design by making snowflakes using geometric shapes and origami techniques, focusing on symmetry, angles, and repeating patterns.

During a Gastronomy Friday activity, students made hot chocolate while learning the science of creating mixtures and solutions. They explored how cocoa powder is a solid made up of tiny particles, how milk is a liquid mixture of water, fats, and proteins, and how stirring helps evenly distribute the particles. Students also learned about the cocoa plant (Theobroma cacao) and how it grows in warm, tropical climates, including the island of Hawaiʻi and parts of Oʻahu, where rich soil and steady rainfall support cacao farming.

Students practiced sustainability by creating Christmas trees from recycled materials and discussed how different materials absorb paint, hold structure, and can be reused instead of thrown away. They also made salt dough ornaments, experimenting with ratios of flour, salt, and water to achieve the right firm but malleable consistency. Students observed how letting the dough rest improves texture and how heat from baking removes moisture, causing the dough to harden through evaporation.

To end the year, students worked in teams on a gingerbread house engineering challenge, using concepts like load distribution, balance, and structural stability to design houses that could stand on their own. Students tested designs, made adjustments, and collaborated to build stronger structures.

Overall, students ended the year building, testing, and problem-solving, while still having a ton of fun and celebrating the jolly season.

Click here to learn more about Hā Initiative.