HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0386.005 2022-2024 P /CODUrIGI
A { �i5.21 -23
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RESOLUTION NO. 216-23: SUPPORT 26
Mai ka puka 'ana o ka la i Ha'eha'e a i ka napo'o 'ana i Lehua,
Welina mai me ke aloha is kakou a pau loa,
Greetings Council Chair Kimball and all of the Members of Hawai'i County Council.
My name is Lehua Kaulukukui and I am the Chair of the Puakalehua Early Learning
Consortium. I was a preschool teacher with Kamehameha Schools for 12.5 years and have
been in this position for the past 4 years. Our grass-roots organization supports all areas of
early learning in North and West Hawaii including Family and Child Interactive Programs
(FCIL), Family In-Home Child Care Providers (FCC), Home Visitors, and Center-based
Preschools. Over the past 3 years, we hosted Early Learning Conferences where early learning
professionals were able to gain professional development credits. The average attendance at
each of our Conferences was 150 participants.
This year, in lieu of a Conference, we have chosen to host a 'Celebrate 'Ohana Festival' on
Saturday, December 9 at the Old Kona Airport Main Events pavilion. The over-arching goal
of the event is to bring community awareness to the importance of quality early childhood
education programs which set the foundation for life-long learning and educational success
within our keiki. A secondary goal is to showcase our early learning providers and
community early learning resources where they can possibly recruit staff and/or keiki for their
programs.
This will be a free, open to the public event. A day of learning which will include
entertainment, food,fun activities with prizes for keiki of all ages. A portion of the funds
raised will be earmarked for a advertising campaign with a live broadcast from the event. On
the half hour, our Puakalehua partners will have the opportunity to speak, on-air, about their
programs and the importance of early learning/early childhood education. Never before have
early learning providers and resource specialists gathered under one roof to bring community
awareness of early childhood education. This will be the first of its kind.
Therefore, on behalf of the Puakalehua Consortium and Puakalehua Steering Committee, we
MAHALO Holeka Inaba for bringing our request and application to Resolution and I strongly
support Resolution No. 216-23 and humbly ask for the full Council support.
'O wau no me ka ha'aha'a,
Lehua Kaulukukui
Chair, Puakalehua Early Learning Consortium
Comm. N91 O'•9
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