Four days a week, teachers from Keiki Steps fan out across the islands to set up makeshift classrooms in nine communities. On a recent morning in Waianae, on a farm tucked away on the edge of Makaha Valley, a half-dozen families roamed around activity centers under a lush canopy of macadamia nut, jackfruit and ulu trees. 

INPEACE Keiki Steps has been engaging young children and their families in early learning since 1999, serving as the first stepping stone in each keiki’s educational journey. Our programming has afforded us many opportunities to build relationships with ʻohana that last well beyond program graduation, allowing us to watch keiki grow and develop even through high school and college.

Donna Soriano is a STEM Lab Teacher at Wai’anae Elementary School and a participant of INPEACE Ka Lama Education Academy. INPEACE has supported her in elevating herself in the teaching profession and is currently helping her to pursue National Board Teaching Certification.

The journey of higher education has its share of challenges. One of the biggest challenges for many families is the financial burden that comes along with going to college. For David and Ruth Gabaylo that financial burden is tripled as Ruth, a mother of three, is pursuing her own college degree simultaneously with their two daughters, Cinnamon and Cayenne. As a mother on a journey to higher education, Ruth has been able to continue to study alongside her children and has even had fun carpooling to college classes with her daughter.

To aid in the delivery of Hawaiian culture-based learning, the Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture (INPEACE) was recently awarded a $134,309 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to support its Kupu Ola program offered to students at Waiʻanae Intermediate School (WIS).