Our Early Literacy program received a one-year (2025-2026) grant from the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation for culture-based early literacy! The Samuel N. & Mary Castle Foundation was founded in 1894, with nearly 200 years in Hawai‘i. The Foundation’s purpose is to support equal opportunity for young children to thrive in school. The Foundation concentrates its efforts in places where there are barriers to educational success.
Our Early Literacy program collaborates with community early childcare services and preschools, providing professional development, educational materials, coaching, and support for the delivery of an evidence-based literacy intervention. The program’s goal is to reach keiki where they are at, regardless of which early learning resource families choose to place their child, ensuring that every child has access to quality education.Our Early Literacy program collaborates with community early childcare services and preschools, providing professional development, educational materials, coaching, and support for the delivery of an evidence-based literacy intervention. The program’s goal is to reach keiki where they are at, regardless of which early learning resource families choose to place their child, ensuring that every child has access to quality education.
This funding supports Early Literacy’s goal of improving reading skills among young children. This investment is critical in addressing literacy gaps and setting students on a path for long-term academic success by:
· Expanding access to books
· Providing professional development for educators
· Implementing evidence-based literacy instruction in underserved communities
