Kula Kamaliʻi

Kula Kamaliʻi | Child Center

Pūnana Leo means nest of voices, and just as young fledglings are fed directly from the mouths of their mothers, Hawaiian language is fed into the ears of our 3 and 4 year old students from the mouths of the Hawaiian language speakers around them. From the moment a Pūnana Leo ʻohana enters preschool, they are immersed in a rich and stimulating honua (environment) where all must observe the kapu of “Hawaiian language only.” The observance of the kapu helps families and their children learn Hawaiian quickly. New students learn simple phrases, sentences, and songs with the help of fluent kumu (teachers) and older classmates. Many, if not all, Pūnana Leo students are able to speak Hawaiian within three or four months.

Pūnana Leo classrooms are warm, nurturing places that value and stimulate young minds and prepare them for lifelong learning. Children discover the world through a culturally and age-level appropriate curriculum based on the Kumu Honua Mauli Ola educational philosophy in a safe and secure environment. Our approach to education is through a family-based model. Parents participate in hui kīpaepae weekly language and culture classes held at the school site, lā ʻohana family days, and hoʻihoʻi honua giving back to their school by cleaning the classrooms and school grounds.

In 2006, ‘Aha Pūnana Leo expanded its Hawaiian Medium Education program for keiki with its Hi‘ipēpē Infant Program. Available to nine-month through three-year-old keiki, the program caters to families who are interested and committed to making ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi the primary language of their home. The program includes a full-day of activities that incorporate Kumu Honua Mauli Ola Hawai‘i’s educational philosophy and modern developmental strategies that allow toddlers to develop and enhance their social, perceptual motor and intellectual skills. The Hi‘ipēpē Infant Program is only available at our Hilo and Waiʻanae locations.

Kula Kamaliʻi Age Groups:

ʻĪnana 3 - 4 years old

Pūnua 4 - 5 years old

Hiʻipēpē Age Group:

9 months-3 years old