HISTORY

Kona Hongwanji Preschool was established in August of 1982, with a commitment to providing a quality

Early Childhood Education Program for the children of Kona. We are a private, non-profit group childcare

center sponsored by the Kona Hongwanji Buddhist Temple; however, our program is nonsectarian and does

not include mandatory religious education.

We began our Toddler Program in April of 2014 to provide developmentally appropriate care and education

for the younger members of our Kona community. (As of January 1, 2024, we have suspended our Toddler

Program and no longer accept two year olds into our program).

MISSION

Our mission is to provide a safe and interactive learning environment in which children are encouraged to

develop to their full potential, while building a strong, positive self-image

VISION

To Inspire Kindness, To Instill Self-Confidence, To Cultivate Individuality

GOALS

Our major goal is to provide your child with a safe and stimulating environment and programs that address

the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical aspects of development in a manner that is most comfortable

and beneficial for him/her.

Our goal focuses on the following areas:

▪ To encourage a positive self-image

▪ To provide a secure and comfortable learning environment away from family

▪ To develop an appreciation for education and a love of learning

▪ To provide an exciting environment where children are encouraged to be creative and productive

▪ To provide safe indoor/outdoor experiences for the development of the whole child

▪ To develop responsibility and independence

▪ To promote healthy peer and adult relationships

▪ To develop an appreciation for all cultures

▪ To nurture happy, caring children through promoting kindness

Social, emotional, and cognitive development are characterized in part by developing responsive relationships

between child and teacher. This is done by:

▪ Maintaining frequent and close eye contact

▪ Acknowledging children’s efforts

▪ Smiling and interacting warmly with children, always using positive language

▪ Responding to children’s attempts to communicate

▪ Frequently using language to talk about emotions, experiences, and the environment

▪ Using significant amounts of appropriate closeness, while maintaining safety protocols

▪ Interacting with children at mealtimes

▪ Spending time on the floor at the eye level of children

▪ Spending time playing with children and participating in their games

Our curriculum is thematically based and alternates yearly between subject area and cultural themes.

Children will engage in meaningful experiences through play, child-led, hands-on and teacher directed lessons.

The belief that ‘play is a child’s work’ emphasizes the importance of play as a learning tool to develop

important life skills such as problem-solving, creativity, social, language and physical skills. During center time

and outdoor play, the environment is set up to encourage learning through exploration, manipulation and the

application of new concepts. Free play encourages creativity, imagination, builds confidence and

independence, and offers opportunities for developing social skills and physical well-being.

Teachers will join in play to model language, show children how to play with materials, encourage

exploration, introduce new ideas, support children as they work through challenges, and help facilitate

conflicts between them.

HELDS

We utilize the Hawaii Early Learning Development Standards (HELDS) as a guide to help us integrate

developmental knowledge with the concepts and skills children need to make progress in all domains of

learning and development. HELDS are a set of research-based standards that identify expectations of

knowledge and behavior for children through a chronological continuum. The 5 domains are:

1. Physical Well-Being, Health and Motor Development

2. Social and Emotional Development

3. Approaches to Learning

4. Cognitive and General Knowledge

a. Mathematics and Numeracy

b. Science

c. Social Studies

d. Community and Culture

e. Creative Arts Expression and Representation

5. English Language and Literacy

LICENSING

Kona Hongwanji Preschool is licensed by the State of Hawaii, Department of Human Services and follows

their guidelines for operations and management of our facility. Our school is subject to inspection by state

and local health, fire, licensing, and building agencies. Regulations and inspections pertain to staff

qualifications, the facility and playground, nutrition, health and safety matters, record keeping, and staff-tochild

ratio.

ACCREDITATION

We are in the process of applying for and beginning the accreditation process for our preschool through

NAEYC. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional organization

that works to promote high-quality learning for all young children from birth through age eight by

connecting the latest research, policy and best practices. NAEYC also supports teachers through the offering

of training and supports research efforts to building high-quality learning experiences that will ultimately

benefit your child. Facilities that gain accreditation have voluntarily chosen to undergo this comprehensive

and strict internal self-study process.