Posted on: Tuesday, October 7, 2003

Preschool program gets $1.2 million grant

Associated Press

A traveling Native Hawaiian preschool program on O'ahu has received a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education and will use the money to build a home.

The grant for Keiki O Ka Aina Family Learning Centers was the second major funding announcement by the school in less than a week, school officials said yesterday. On Wednesday, the program received a $1.9 million federal grant.

The nonprofit was established in 1996 to address the needs of Native Hawaiian children younger than 5.

The Keiki O Ka Aina programs travel to communities around the island. But the funding announced yesterday could change that.

The grant — to be distributed over three years — will be used to build a permanent preschool facility at Ke Kula Kaiapuni O Anuenue, a Department of Education Hawaiian immersion site in Palolo.