Posted on: Tuesday, September 7, 2004

EDITORIAL
New Kamehameha plan makes good sense

While the plans are, understandably, sketchy at this point, the latest initiative by Kamehameha Schools to reach out to younger Hawaiian children sounds promising.

The effort was outlined by Kamehameha Schools chief executive Dee Jay Mailer during a Native Hawaiian Conference meeting in Waikiki.

It is based on sound research that suggests success in school and in life depends heavily on what a youngster experiences during his or her earliest years of life.

So Kamehameha intends to focus money, resources and attention on the health and educational needs of Hawaiian children 8 and younger. This will extend the trust's reach far beyond the students who attend Kamehameha on O'ahu or the Neighbor Islands.

In many ways, this initiative is the logical extension of what was already under way at Kamehameha in recent years, including support for charter schools with a Hawaiian focus, scholarships for pre-schoolers and the like.

Mailer noted that Kamehameha has no pride of authorship here; if successful programs in this area are already under way, she said, Kamehameha will support those.

That's the right approach, and it suggests the trust is thinking not of programs, but of kids.

Only a small percentage of Hawaiian children make it to one of the Kamehameha campuses. Efforts such as this, called Ho'omohala Kaiaulu (to cause to blossom), will mean far more children will benefit from the Princess's legacy.