More than 100 Wai'anae Coast preschool through third grade educators are expected to attend the INPEACE P-3 Cross Collaboration Conference from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina.

The keynote speaker will be Terry Lock, director of Community-Based Early Childhood Education for Kamehameha Schools, who will talk about the importance of early childhood learning.

The P-3 Wai'anae Coast project is an opportunity for educators to collaborate with one another on how to bridge the gap between the early learning and K-12 systems. The Wai'anae Coast is one of five communities working to strengthen Hawai'i's early education pipeline.

The goal is that all third graders on the Wai'anae Coast be reading at grade level by the year 2014.

INPEACE is an organization that is dedicated to improving the quality of life for Native Hawaiians through community partnerships that provide educational opportunities and promote self-sufficiency.