Page 6 - MidWeek East - Feb 16, 2022

6 FEBRUARY 16, 2022
Campaign Launched For Keiki
In the wake of COVID- 19’s debilitating impacts, declining access to afford- able childcare, and an in- crease in family violence and mental health needs across the state, leaders from the education, busi- ness, family support, phil- anthropic and mental health sectors launched Commit to Keiki. The nonprofit cam- paign, which was created by the Early Childhood Action Strategy collaborative, is dedicated to ensuring Ha- wai‘i’s next governor cham- pions early childhood de- velopment and its positive impacts through greater in- vestments in early learning, childcare, mental health and family violence prevention.
“All of Hawai‘i will ben- efit from investments in
programs that help young children and their families thrive,” states Dr. Shawn Kana‘iaupuni of Partners in Development Foundation. “Be it quality, affordable childcare, early childhood education or strengthening families to meet the chal- lenges of daily life, invest- ing in these kinds of pro- grams will give our keiki and ‘ohana the best chance for healthy, thriving lives while also improving the wellbeing of our state’s di- verse communities.”
in our young children has long-term benefits to our entire community and its economic vitality,” states Keala Peters, vice president of Education and Workforce Development and execu- tive director of sector part- nerships, at Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i. “Funds spent on high-quality efforts targeting young children are proven to be more cost ef- fective than remedial efforts later in life.”
A wide range of research demonstrates the impor- tance of the positive impact of early learning programs, especially in the first five years of life.
The Commit to Keiki campaign will focus guber- natorial candidates on the need to make early learning and childcare more accessi- ble, affordable and of high- er quality for East O‘ahu residents and beyond.
“In addition to the bene- fits to our keiki, investing
To learn more, visit com- mittokeiki.org.
On the corner of Koko Head and Wai‘alae avenues in Kaimukī, Ehven Marques of Muki Dogs is seen preparing a plant- based miso kake. ANTHONY CONSILLIO PHOTO
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