Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 7, 1 Iulai 1993 — Pūnana Leo: Language nests enable Hawaiian fledglings to warble in their mother tongue [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Pūnana Leo: Language nests enable Hawaiian fledglings to warble in their mother tongue

The Pūnana Leo preschools offer Hawaiian language immersion instruction to students of all ethnicities between the ages of 2 and 5. All verbal communication is in Hawaiian, enabling students to learn their language the "natur-

al" way, through interaction with teachers and classmates. Parents are required to attend weekly classes so the language skills their children leam at school ean be reinforced at home. There are currently seven sites (on all major islands except Lāna'i): Honolulu

(Kalihi), Hilo, Maui (Wailuku), Kaua'i (Kekaha), Wai'anae, Moloka'i, and Kona. The

Wai'anae site opened this year and the Kona site will begin formal instruction this fall. Pūnana Leo founder Kauanoe Kamanā said the preschools are truly family- and communitybased: "We don't impose and go

into a community with the idea of starting a preschool. They eome to us, we tell them what they need to get started, and we tell them that they are the ones that have to do it." Some funds are available to start new schools. If you're interested in

starting a Pūnana Leo school in your community, contact Hale Kāko'o Pūnana Leo, 174

Kino'ole St„ Hilo 96720, Attention: New Sites. Pūnana Leo means "language nest" and was inspired by the Maori Kōhana Reo programs in New Zealand. The first Hawai'i school was established in Kekaha in 1984. 'Aha Pūnana Leo, the nonprofit board whieh oversees Pūnana Leo, was established in 1982, and in 1990 began receiving funds from the federal government through the Native Hawaiian Education Act. Pūnana Leo's administrative arm is known as Hale Kāko'o Pūnana Leo. Tuition is $300 per month, but financial assistance is available. For more information, contact the preschool nearest you or eall 'Aha Pūnana Leo in Hilo at 9594979.

Kauanoe Kamanā

More teachers like Pūnana Leo o Hilo's Nā'ilima Gaison, right, are needed if the language is to survive. photo by 'Aha Pūnana Leo, ine.