Now Enrolling for Fall 2024 - 2025
Few Spaces Open!
3-4 year old class:
Tuesday & Thursday
9:15am - 12:05pm
4-6 year old class:
Monday & Wednesday
9:15am - 12:05pm
Purpose and Goals
Kilauea Ohana Playschool aims to provide a comfortable, nurturing environment for children to gently expand their social boundaries and sense of routine in a small parent involved community. Great environment for preparing keiki for school, or general socialization and sense of routine for homeschooled children. We emphasize social development, play, and song rather than academics but find that basic concepts are learned quickly through melody and fun! Our goal each year is to build a parent community at the playschool, participating, and engaging with the shared goal of making our co-op preschool better and better as the years go on and the children graduate from the program.
History
Originally known as The Kilauea Cooperative Playschool, a group of mothers who were looking for a small group play experience for their children on a part-time basis joined together one morning in September 1968. Twelve children (including three sets of twins) and nine mothers met three mornings a week at the Kaimuki YMCA on Kilauea Avenue (hence the name “Kilauea”). Mothers shared teaching and assisting duties, and rotated monthly chairperson duties.
​
The Playschool moved to Wailupe Valley Elementary School in 1981 and hired its first permanent teacher. In 1987, the school officially incorporated as The Kilauea Ohana Playschool changing “Cooperative” to “Ohana” for licensing purposes. The Playschool moved to Aina Haina Elementary School beginning with the 2001-2002 school year and expanded the Monday-Wednesday-Friday program by adding one hour to the class schedule to include school lunch. After spending some time at the Academy Learning Hub in Aina Haina, we are now happy to have a home at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Manoa.
​
Over the years, the structure and function of the Playschool has remained relatively the same. The chairperson duties evolved into a Board of Directors. Yearlong parent participation jobs were established in 1989, and in the past few years, the teacher’s salary was brought up to a competitive level. Current tuition costs largely reflect teacher salary levels and rent, as all parent jobs are on a volunteer basis.
Questions?
Email us at kophawaii@gmail.com.