Kauai Community College

Mission Statement of  Na Kama Pono

Early Childhood Education Program

Na Kama Pono, the Kaua`i Community College’s (KCC) lab school serves as the primary training site for early childhood education students while providing education and care the children of students, and employees of KCC. The mission of Na Kama Pono is to model best practices and to provide an environment that maximize the development of three and four year-old children while guiding the growth of student teachers.

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Our Mission

The Kauai Community College's Early Childhood Education Program (ECE) is designed to provide students with continuous opportunities for hands-on experiences with young children. The primary site of these experiences will be the campus Child Development Center (CDC). The Center will provide students with an ideal model of a preschool. It will also provide a laboratory facility in which to practice teach, observe, be observed, be evaluated, and provided feedback. The Center will be staffed by a full time teacher and assistant teacher. The Center's activities will be closely coordinated with the needs of the ECE training program. It is anticipated that upon the Center's completion, the ECE Program will also assist other agencies by providing their staff with in service training in the form of internship teaching at the Center.

Besides its primary purpose of providing a laboratory school for the Early Childhood Education Program, the Center will provide child care for the families of students, staff and faculty members of the College. The Center will enroll twenty (20) children, ages ranging from three through five.

Other programs will also utilize the Center in various ways. The Culinary Arts Program will prepare USDA approved snacks and lunches for the children. This will provide their students with an experience similar to working in a school cafeteria. The Nursing Program and the Psychology Department will also have a group of children readily accessible to their students. The job training programs have also been offered the use of the CDC. It is anticipated that other departments will find opportunities to utilize the Early Childhood Development Center.