ʻImiloa Hawaiian language preschool construction to begin early 2027 in Hilo
The preschool will be located behind the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center, increasing access to early childhood care and Hawaiian language education in Hilo.
3 hours ago
In early 2025, Hawaiʻi State Sen. Lorraine Inouye announced the release of $10 million to the Hawaiʻi School Facilities Authority under the “Ready Keiki” program to build a pre-kindergarten on property at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.
Now, after completion of the environmental assessment and after the community provided feedback on the design, the project is set to begin construction in early 2027, according to the Hawaiʻi School Facilities Authority.
As a university-based program, the project will provide Hawaiian language immersion teaching in
addition to expanding access to affordable and high-quality early childcare and education to the
public.
The preschool will have four classrooms, each accommodating up to 20 students between the ages of 3 and 5, serving a total of 80 students. There will be three buildings — two for classrooms and one for administration — and an enclosed outdoor education area with a trike path on 2.25 acres near the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo.
Each classroom will have one teacher and one to two teacher’s assistants or family volunteers, according to the environmental assessment.
According to the Hawaiʻi School Facilities Authority, the preschool is expected to be completed by March 2028.The project has committed funds of almost $11 million, which includes the original $10 million. Big Island Now was unable to confirm where the rest of the funding will come from.
The Hawaiʻi School Facilities Authority, a state agency established by the state Department of Education in 2020 to expand opportunities for preschools, will oversee the construction.
“But we’re working with the University of Hawaiʻi, the Executive Office of Early Learning and the State Public Charter School Commission to create the curriculum as a Hawaiian-immersion charter school and decide how it will serve the children’s needs at the new site,” said Doug Cullison, the prekindergarten program manager with the authority.
For the past few years, preschool education has been provided through the Hālau ‘Ōkupu program at ʻImiloa for kids aged 1 to 4. ʻŌkupu means young sprouts or new shoots of a plant that are sent out to grow.
“This feels like a natural expansion,” said Ka‘iu Kimura, executive director of the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center. “With this preschool, there will be an opportunity to access crucial early education and child care, and it is also part of a bigger movement to return Hawaiian as the language of the state.”
Hālau ‘Ōkupu encourages exploration through play and promotes the development of social, physical and cognitive skills. The experiences, such as planting kalo in the garden or learning how to build a waʻa (canoe), instill stronger connections to the island and community.
The future preschool will incorporate similar learning activities while also implementing more class and curriculum taught in the Hawaiian language.
According to Kimura, who is also the director of Ka Haka ‘Ula o Ke‘elikōlani, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s College of Hawaiian Language, the preschool will be staffed by new teachers from the university’s Kahuawaiola Indigenous Teacher Education. This is a certificate program for those who have obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Hawaiian studies and Hawaiian language.
Ke Kula ‘o Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu Laboratory Public Charter School, a K-12 Hawaiian language immersion school in Keaʻau, and ʻAha Pūnana Leo, a Hawaiian language preschool in Hilo, have been involved with the preschool project since its inception.
Those schools will be providing extended care for children who are at the site outside of the preschool hours of 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Kimura said.
“The beauty of this partnership is that we can offer a full day of care for children between Ke Kula ‘o Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu and ʻAha Pūnana Leo while also being able to serve as a workforce development site to allow future teachers to have practicum experience,” Kimura added.
This is one of several projects of the Hawaiʻi School Facilities Authority that is working with a lump sum of $100 million to provide preschool for the more than 8,000 3- and 4-year-olds across the state who are unable to attend public preschool because of lack of space.
The agency seeks to create 405 additional classrooms across the state by 2032 by renovating underutilized spaces, building new preschool facilities and investing funds in preschool projects being executed by other state agencies, Cullison said.
Some other approved projects on the Big Island include:
- Waimea Elementary School Pre-Kindergarten renovation
- Kealakehe High School Pre-Kindergarten conversion
- Hoʻokena Elemntary School Pre-Kindergarten conversion
- Kahakai Elementary School Pre-Kindergarten conversion
- Paʻauilo Elementary and Intermediate School Pre-Kindergarten conversion
The new preschool in Hilo will be located at 600 ‘Imiloa Place. The hours will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
More information on current preschool expansion projects that have been approved, withdrawn or are on hold can be found on the Hawaiʻi State Facilities Authority website.
