Aloha <<First Name>>,

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to reflect on the ways we strengthen and support the well-being of our keiki and ʻohana. This work is often found in the small, everyday moments. How we listen, respond, and show up for one another helps build the foundation for resiliency.

 

Please join us this month for both learning and connection. On April 8th, we’ll explore Why Early Moments Matter, a campaign from the Association for Infant Mental Health Hawaiʻi (AIMHHI) that highlights how early relationships and simple interactions support healthy development.

 

We're also excited for the 6th Annual ʻOhana Fest: E Ulu Ē / Growing Stronger Together on April 11 from 9 -12 at UH Maui College. This special event brings families and providers together to celebrate connection, culture, and the many resources that support our community. We hope to see you there!

 

Mahalo for the care and commitment you bring to this work each day. Together, we ensure all our ʻohana are healthy, safe and supported across Maui County.

  

With gratitude,

April 8: Join us on Zoom from 11:30 am - 1 pm.  Meeting Materials Folder  Draft Agenda

Hoʻoikaika Partnership is excited to welcome Rowdy Wilson from the Association for Infant Mental Health Hawaiʻi (AIMHHI). She will share about their new campaign: Early Moments Matter: Tiny Moments Last a Lifetime. The campaign seeks to normalize mental health starting in infancy and features gorgeous pictures and video of real families in Hawaiʻi.  Key components include:

Learn more about infant mental health with this primer from Early Childhood Action Strategy.

Save the dates:  May 13 and June 10 via Zoom. Our Zoom registration process now allows you to register for multiple meetings at once. Reserve meetings on your calendar for the rest of 2026! 

Welcome/ E Komo Mai new partners and allies! Dani Egeberg (Deputy Director, Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Maui), Aubrey Long (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic), Helena Erece (Ai Pono), and Wendy Schwartz (Maui County Suicide Prevention Task Forces/Dept of Veterans Affairs). We're also delighted to welcome back Chad Domingo (Community Children's Council of Hawaii/HIDOE), Kuʻuleimoni Emmsley (Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui), and Shannon Vandehey (PATCH).

Shannon Vandehey (PATCH) announced that May 8 will honor Child Care Appreciation month, hopefully marked by a proclamation by the Governor. PATCH will hold an appreciation event on April 18 that focuses on family child care providers.

Aubrey Long (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic) announced a series of trainings in partnership with Mental Health America Hawaiʻi. The Mental Health Advisory Board is looking for more community leaders to join. View the March HP newsletter for more details.

Danielle Bergan (YouthLine Hawaiʻi) announced the 2nd cohort of youth are being trained and hope to expand to more evening operations at the call center.

Dianne Bowen-Coleman (Office of Attorney General) shared that the 2026 Human Trafficking Lunch and Learn series offered in January is now available on their website.

  

Gwen Whiting, Senior Manager of Strategy and Programs at Hawaiʻi Children's Action Network, provided an overview and demonstration of First 5 Hawaiʻi - a new screening tool that provides a faster, simpler way to connect with 18 different Federal and State family programs. Families across Hawaiʻi can quickly explore programs they may qualify for in about 5-7 minutes. The Executive Office of Early Learning maintains the website with information available in 16 languages! Child friendly events from across the state may be submitted for the calendar. The First 5 Hawaiʻi Outreach Toolkit is available to help with promotion. 

  

6th Annual ʻOhana Fest, a free, family-centered event for the keiki and ʻohana served by HP partner agencies and allies, will be held Saturday April 11 at UHMC from 9 am - 12 pm.  

Hosted in honor of National Child Abuse Prevention month, the ʻOhana Fest helps increase awareness of community resources and supports that keep families strong, connected, and resilient. This year's theme draws inspiration from the ulu tree, a traditional symbol of nourishment, strong roots, growth, and intergenerational care. Once abundant in Lāhainā and now returning to the landscape, ulu reflects both cultural continuity and community resilience. Like the ulu tree, our ʻohana becomes stronger when nurtured with care. 

  

7:00 a.m. –  Set up begins for registered vendors.

 

9:00 a.m. – Hoʻoikaika Partnership welcomes participating agencies, vendors and families to the 6th Annual Ohana Fest: E Ulu Ē / Growing Stronger Together. Special acknowledgement to our Co-Sponsors/Funders: County of Maui; Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Maui; Kamehameha Schools Kaiāulu; and UH Maui College.

  

10:30 a.m. – Mayor Bissen's Proclamation recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, organized by Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Maui.

  

10:45am – Story Circle with Mayor Bissen reading Kalo Boy’s Adventure to Make Pono: He Huakaʻi ʻOhana, a children’s book created by Hoʻoikaika Partnership to promote protective factors and early literacy.

  

11:00 a.m. – Mayor's Proclamation recognizing Home Visitors Appreciation Week, honoring the vital role of home visiting professionals in supporting families and strengthening early childhood development. 

  

11:50 a.m.-12:00 p.m. – Announce Bingo Card Grand Prizes.

     

Promotion Contest! Partners, are you ready for some friendly competition and to win some prizes? Help your agency promote the ʻOhana Fest. Families will be asked at registration which agency referred them. Print and distribute fliers and help spread the word on social media.

Print Friendly OF Flier     Full Color OF Flier

Sierra Dew, Executive Director and Founder of Wisdom Circles Oceania joined Hoʻoikaika Partnership's March meeting to share about the relaunch of Healing the Healers,  HP's program to help Maui's health and human service providers stay balanced and prevent burnout. Hoʻoikaika's Training & Professional Development Committee selected WCO's proposal to facilitate Healing the Healers during a competitive bid process. 

  

WCO has offered support to Maui hubs, shelters, frontline workers, and fire-impacted community members since 2023 through their Communities of Care program. Now, this new collaboration welcomes Hoʻoikaika Partnership partners and allies to KAʻEHU, a deeply spiritual place where ancestral presence, land stewardship, and community healing converge. The setting offers a safe, nurturing environment where service providers can reconnect with ʻāina, replenish their own well‑being, and build supportive relationships with peers who understand the emotional weight of this work. 

Save the Dates: Monthly on 4th Fridays: April 24, May 22, and June 26 from 9am - 1pm. 

  

  

What to Expect:  We’ll slow down, connect in-person through moʻolelo, kilo, art, live music, ʻai pono and ʻāina, to build pilina and explore what it means to cultivate healthy, thriving systems both within ourselves and our communities.  Meet the WSO Hui

Choice of activities to meet you where you are. Past sessions have included kilo, t-shirt printing, banner making, mālama ʻāina, lei making, Mele/song writing, lomi, acupuncture, lupe (kitemaking), and lauhala weaving. 

Healing the Healers, facilitated by WCO, is offered at no cost to participants, with priority given to those serving families impacted by trauma, crisis, and ongoing recovery efforts. We are grateful for funding from Maui County that supports this effort. '

  

  

Consider downloading and distributing a letter to agency leaders that provides additional context for the importance of allowing staff release time to attend these sessions.

Maui United Way has compiled a resource list for families impacted by the recent Kona Low Storms with support from Maui COAD, MEMA, and other community partners. The document is live and will be updated as information becomes available.  Please check back often.

The ʻAʻaliʻi Alliance will host the 2026 Native Hawaiian Education Council (NHEC) Community Consultations over the next 2 months on Zoom. This is an opportunity to share your stories of what you want to protect in the changing funding landscape for Native Hawaiian-serving programs. Please see flier for the schedule - Maui on April 6 and Lānaʻi on April 15. There are also special sessions for parents, early childhood educators and more. Please share with your colleagues and families - anyone who is a direct stakeholder of Native Hawaiian education programs. Please DO NOT share on social media or post online.

Family Hui Hawaiʻi will host Nurturing Keiki, Strengthening ʻOhana in honor of Month of the Young Child on Tuesday April 14 from 9:00 - 11:30 am at the County Building in Wailuku. See fliers for providers and families below. Note that families must register, QR code provided.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui is hiring for several positions - see fliers below.

Department of Health, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division (CAMHD):  Two Care Coordinator (HSP-IV) positions are open for recruitment.                   

Department of Human Services is hiring social workers and recruiting foster parents/resource care givers! See fliers below.

   

Maui Family Support Services:  Seeking a community member for the Early Head Start Policy Council.