Tūtūs (grandparents) are often the primary caregivers for children during their critical early years because of economic or social pressures on the larger family or ‘ohana. As many as twenty percent of Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian children ages 0-5 are found in this type of care provision.
Project Tūtū and Me proposes to identify, recruit, and service this underserved segment of the Hawaiian population through an innovative traveling preschool program done in cooperation with churches and community organizations serving the Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian community. Tūtū and Me proposes to cooperate with Hawaiian churches to implement a project design that provides educational and screening services to these children and their caregivers through programs that are brought into the neighborhoods of needy families and supported by organizations that have a long-term interest in the success of those children and families.
Goals of the Tūtū and Me program are as follows:
- Identify Native Hawaiian and underserved families with elderly caregivers of young children (ages birth-5) and the communities they reside in.
- Establish carefully planned, developmentally appropriate mobile early childhood programs for these families in the targeted communities.
- Provide entry points/referrals into needed health and social services.
- Equip elderly caregivers of Native Hawaiian and other young children to be effective in promoting appropriate learning activities and successful caregiving practice in the home.
- Help Native Hawaiian and other young children to enter school ready to learn and to meet high standards.
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