Congratulations to Shaun Kiyabu and Kelli Nakamura for their successful application to the University of Hawaiʻi Women’s Campus Club grant to support the teachers and students at Alani Children’s Center! Crossing the digital divide through technological upgrades has been among the top priorities for parents and educators since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to Shaun and Kelli’s efforts, the students at the Alani Children’s Center will have access to two new Macbook computers to engage in virtual learning.
Alani Children’s Center provides early childhood care and education for children of the campus community and also serves as a laboratory for the early childhood teacher training programs, service learning, and related programs at the University of Hawai‘i. Since the transition from face-to-face learning in March 2020 with the state shutdown, the teachers at Alani Children’s Center have worked diligently to deliver online content and maintain contact with students. These laptops will help support efforts to continue with in-person and distance learning as they work with other early education professionals to develop enriching, educational, and free content for students and their families.
The UH Women’s Campus Club awarded nearly $3,000 in grant funds to Alani to purchase two MacBook laptops to support student engagement, learning, and achievement. WCC awarded funds above the average amount because the reviewers supported Alani’s request particularly during this time of COVID-19 and the need for online learning.