The ‘Aha Punana Leo’s Hawaiian language nests preschools were awarded the world’s first accreditation of an early education program conducted through an endangered and indigenous language by the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC).
The ‘Aha Punana Leo’s Hawaiian language nests preschools were awarded the world’s first accreditation of an early education program conducted through an endangered and indigenous language by the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC).
A distinguished review team of experts that included international educators from countries with records of high academic achievement in multiple languages, such as Scandinavia and New Zealand, conducted the newly established process of accreditation for preschool through high school.
The accreditation serves as the base from which WINHEC seeks to develop distinctive support for indigenous early education.
As the first in the world with this international accreditation, Hawaii’s Punana Leo preschools are setting the bar for early childhood education in indigenous languages around the globe.
The system of 11 preschools, one infant-toddler program and a statewide administrative office was evaluated in January based on indigenous education guidelines under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In an initial report, the review team commended ‘Aha Punana Leo for the quality of its program and urged it to increase its attention to its role as an international leader and continue to provide Hawaiian language education to its staff.
“It is gratifying to receive this accreditation that recognizes the quality and value of Hawaiian language medium education,” said executive director ‘Ekekela Aiona. “This is one step in the long process of revitalizing the Hawaiian language and reestablishing high quality distinctive Hawaiian language medium education.”