Language outcomes in high-risk Hawaiian children at Ka Paʻalana: A family-child interaction learning program

The importance of high-quality early childhood education programs in young children’s learning outcomes is well established. However, minority and Indigenous children are widely underrepresented in these programs. Early childhood education programs that implement culture-based education and encourage family partnerships are designed to support Indigenous children and their families. One such program is Ka Paʻalana Homeless Family Education Program and Preschool, a Family-Child Interaction Learning program in Hawaiʻi, created to support Native Hawaiian families who historically experienced homelessness and poor educational outcomes. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of literacy and language professional development for program educators by examining associated language outcomes in a sample of Native Hawaiian preschool-age children (N=45) from a low-socioeconomic, high-risk community. Results revealed significant improvements in both expressive and receptive language, as measured by the formative GOLD® assessment system and the standardized Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, 5th edition. Compared to other similar programs serving low-socioeconomic-status minority populations, children enrolled in Ka Paʻalana demonstrated higher language scores. Given the small sample sizes and lack of control groups, results should be viewed as exploratory. Nonetheless, this study serves as an initial examination of the potential outcomes associated with Ka Paʻalana educators’ language and literacy professional development, Ka Paʻalana’s Family-Child Interaction Learning program model and its Hawaiian culture-based education approach to promoting language development, and fostering cultural appreciation in a diverse, at-risk community.