By Cherry Y.E.W. Yamane, Jordyn Pourier, LaShai Jake, and Deana Around Him, Child Trends, Image: from article , December 3, 2024 Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) are the Indigenous People of the Hawaiian Islands. Their connections to the ‘āina (land) and moana (ocean) are deeply spiritual: ‘āina and moana are considered both ancestors—linked directly to Native Hawaiians through their genealogy and creation stories, and serving as a healer—and the foundation of Native Hawaiian identity and...

Former PACEs Connection employees Dana Brown (L) with Vincent Felitti, MD, co-author of the 1998 Adverse Childhood Experiences study, and Carey Sipp (R) in San Diego in January, 2024. The last few months have been quite challenging, but we pushed, persevered, and didn’t give up hope. The “we” is Carey Sipp and Dana Brown. We were long-time staff members of PACEs Connection determined to reinstate the website and the resources and information we provide to communities after the platform went...

Andrew Newman’s book, A Little Light (illustrated by Rosie Balyuzi), offers a profound reminder of the importance of keeping keiki (children) at the center of our work. This can be challenging in a system often fragmented by billing, departmental divides, grant constraints, and the equity barriers faced by families in rural and remote communities. One book page reads, “They often looked at parts and forgot about the whole.” This is a powerful reflection for anyone caring for a child,...

An article written by Florence Byrd and medically reviewed by Dan Brennan, MD., supports that in the early years, your preschooler is a vibrant, emotional explorer discovering their personality. Emotional Development in Preschool points out that children ages three and four are deeply immersed in a world of rapidly changing emotions and burgeoning independence. They express joy and sadness intensely, often with laughter or tears. With limited impulse control, they act on their feelings,...