Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa believes in caring for Hawaiʻi’s children and families.

Kirstin knows the importance of caring for ʻohana – especially in Hawaiʻi. That means ensuring child care and educational opportunities are available for keiki, health care services are accessible for the entire family – no matter where you live – and safe, healthy homes are attainable.

Her work with the Blue Zones Project lead grassroots advocacy and engagement with government to make the healthy choice the easy choice, resulting in strong partnerships and enduring policy changes. The Blue Zones methodology also prioritizes family connections.

Kirstin truly believes in the power of education to bring forth opportunities for our youth. She serves on the Chancellor’s Community Advisory Council for Hawaiʻi Community College, working together to improve the Pālamanui campus that serves our West Hawaiʻi students.

PRIORITIES FOR CHILDREN & FAMILIES

• Work toward accessible, affordable child care and flexibility for working families.

  Not every family in Hawaiʻi is fortunate to have family available to help with child care before preschool. Tax incentives to businesses that support employee child care needs could help. Working with businesses to offer hybrid work models will not only reduce the stress of child care, but the child would have more time with their parents at this early stage of life.
  
  

• Make preschool available to all keiki.
  Universal access to preschool will help our children and support our working families. We do not have enough preschool capacity or options for all students who need it.
  
  

• Support our teachers and staff who directly impact our students.
  Teachers and staff can make the difference that changes a child’s lifelong trajectory. We can and must do better in supporting our teachers through salaries that reflect their responsibilities, expanding training opportunities before entering the classroom and in-service, and ensuring career advancement opportunities are available for non-teacher educational staff.
  
  

• Expand access to Hawaiian culture and language education.
  There are not enough Hawaiian language immersion classrooms across Hawaiʻi. This form of education is important to provide children with educational choices in both of Hawaiʻi’s official languages. As programs for Hawaiian culture and language expand in public education, training for teachers must be expanded as well. There are not enough teachers proficient in Hawaiian language to teach our children. 
  
  

• Improve the bridges from high school to college.
  Higher education is one of the best investments in a student’s future, yet the challenges students face to get into college can seem insurmountable. We must expand the reach of successful Early College programs, and offer more support in school from college and career counselors. We also need to better connect high school and community college programs that are regionally responsive to the area’s workforce needs, in partnership with the business community.
  
  

• Build a new hospital in Kona.
  The population of Kona has grown significantly and its center has shifted geographically since Kona Community Hospital was built. The time has come for a new, modern hospital to care for West Hawaiʻi’s people. We must work closely with private sector partners to leverage all available public resources to make this a reality.
  
  

• Support community health efforts to meet people where they are.
  In our rural communities, there is no one answer to delivering the health care services people need. A combination of projecting resources into communities, offering transportation to facilities, and embracing telehealth is needed.
  
  

• Commit to at least 50% local food in our public school cafeterias.
  Our children should be eating the best food we can grow. What kids eat at an early age makes all the difference for their future. Hawaiʻi needs to prioritize sourcing more local ingredients for our school cafeterias, collectively the largest restaurant in the state.
  
  

• Expand opportunities for affordable, attainable housing in Kona.
  We need more housing in Hawaiʻi, and especially in Kona. The demand for housing at all levels is far bigger than the supply. We need to build more of the right kinds of housing, and regulate short term vacation rentals to preserve housing inventory for kamaʻāina families.