Aloha kākou! My name is Heather Kāne-Mahiʻai. Please allow me to share a brief description about myself and my values.

In my culture, ʻohana (family) traditionally includes our immediate family and extends further into our surrounding community. Therefore, it has always been a personal value to care for my community, including its members and its visitors. From youth, I have been committed to caring for everyone, especially our keiki (children). I wholeheartedly believe our keiki our the furture. For this reason, nurturning healthy children within a healthy community is my passion.

Above all, I am family-oriented. I grew up in a fairly large family. I am amongst the oldest of eleven children (specifically, the third-born). So, I have been around children most of my life. At an early age, I learned the common basics of child rearing (i.e. feeding, diapering, soothing, etc.). By sixteen, I was entrusted the responsibility of caring for family members’ and neighbors’ children independently (including infants and toddlers). In high school, I volunteered as a tutor at a Native Hawaiian charter school for about a year. As a tutor, I supervised 5-8 students (ranging from PreK-5th grade) and assisted them with math and reading homework. After high school, I pursued a degree in Creative Writing with the aspiration of building a creative arts center for children and families in my hometown. And in recent years, I have been working in Human/Social Services. For about four years, I worked as a Family Support Worker and Child Development Specialist. I worked closely with children. In these roles, I provided parenting education and facilitated developmentally appropriate parent-child activities to help nurture positive parent-child interactions and strengthen families. Today, I am a graduate student at Chaminade University of Honolulu pursuing my Masters’ in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. After completing my program, I intend to continue my work with children and families because ultimately, constructing a safe haven for children still remains my definitive goal. While on my current academic journey, I am learning and growing in every environment. So, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with your children. Please know that safety is also my primary concern. So, I will ensure your keiki are provided a safe and trusting environment.