Kansha Preschool is an early childhood program with a very special intergenerational component.

Our preschool is co-located with an adult day care facility operated by Maui Adult Day Care Centers. Each day, a portion of our activities are shared learning experiences with the seniors.

Kansha Preschool is designed for families who want their youngsters to appreciate the richness of lives lived. The children develop bonds of friendships with the seniors, and through those bond, gain an appreciation for diversity and an insight into the challenges we all face as a part of living.

One of Kansha Preschool Director Charlene Doi's favorite books is Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge:*

"It’s a heartwarming story of a young boy who lives next door to a seniors citizens’ home. His favorite senior is Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper, because like Wilfred, she has four names.

Puzzled by the comment that Miss Nancy has lost her memory, he asks the seniors what a memory is, and is told it is “something warm,” “something from long ago,” and “something that makes you laugh.”

Determined to help Miss Nancy, he gathers up his own memories (seashells collected from long ago, a puppet with funny expressions, a fresh warm egg from a hen’s nest) and shares them with her. As she handles Wilfred’s “memories” Nancy begins to recapture and share her own.

This book is what co-locating the preschool and adult day care center is all about: generations helping each other, and building memories along the way."

* "Wilfred Gordon McDonald Patridge" written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Julie Vivas. Published by Kane/Miller Book Publishers, Australia.