From the parent of one of our contented graduates: "Kids who don't know how to play don't know how to learn." Parent Participation Nursery School (PPNS) is a cooperative preschool for children from age 2 years and 8 months up until the age of 7. PPNS is a private, non-profit corporation managed by the parents of children who attend the school. The students’ families take turns assisting the teachers during the school day as well as sharing responsibilities for the maintenance and administration of the school. The terms of the PPNS By-laws and Charter of Incorporation provide the framework of our operations. PPNS is licensed by the State of Hawaii Department of Human Services (DHS) to care for up to 30 children daily. The school abides by DHS licensing requirements in order to function safely and effectively. Flexibility in scheduling allows parents to arrange for attendance from 3 to 5 days per week between the hours of 8:30 a.m. During the regular school year, the school day is from 8:30 a.m. After Care runs from 1:00 p.m. until 3:30 pm. PPNS hours of operation may differ slightly during the summer months of June, July, and August. PPNS was started in 1971 when Carol Naish and Judy Smith, both mothers of preschool children, decided to set up a cooperative preschool similar to the ones they had experienced in California. After a lot of research and hard work, they realized their dream in mid-October 1971 with the successful opening of the school. For years PPNS operated in various buildings at the Kokokahi YWCA. In 1994, PPNS had a month-to-month lease in an aging building. At that time the PPNS parents started a major fundraising campaign to purchase a permanent facility. The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation provided an extremely generous lead grant of $100,000. Other supporting foundations included the McInerny Foundation, the Atherton Family Foundation, the Frear Trust, the J. Watumull Fund, the G.N. Wilcox Trust, the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and the Gannett Foundation. Thanks to the generosity of donors and a mortgage from American Savings Bank, PPNS purchased the facility at 92 Kaneohe Bay Drive in April, 1996. The 0.38 acre lot provides an ideal location for our school. In addition to large, nicely equipped outdoor play areas, the PPNS facility consists of 1,600 square feet of enclosed space and a couple of spacious covered lanais.
