Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi expands youth literacy program in Hawaii
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Olympic gold medalist figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi is expanding her Always Dream early childhood literacy program in Hawaii.
She joined HNN’s Sunrise to talk about the Always Reading program which provides families of pre-K and kindergarten students with the tools and support needed to foster early literacy skills at home.
The nonprofit partners with 13 Title 1 schools across the state and serves 550 students and 825 family members on three islands, with plans to expand to six more schools in the upcoming school year. The program will serve the westside of Oahu for the first time, partnering with Nānāikapono Elementary and Wai’anae Elementary, as well as adding new partnerships on Hawaii in the Hilo area.
Yamaguchi had hoped to partner with King Kamehameha III Elementary and Princess Nāhi’ena’ena Elementary in Lāhaina on Maui last school year. After the devastating fires, the nonprofit stepped back and instead provided 300 copies of the book “Once I Was Very Very Scared” to provide social-emotional support to students. This fall, they are moving forward with plans to launch in the schools to support recovery.
For AANHPI month, Always Dream is doing a collab on a t-shirt design with Asian American designer Sumofish. People can get the limited edition shirt on alwaysdream.org and sign up as a monthly donor at $25/month to receive a free t-shirt.
Yamaguchi believes literacy is the foundation for pursuing dreams and wants to ensure children have access to high-quality books at home with family support.
“Evidence shows that students who enter the school system ready for kindergarten, and have an engaged family, are more likely to succeed in school. This creates economic opportunity and a host of positive life outcomes,” she said.
The nonprofit has an ambitious goal to reach more than 4,000 youth annually by 2027.
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