The Hawaiian Language Established on Maui in 1987, Punana Leo o Maui was the third Hawaiian language immersion preschool in the State. The idea was born in the early 1980s when a group of parents, educators, Hawaiians and Hawaiians-at-heart recognized the fading of the Hawaiian culture due, in large part, to the shrinking number of Native speakers. From a humble beginning, there are today a total of eleven Punana Leo Hawaiian language immersion preschools serving communities throughout the Islands. From a humble beginning, the Punana Leo schools – and the Hawaiian language immersion programs that today extend through college and graduate studies – encompass, literally, many hundreds of students and their families.
	Photo Credit: Joseph Bean