At University of Hawaii Maui College, a free on-campus preschool is provided to children of college students and local families by Maui Economic Opportunity’s Head Start center. This center stands out as a shining example of Head Start’s brilliant strategy to engage the community in delivering services to children and families alike.

Those of us at MEO also think that our Maui College center is an inspired manifestation of Head Start’s two-generational approach to meet the needs of the whole child and the whole family. It is a model of community engagement. Furthermore, this strategy addresses the critical issues of teacher preparation and our state’s chronic shortage of qualified teachers.

To start with, the Head Start center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., allowing student-parents to easily attend their classes with their children right on campus, thus lessening commute hassles and letting parents visit between classes.

The college campus location also offers an array of experiences for the children — resources in the form of people, services and tangible activities that would otherwise not be readily available within walking distance of the typical Head Start center. From a pumpkin patch and poinsettia farm to doing a costume parade and many other opportunities, Head Start children are welcomed participants of the campus.

This creates an unquantifiable subliminal benefit for children: They get to see their parents attending college and they are on campus, surrounded by learners and learning. For youngsters, who we know are highly impressionable, this impression of being on a college campus with their parents will have a long-lasting impact for the future. Early on, they can experience college as something fun and familiar.

Meanwhile, the campus location of a Head Start facility — built, by the way, at no cost to MEO — provides a reverse form of community engagement. This Head Start program offers student teachers and nurses a hands-on practicum, according to Elaine Yamashita, professor and early-childhood education program coordinator.

The college students are an additional assistance to Head Start staff, children and families. The center provides a real-life example of working with families and children from diverse backgrounds, cultures and experiences. In addition, nursing students also utilize the center to gain access to young children during their learning practicum work.

“The college-Head Start partnership has provided a rich experience for our students,” Yamashita said. “The students gain deep appreciation for the hard work of teachers as they participate in the classroom and observe and learn from the Head Start teachers.”

Moreover, it’s been observed that students who are able to do their first practicum at the college’s Head Start have a wider view and understanding of the children and parents — and the sometimes complicated backgrounds that children come to school with.

Because of this field experience Head Start offers Maui College students, the college’s Early Childhood Education program has achieved accreditation for its associate degree by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The Maui College associate degree is currently the only associate degree in Hawaii with NAEYC accreditation.

Now, here’s what makes this Head Start extra special and deserving our attention and support: Over the last year, there has been much news coverage about the dire shortage of teachers in Hawaii. Given the remoteness of our state and low teacher salaries, attracting and retaining teachers is a supreme challenge — only 52 percent of the state’s public school teachers are still teaching after five years.

The always-present need for well-trained teachers makes Maui College Head Start program an inspired creation and an excellent example of workforce development. The highly respected, accredited program offers quality training to help our state grow its own early-childhood education teachers.

This kind of community partnership has special relevance going into 2018 when we are likely to see attempts to reduce early-childhood education federal funding. We need to shout from the rooftops about the goodness of programs like this, whose innovative services are multiplied throughout the community and across generations and also play an important role as job creators in addressing Hawaii’s current and critical teacher shortage.

* Debbi Amaral is early-childhood services director at Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. Region 9 Head Start Executive Director Ed Condon also contributed to this commentary.