Charity works for
better early education

The Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation worries about children falling behind in kindergarten.

The nonprofit agency, which celebrated its 110th anniversary in September, has focused on making early education available for children since its birth.

But in the past 10 years, preschool became the focus even before scientific data confirming that the first five years of a child's life are critical to his success in school and life, said Alfred L. Castle, the foundation's executive director. The foundation's top priority has been to develop preschools since the 1990s.

"We want everyone on the same playing field ... We have too many children who are not able to afford preschool, (from about) 8,000 families."

He said these children usually fall behind in kindergarten, and a bad start usually snowballs into more difficult problems as they advance through the school system.

His great-great-grandmother, Mary Tenney Castle, started Hawaii's public kindergarten system, the fourth oldest in the nation. Before that, kindergartens were privately supported.

"Her greatest singular achievement was her role in developing Hawaii's kindergarten system," Castle said.

The widow started the foundation in 1894, when "there was no federal tax at that time -- (thus) there was no tax advantage (to funding charitable works); it was strictly altruism," he added.

Known as "Mother Castle" in the community, she joined her husband in his missionary work in Honolulu in 1843. In the 1890s she devoted a substantial percentage of the family wealth, generated by Castle & Cooke Corp., to charity, and provided funds to establish kindergartens.

In 2003, the Castle Foundation provided $2,010,570 in direct grants to a wide range of nonprofit agencies to improve early education. It has most recently partnered with national grant providers such as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the R.W. Johnson Foundation and the Marguerite Case Foundation.

Alfred Castle said the University of Hawaii, the state Department of Education and the Good Beginnings Alliance are also in the process of redesigning curriculum to help youngsters "make a seamless transition from kindergarten to first grade," which are "critical years" to improving their "school readiness."