Hawai'i Preparatory Academy's Podcast
Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy (HPA) is an independent, co-educational K–12 day and boarding school in Waimea on Hawaiʻi Island. Rooted in place-based and experiential learning, HPA offers a rigorous academic program grounded in community, curiosity, and care for place. The Hawaiʻi Preparatory Podcast shares stories and perspectives from students, educators, and alumni, offering insight into life, learning, and opportunities at HPA — both in the classroom and beyond.
Hawai'i Preparatory Academy's Podcast
Meet our Pre-K Lead Teacher – Monica Hurley
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In this episode, we’re excited to introduce the newest member of the Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy ʻohana—our lead Pre-K teacher, Monica Hurley. Born and raised in Waimea, Monica brings deep roots in our island community and decades of experience working with young children.
Monica holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Chaminade University and is completing her Master’s in Teaching in Early Childhood Education. Her background includes running her own family child care program for 18 years, working in local preschools, and most recently designing and leading an ʻāina-based learning program for children ages 5–12. Her work centers on hands-on, place-based learning that weaves together Hawaiian culture, language, and sustainability.
In this conversation, Monica shares more about her journey as an educator and what families can expect from HPA’s new Pre-K classroom. From nurturing curiosity and independence to creating meaningful learning experiences rooted in our environment and community, Monica discusses how young learners will explore, discover, and grow in a supportive, child-centered setting.
Whether you’re a current or prospective parent, this episode offers a closer look at the philosophy and heart behind HPA’s expanding early childhood program—and the inspiring educator leading the way.
Host: Dora Kwong, Lower School Principal
Guest: Monica Hurley, Pre-K Lead Teacher
For more information about Pre-K at HPA reach out to admissions@hpa.edu
Hi everybody, my name is Dora Kuang. I am the lower school principal here at Hawaii Preparatory Academy. I'm so delighted to introduce our new pre-K lead teacher for the Village Pre-K at HPA. This is Monica Hurley. Thanks for being with us, Monica.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for the invitation. Can you start by telling us a little bit about yourself? I will, thank you. So my name is Monica Hurley, and I have been in early childhood education for about 30 years now. I'm just grateful to be born and raised here and stay here to work, you know, and I'm excited to be a part of the HPA family. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01Awesome. Okay, so I have a couple of questions for you, and you just answer in the way that feels good in your heart. Okay, so you were born and raised in Waimea. What does it mean to you to now teach the youngest learners in our community?
SPEAKER_00For me, it's a privilege. We um if we don't be a part of how we want our kids to be when they grow up, then they're just other people are gonna, it's gonna be left to other people to raise them, whether it's what we believe or not. But I have a lot to share with them and I really want to bring them up in culture as well as be thriving in the community or even in the world.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's an awesome response. I think that was something that was really um exciting for our teachers and when they met you for the first time is just like your knowledge and expertise of our community, and to bring that into the program itself and to really instill that sense of place. Thank you. Yeah. So you've spent decades working with young children as you just described. What first inspired you to become an early childhood educator?
SPEAKER_00So actually, it started when I was 15. Um, my mom worked at Monoleni, and back then the kids of the workers were the babysitters. So I was able to do that, and then I just always was around kids, just always watching other people's kids, and then I had two kids of my own at home at one time, and working was a crazy option because I would just pay for childcare. So I stayed home with them and I adopted my oldest son. So it was just for me to be a part of their life growing up, so that worked for me staying home. And then once I, after 18 years raising a whole bunch of other kids, then um I decided to go out and try my going to the preschool, which I just love, love, love, love.
SPEAKER_01That's awesome. So, what is something magical about teaching pre-K that people might not realize?
SPEAKER_00Magical is the kids, the energy they bring, the conversations that they share. It's it's priceless. You can't get that in a book, you can't find that unless you're actually engaged with them while they're learning, fun learning, you know, for them. But while they're doing it, their responses and their questions is just amazing. It keeps me always having to wait, let me go check. You know, that's their this is a whole new breed. They're like asked so many great questions, so it's awesome.
SPEAKER_01That's great. I think there's just such a joyful aspect to it that is so unique to being an early childhood educator, right? Where it just, I think it's so motivating and really fun. And even though there can be really hard days, I think you spoke to this really well when we first met that no matter what, like every day is interesting and new and exciting, and it just keeps you so happy to be supporting them. And we really felt that alignment, so just so happy to have you as a part of our family.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's you know, you can be having it outside the class or in your life or whatever, just be having all this going on. But as soon as you step into that class, you're there for them and they're there for you, and it just makes right there the moment all better.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. So if someone walked into your classroom, what would they see and what would they hear?
SPEAKER_00They would hear um lots of olal hofai, lots of Hawaiian language, they would see so Keiki engaged in so many different things, um, working, having conversations with each other, helping out each other, as well as, you know, just frustration sometimes. But that's where we come in, you know, it's like, oh, let's just try it a different way, you know, let's line this up and now try it again. So just having them, giving them the support that they need and the tools that they need to be successful.
SPEAKER_01I love that kind of whole child experience, that whole child approach, yeah, and that really helps them grow. And so, what do you hope families experience when they become part of the um HPA community, part of the pre-K community at HPA?
SPEAKER_00So, family is an important part of the child's life. You know, drop offs, spend some time with them, let them share their classroom with you if you can give them a few minutes, um, and they can just see or make their child feel like oh, they're really um, they really want to know what I'm doing, and they're really a part of my day, and it makes it easier for the kids to be waving goodbye at the goodbye window. And yes, separation is hard, but parents always come back and they're just gonna feel that love that their kids will be loved while they're gone and taken care of.
SPEAKER_01That's awesome. I'm I also I have two kids of my own, and so definitely have had those feelings of separation anxiety. So it's so great to hear you talk about like how you support that journey and how you help the kids to just feel comfortable, but also really the families to feel comfortable. Yeah. In our um K-5 programming, we're always looking at what are the best ways to parent with partners and what are going to be ways that we can do this work together because parents are their first teachers, right? Yes, and so to be able to have that foundation from the beginning is just so sweet and beautiful. Okay, so after raising five children of your own, what have they taught you about working with kids?
SPEAKER_00Well, they um actually. Um I was in a place where you know culture wasn't language wasn't spoken at home because my mom's mom won't didn't speak it. It was forbidden. So when my kids grow um got to go to school and they were at a culture-based school, you know, so everything they learned in the day, they'd bring it home and they would teach me. So a lot of the culture I learned after I was when I was 30, you know, when they could come back and teach me and some of the programs, some of the activities I do, they taught me how to do it, like oh or making dyes or tea, you know, they were the engagers of helping me to figure out how I would take it to a child's level and to teach that for them. But they all are strong, strong, cakey, my kids, and they all have their own strengths, and they taught me to just keep going, whatever I want, you know, go for it and go get it.
SPEAKER_01That's amazing. I think every day the kids teach us something new here, right? Like that's something that is so wonderful about being an educator is like when you're open to it and you're really present, you can really receive that from them, you know. They just like they teach us so much. So, what do you want to say to families about why they should consider HPA as a school for their kiki?
SPEAKER_00Well, you for me, it's the family engagement, allowing the families to be a part of it, you know. Yes, start out at um preschool, but throughout school, you know, we I've known people that graduated from HPA, and it's always family-based, family-based, always husband family-based. And I read through some of the books and looked at some of the things online, but it is alumni is strong with the with the school, so you're building a strong foundation for your child education, community, family, school family, as well as your own family. Yeah. So they'll really get that support from HVA.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no, that's so great. I think even just I get to I get to work here and then I also get to be a parent here, and having that sensibility of like being a part of the Ohana, but also recognizing how the teachers are instilling that sense of kulayana to the children to know that there is a responsibility to being in a community, right? Like I get to receive all of these tremendous gifts, but then also how do I contribute to my community and how do I like give back to the community and also be a member of the community in a way that is gonna support its growth and keeping it the place that we want it to be, you know, full of light and positivity and just like an awareness of how to take care of each other.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know. Well, on property, you have buildings that are so old, you know, and they're restored. So that's like the foundation of, you know, you take care of something, it can last forever.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, totally. So I think those are the last of our formal questions. So my last thing I want to ask you is what are some things that you want people to know about pre-K at HPA?
SPEAKER_00So pre-K at HPA will be a lot of um hands-on, practical life. I like Montessori, so it'll be both Montessori as well as traditional schooling, but always engagement, reading the kids, meeting them where they are so that they can excel for getting ready for kindergarten because they need to, our kids need to be ready. Or I need to be ready to be ready for them. Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Well, thanks so much for our conversation today.
SPEAKER_00Thank you.
SPEAKER_01Thanks everybody for listening and tuning in. We're so excited to have more families come and join our program. And if you have any questions for us, you can always reach out. We will include our contact information here so that you can connect with us anytime. See you soon.