PIKO PALS
Piko Pals connects and empowers new parents of babies age 0-4 months to build their own village through facilitated discussions in an emotionally and intellectually safe environment. Piko Pals sets the stage for connection and friendship with peers in your community, so you can make lasting relationships to share and celebrate the joys and challenges of new parenthood.
Please note, all current groups have transitioned to virtual meetings. Due to the current COVID-19 situation, we have suspended starting all in-person meetings and classes. However, during these tough times where we have to practice social distancing to protect ourselves, our families, and our community, we have learned that social connections are still needed and appreciated. Please pre-register and we will contact you for future groups!
Groups are currently available on Oahu, with plans to expand to neighbor islands. Do you have a new baby (age 0-4 months), or expecting one soon, and are interested in making new friends in your community to support and discover your parenting philosophy?
Spaces are limited to 8 people per location.
Reserve your spot in a Piko Pals group TODAY!
Scholarships are available for income-qualified families.
Mission
Piko Pals creates, coordinates, and cultivates community-based, peer groups for new parents in Hawai’i. Our goal is to reduce the isolation new parents often feel, while offering a supportive environment to cultivate friendships with people experiencing the same joys and challenges.
Vision
Piko Pals helps moms and dads learn to parent with aloha, together. Our vision is of communities where:
- No new parent feels isolated, ill-equipped or unsupported
- All parents develop the confidence to build strong, healthy families
- All children grown up in a social environment that allows them to thrive
Core Values
There is no specific “right” way to parent, and the support of your peers makes all the difference as you navigate the challenges of new parenthood. Share your weekly highs and lows with a group of new parents who provide a sense of:
- Community: We are passionate about and promote the role of community in creating and sustaining strong, healthy families.
- Peer Support: We abide by the philosophy that mothers and fathers are uniquely qualified to support each other in addressing the challenges of early parenthood.
- Respect: We foster a culture that is respectful and inclusive of all people and families and diverse ideas and values.
- Quality: We deliver outstanding parenting programs and exceptional service to all Piko Pals participants and partners.
- Integrity: We are trustworthy, honest, fair, and ethical.
- Stewardship: We preserve and enhance the organization’s financial, human, and physical resources.
So far, we've had more than...
Groups
Families Participated
“As a parent, Piko Pals was an important support at a vulnerable time in my life. My Piko Pals group leader and members helped support me through sleep regressions, marriage stress, starting solid foods, and so much more. Our formal program ended in September but my group continues to meet monthly and text when we need more immediate support. We also have one-on-one play dates frequently.
This feeling of having “a village” helping me to raise my daughter is important since my family and close friends do not live in Hawaii. The Piko Pals support group was an integral part of my confident transition to parenthood and I am eager to have the program expand and become available to more parents.”
– Ashley B.
I had the great pleasure of being a member of Piko Pal’s first cohort as a new mom in 2017. In both my professional and personal life, I have found the work of HMHB to be of great significance and appreciate that their approach is grounded in values which empower women and families.
Despite the abundance of resources available to me from my colleagues, I was, like all new parents, entirely overwhelmed by the arrival of my first child. Without family nearby and with few friends with children, my husband and I were missing the requisite “village” to support us as we embarked on parenthood. Piko Pals filled this void in a way that felt organic, supportive and personal.
We leaned on each other, encouraged each other up, and normalized all of the intensely wonderful and tired feelings that come with parenthood. Programs like Piko Pals are what make a community great: building upon each other’s strengths to make for happier, healthier families.
-Mary T.
Become a Group Leader
Do you have a passion for empowering new mothers? Piko Pals is looking for volunteer group leaders to lead local groups.
Groups meet weekly for 2 hours, for 12 weeks, in various parks, homes, and community centers. Group Leaders do not need to be parenting experts. They do, however, need to be nurturing, empathetic and supportive of a variety of parenting styles, diverse backgrounds, and cultures, and must be able to pass a background check.
Our group leaders find great joy in watching their Piko Pals group members develop confidence, as well as budding friendship and community with the other participants.
Our program manager will contact you shortly, and invite you to our next Group Leader training.
A special MAHALO to La Tour Cafe & Bakehouse, our Piko Pals founding corporate sponsor.
La Tour consistently provides a location for group leader trainings, and support for operations. We are so grateful for their generosity and spirit of giving. Visit their locations to thank them for supporting Piko Pals!
