“I get the privilege to serve the families in my community as child care is a DIRE need.”

Hometown

ʻEwa Beach and Mililani

Department

School of Teacher Education - Elementary

Related Degrees

• BEd, Elementary Education

COEAA Spotlight on Pegeen Echavaria (Credit: Lori Furoyama)

Growing Up

I am the youngest of three children and of Japanese/Filipino descent. I lived in ʻEwa Beach until I was four years old when my family moved to an up and coming community at the time—Mililani—in the early 1970’s. I am a 1988 graduate of Mililani High School and received my Bachelor’s in Education (BEd) and Professional Diploma from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education.

Biggest Influence

My main influence in becoming an educator was probably my mother who was an elementary school teacher herself. I grew up as a “teacher’s kid,” roaming the halls and campus after school at the school(s) that my mom taught at, befriending other teachers’ children, and helping mom do miscellaneous jobs around her classroom/school. Although my mom discouraged me from majoring in education, the “environment” that I was exposed to and my role models (mom’s colleagues) must’ve impacted me positively, as I grew up always pretending to be and wanting to become a teacher.

Impact of COE Program

At the time that I attended UH Mānoa, there was an option of obtaining a Professional Diploma in Early Childhood Education (ECE), a post-baccalaureate certification to obtain more credits in ECE. I knew that I wanted to impact this population after working for the YMCA Summer program and volunteering at the University of Hawaiʻi Lab School preschool, so I opted to extend my time for additional education and experience beyond my BEd for this level. This is where I learned about developmentally appropriate practices, the importance of play, and authentic assessment. When I went to work for DOE, I spent most of my years in kindergarten and first grade, and this knowledge definitely aided in working at these grade levels. Eventually, I pivoted and chose to start my own family child care business, so now I live and breathe the principles of early childhood education.

Career Path

After 20 years of working in the DOE, I desired to use my degree in a different capacity. Still wanting to impact young children, coupled with my own difficult past experience in finding adequate and quality child care for my own two daughters when they were toddlers, I decided that family child care was a clear and logical choice. In 2013, I opened a state-licensed family child care (FCC) in my own home and have been serving families in my community ever since. Quality child care, developmentally appropriate practice and education, and imparting my spiritual values are fundamental principles of my FCC, thus the name—Learn, Play, Pray Daycare.

To ensure that I would continue to uphold high standards in the environment that I created, the relationships (child to child, child to educator, educator to parent) I nurtured, the developmental learning activities I provided, the safety/health practices I instituted, and sound professional and business practices I maintained, I obtained national accreditation from the National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC) in 2017. I have renewed my accreditation every three years since to keep relevant and excellent.

Best Part of the Job

I get the privilege to serve the families in my community as child care is a DIRE need. My waitlist is ridiculously long as so many people are looking for quality care so that they can get back to work or relieve grandparents from babysitting. I get to impact young children and their families positively by giving them a strong and healthy foundation so they are successful before entering formal school and “life” outside of their circle. But most importantly, I get to share and impart my morals and values openly and freely. The key words are “I get to…” That is the best part. I don’t “have to…”

Future Plans

Being an early childhood educator in this capacity has been very fulfilling and rewarding, so I’d like to continue for as long as I am physically able. Beyond that, I’d like to travel and see more of my country and other parts of the world!

3 Fun Facts

1. I played piano and flute and was a proud “band geek” both in high school and college.
2. I haven’t been to Japan yet!! One day… hopefully I won’t have to wait until I retire!
3. I’m a young grandma of two!

National Recognition

Echavaria is one of the first home-based child care providers in Hawai‘i to achieve national accreditation. Read the Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services article.