Family Touchstones

Throughout history and across cultures, people have recognized the significance of the family. Indeed, despite overwhelming changes in contemporary life, the family remains the foundation upon which we nurture children, foster the well-being of individuals, and build strong communities. As Jane Howard observed:

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family, whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."

Despite the importance of families, we know surprisingly little about them. Based on selected, relevant, and measurable indicators that could be tracked over time, the Center on the Family developed Family Touchstones to provide an overview of Hawai‘i's families. It is this information that allows us to monitor the status of families in our state. Our work is the outgrowth of the 1992 Governor's Family Policy Academy, whose knowledgeable members enlisted wide community support for the vision and framework of this project.

• Portrait of Hawai‘i's Families
• Hawai‘i's Strong Families
• Families in their Communities

For more information, contact

Ivette Rodriguez Stern, Project Coordinator, at istern@hawaii.edu