In 1988, The Hawai'i State Legislature initiated the "Parent Education Demonstration Project," later named "Families for R.E.A.L. (Resources and Early Access to Learning)" in response to a community vision of healthy children and families. Families for R.E.A.L. is a school-based program of courses and activities for parents and their children, ages 0 to 5.

Parents and children participate in the classes corresponding to their children's ages once a week for eight to nine weeks to gain and share information and skills. Each course is offered at least three times (3 sessions) a year. There are regular courses for:

1. parents with their infants;
   
2. parents with their one-year-old children;
   
3. parents with their two-year-old toddlers;
   
4. parents with their three-year-old children;
   
5. parents with their four or five-year-old children;and
   
6. pregnant teens