Anyone who has been to any children’s museum knows the pure joy of learning, as reflected in the wonderment on young faces. Youthful energy abounds, curious minds absorb.

For 19 years in Hawaii, the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center in Kakaako has sparked such learning, with local flair and cultural touchstones. That’s why the state must do more than it has, move quicker than it has, to remove obstacles that are proving nearly insurmountable for the center’s survival.

Chief among these is the indefinite closure of adjacent Kakaako Waterfront Park since Oct. 8, when park gates were shut to fix some $500,000 in damage to wires and plumbing in the park done by homeless encampments.

And now unfortunately, as happens too often with government, the remedy is so blunt and clumsy that it fails to adjust for collateral-damage consequences. The park’s closure is blocking access to the children’s center from both sides — at Olomehani and Cooke streets. A spokesman for the Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA), which oversees Kakaako, says no date is set for the park’s reopening.

This is an untenable situation for the center, which former Gov. John Waihee had once envisioned as a premier Hawaii magnet for families from near and far. For a while now, the nonprofit center has been struggling to survive declining attendance amid vagrancy problems, even as it strives to stay upbeat. CEO Loretta Yajima says a Santa event and celebration of the museum’s 19th birthday will be held Dec. 16, as well as an annual New Year’s eve celebration Dec. 31.

Two things: Support children’s learning, as much as possible. And to HCDA and Gov. David Ige: Open the park’s gates during business hours and redeploy your security staffer, now sitting guard, to rove and prevent squatters.

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Preventable deaths get focus

Funny thing about statistics: Depending on how they’re presented, they often can be made to sound either more alarming or more benign than the situation really is. Context, and motivations, are important to know.

So, yes, the mere posit that Hawaii’s drug, alcohol and suicide death rate is projected to increase by 39 percent over the next decade, as a new report shows, sounds alarming enough. Under that forecast, Hawaii’s death rate from those causes would rise to 43.3 per 100,000 residents by 2025, up from 31.2 in 2015. That’s the alarming news.

But here’s the context: Hawaii’s death rate from those causes is actually among the lowest in the nation — sixth-lowest, to be exact, and that’s the heartening news.

Of course, any death via these three causes is seen as particularly painful since prevention might have been key.

The national report, by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), shows drug, alcohol and suicide deaths are expected to jump 60 percent to 1.6 million fatalities over the next decade. Among its advocacy points, TFAH calls for responsible opioid-prescribing practices and addressing the opioid epidemic’s impact on children; lowering excessive alcohol use by raising prices, and limiting hours of liquor sales; and preventing suicides by expanding crisis intervention services, anti-bullying awareness and support systems for veterans.

Said TFAH CEO John Auerbach: “Greater steps that promote prevention, resiliency and opportunity must be taken to address the underlying issues of pain, hopelessness and despair.”

That’s a timely reminder during this holiday season — which, for all its merriment for many, can also bring depths of sadness for others.

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Relief on calm storm season

Whew. Hawaii’s six-month hurricane season ended Thursday, and we escaped unscathed. This year, more than most other, that’s cause for immense relief.

It’s been a devastating storm season on the East Coast, as major hurricanes blasted the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Florida Keys and Puerto Rico. That last disaster, in particular, resonated here for its island-state parallels.

Hurricane Maria whipped Puerto Rico with 155 mph winds on Sept. 20, killing 55 people. Today, 10 weeks later, power is still out in one-third of the island, and rebuilding is sluggish.

Hawaii officials say our 50th State is in a much stronger position than Puerto Rico to weather a hurricane. Among the advantages: A more robust power grid and emergency-assistance pacts, as well as military units at the ready here to provide disaster aid.

Keep planning; it’s just a matter of time before all that is put to real-life test. Let’s hope that‘ll come much later, rather than sooner.