Photo: Early Childhood Educator Stipend Program Press Conference at Royal Elementary School on July 6, 2023.

On June 30, 2023, Governor Josh Green signed the State budget bill into law that allocates $660,000 in funding to the Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL) for the Early Childhood Educator Stipend Program. A huge win for early childhood education, the stipend program will not only help to address the early learning workforce crisis, it will ultimately create more high-quality learning opportunities for our youngest keiki.  

Through a generous donation made by the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation, EOEL and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa was able to launch the program in time for the 2023 summer school session. The program offers a tuition stipend to current and potential early childhood educators and caregivers that are enrolled in a certificate, degree, or license program in early childhood education, within the University of Hawaiʻi system.

In a recent news release about the Early Childhood Educator Stipend Program, Lt. Governor Sylvia Luke said, “As we prioritize early childhood education for Hawaiʻi’s youngest learners, it’s essential we invest in creating a robust workforce of qualified educators to support our keiki. The momentum right now to invest in early learning is so exciting, and it’ll take collaborative partnerships like this stipend program to make universal access to preschool a reality.”

Commit to Keiki is pleased that our state legislators continue to recognize the importance of child care and early learning for our youngest keiki and we are encouraged by the progress made thus far in addressing these critical needs.

To learn more about the Early Childhood Educator Stipend program, visit the EOEL website.

EOEL's Public Prekindergarten Program is still accepting applications! There are 11 new DOE preschool classrooms across the state that will open for the 2023-2024 school year. Please help us spread the word, especially in communities that have had low preschool application rates. This includes Pope Elementary School in Waimānalo and Kaʻewai Elementary School in Kalihi.

This program provides high-quality learning experiences for 3- and 4-year-olds before entering kindergarten. Children must be born on or between August 1, 2018 – July 31, 2020 and be 3 or 4 years old on or before July 31, 2023. CLICK HERE to apply.

The Kauaʻi Planning & Action Alliance (KPAA) continues to support early childhood development in Kauaʻi County. Over the past year, Alanna Bauman has served as the Kauaʻi Early Childhood Education (ECE) System Coordinator at KPAA, funded through Kamehameha Schools. Alanna has been working with State and County partners, including Sarah Blane, Mayor Kawakami's Chief of Staff and the point of contact for early learning priorities, to support early childhood expansion projects on Kauaʻi. Most recently, Sarah and Alanna have been working closely to support Lt. Governor Sylvia Luke's Ready Keiki Initiative on the island.

Over the past few months, KPAA has supported early childhood through opportunities for professional development as well as community engagement and education, including:

• The Kauaʻi Parent & Child Fair which brought together more than 30 agencies and organizations providing early childhood educational programs, activities, and resources for families with keiki ages 0-8. More than 200 families participated in some capacity. This effort was coordinated by Alanna Bauman, KPAA; Lacie Corba, PATCH; Austin Heiser, Kauaʻi Department of Health; Kathy Perez, Department of Education; and Melissa McFerrin-Warrick, Kukui Grove Center.

• The 2023 ECE Conference, sponsored in partnership with KPAA, PATCH, Kauaʻi Community College, and Kamehameha Schools, was well received. The conference was free to attend and participants earned three DHS credit hours to use towards their required professional development Topics included place-based learning, ʻohana engagement, difficult conversations, and personality social styles. 

On Saturday, July 15, thousands of families gathered at Kukui Grove Center to receive free school supplies, including nearly 3,000 backpacks filled with age-appropriate supplies for elementary, middle, and high school students.

KPAA, in partnership with Keiki to Career and the Kauaʻi Resilience Project, coordinated a group of community partners to offer family resources and interactive activities through a passport program where participants earned eligibility for prizes throughout the day.