What is the role of the Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL) in the expansion of Ready Keiki, Hawaii’s public prekindergarten program? (Preschool programming received support from the 2023 Legislature: extending access to Hawaii’s Preschool Open Doors program to include 3-year-olds; allocating $200 million to add classrooms; and revising the preschool accreditation process.)

The EOEL collaborates with government and nongovernment agencies to implement a comprehensive and integrated statewide early care and education system, and EOEL administers the public prekindergarten program — a free program for 3- and 4-year-olds. EOEL is one part of the Ready Keiki Initiative. …

If enacted, the state budget bill includes funding to increase EOEL and charter prekindergarten classrooms, and the Preschool Open Doors program, as well a one-time allocation to support early learning programs in attaining and maintaining accreditation, which heightens the quality of pre-K programs. Investments in our children and families result in substantial real world returns — positioning children to do better for themselves and facilitating parents’ and caregivers’ participation in the labor force.

Your office takes applications for pre-K, accepted this year from March … How many classrooms did Hawaii operate in 2022-23, and how many are projected for 2023-24? Also, why might a pre-K family prefer to apply outside of their home school, or to private pre-K, and what are the benefits of offering families choices?

EOEL currently has 37 prekindergarten classrooms across 34 Hawaii Department of Education campuses. We will open 11 new classrooms this August for the school year 2023-24. We encourage all families to apply at rebrand.ly/EOELPREK. We value and support family choice, so we also refer families to our state-designated child care resource and referral agency, People Attentive to Children (PATCH), to assist with finding early learning programs and services that best fit their needs. Some families may need care for infants and toddlers, may need extended hours, or may want specific cultural components — so we do our best to make those connections for them.

You gained recognition as an educator for your support of early learning, establishing a Head Start program on-campus as a principal at Daniel K. Inouye Elementary School in Wahiawa. What inspired you to do that, and what did you learn?

When children are nurtured to meet developmental milestones, it is evident when they transition into kindergarten. These children strengthen their capacity to manage emotions, improve socialization and communication skills, develop fine and gross motor skills, and are curious and eager to explore. Head Start provider was the only inclusive preschool program available to our campus at that time — the federal Head Start program has been in Hawaii for 58 years, now offering 2,326 slots for 3- and 4-year-olds, and 633 infant and toddler slots statewide. Both Head Start and EOEL are committed to safe and nurturing environments, and developmentally appropriate curriculum, while federally funded Head Start programs specifically focus on low-income families.

How is EOEL involved with workforce training for early childhood programs? What else needs to happen to staff up Hawaii’s preschools?

As we work collaboratively across the field, we know that staffing — including recruitment and retention — must continue to be a top priority. EOEL established the Early Childhood Educator Stipend Program with funds generously donated by the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation. This year, should the state budget bill be enacted, EOEL will have general funding appropriated by the Legislature to sustain the program. In partnership with the University of Hawaii, the stipends provide financial assistance for early childhood education coursework in the UH system. Students make a two-year commitment to the field.

A 1989 National Child Care Staffing Study showed then that while child-care workers were more educated than the average American worker, their wages fell in the lower rankings. In 2011, a renewed study showed the same results. Our office supports higher compensation and other employment-related benefits for early education jobs.

You came on the job as director of EOEL in June 2022. Is EOEL on the right track?

The state’s investments into the early care and education framework are drawing families’ attention. So far, we received 93 applications for our new 11 sites, and more schools have requested Family Child Interaction Learning programs for their campuses. We’ve had more than 64 applications for our Early Childhood Educator Stipend program, and more than 200 applications for the first 50 Chaminade and Kamehameha Mu‘o Scholarships for college-level training.

The core value of our Early Childhood State Plan is that every child in Hawaii is our child, and deserves our commitment to their care, learning and well-being. We want an early care and education system that supports Hawaii families to be able to live and work and thrive in Hawaii.

THE BIO FILE

>> Title: Director of the Executive Office on Early Learning

>> Professional: Hawaii Department of Education 2000-2022, as classroom teacher, instructional coach, school renewal specialist, vice principal, principal; Milken National Educator Award Recipient in 2010.

>> Community: Born and raised in Kaneohe, now living in Wahiawa; Kid Zone volunteer; member of Halau Hula Ka Lehua Tuahine

>> Family: Blended family with Sean — seven children and five grandchildren.

>> One more thing: “I became a mom at 19. Early care and education and subsidies offered my children the stability, growth and nurturing they needed, while providing me the opportunity to continue my education at the University of Hawaii and start my career.”