The state’s $200 million, 10-year plan to create 465 new classrooms for 3- and 4-year-old students is moving forward with the help of House Bill 961, which passed the Legislature on Wednesday.
The bill expands the Department of Human Services Preschool Open Doors program and appropriates funds to the Department of Education’s Executive Office of Early Learning.
It would also open up eligibility for the Preschool Open Doors program to include 3-year-olds in 2024. According to Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, this would increase state subsidies from $12 million to $50 million for the program.
Roughly $39 million was added to the Preschool Open Doors program as part of the state budget in House Bill 300.
“Children who have attended high-quality preschool or child care programs are much better prepared for success in kindergarten, but not every family has access to early learning programs,” Luke said in a statement. “If we can provide enough classrooms at an affordable price, we can make sure all of our keiki are ready to learn.”
But opening new classrooms will require hundreds of new teachers and assistants, and the state already has a teacher deficit in both public and private schools.
Keikiland, the preschool associated with the Kaumana Baptist church in Hilo, was forced to close down last year because of ongoing staffing problems.
“The main reason was the lack of sufficient staffing” said Pastor Mark Tagami regarding the closure. “There were several occasions where, because of illness, or other reasons, we weren’t able to legally keep the preschool open, and some days, with less than an hour’s notice, we had to let parents know that the preschool would be closed for the day.”
But Tagami noted the demand for preschool enrollment is still high, and the church hopes to reopen its operations soon when more staffing is available.
“Ever since we closed, we’ve been constantly getting phone calls,” he said. “There’s a real high demand for preschools.”
To help fight the staffing shortage, Chaminade University and Kamehameha Schools teamed up to announce a new Mu‘o scholarship program on Wednesday that will fund 150 people to become teachers through an online bachelor’s degree program.
A cohort of 50 students will be selected in 2023, 2024 and 2025, with each scholarship worth $100,580 over the four-year program.
Funding for the first year will be provided by Kamehameha Schools.
The all-online program is designed for working adults in Hawaii who might already be serving as a teacher’s aide or in a similar position.
“We are excited to announce this partnership with Kamehameha Schools, which directly addresses one of our most pressing community issues, a teacher shortage,” said Chaminade University President Dr. Lynn Babington during a press conference on Wednesday. “By providing these scholarships, we’re removing barriers that too often hinder many working adults in the state from obtaining a bachelor’s degree while still maintaining family and work commitments.”
The program is expected to train some of the teachers needed to fill the state’s free preschool program, known as Ready Keiki.
“Ready Keiki is a commitment by the state of Hawaii to provide access to early education,” Luke said during the conference. “In order to do that, it wasn’t just the state of Hawaii leading the charge. We needed partnership from many of the departments, all the counties, and many of our private philanthropic partners, including Kamehameha Schools and Chaminade University.”
Applications to the program are currently open and more information can be found by visiting https://tinyurl.com/4bamdhwh.
The bills now head to the desk of Gov. Josh Green for his expected approval.
Email Grant Phillips at gphillips@hawaiitribune-herald.com.