Early Learning/Pre-K
Hawai‘iʻs First Five
Did you know that 90% of an individualʻs brain is developed before age 5 and that about half of Hawaiʻi's keiki do not go to preschool?
Our legislators proudly put our keiki first! Through Act 46 of the Hawaiʻi Legislative Session 2020, our legislature voted unanimously in support of sustaining eighteen classrooms in charter schools previously funded through the federal Preschool Development Grant. In 2022, through Sessions Law 257, an appropriation was created to expand 30 pre-K classrooms in charter schools through a partnership with the School Facilities Authority (SFA) and the Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL).
Evidence shows that high-quality preschool helps prepare children for later success in school and in life.
Aloha mai kākou to families of future innovators and cultural stewards!
Hawaiʻi’s public charter schools continue to offer high-quality, tuition-free pre-K programs that nurture and inspire our youngest learners. These early learning opportunities are available to children who will be three or four years old by July 31, 2026.
Charter school pre-K programs provide a strong foundation for success in school and life, fostering curiosity, confidence, cultural connection, and a lifelong love of learning.
Commission staff and Early Learning team members participate in the Ready Keiki Initiative, the state’s multi-faceted plan to ensure all Hawaiʻi children are ready for kindergarten—supporting their future success and promoting economic stability for local families. Together, we are enhancing the early learning system to ensure that by 2032, 100% of all underserved children will have access to high-quality early learning opportunities.
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The commissionʻs early learning program now oversees the implementation of 33 pre-kindergarten classrooms across Hawaiʻi, with programs located on four Hawaiian Islands.
For more information or to register a child, please contact the charter school directly.
Hawaiʻi Island
- Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo Immersion PCS, Keaukaha (808) 982-4260
- Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu Iki Lab PCS, Keaʻau & Waimea (808) 965-2193
- Kona Pacific Public Charter School (808)322-4900
- Kua o ka Lā New Century PCS, Pāhoa (808) 965-2193
- Kua o ka Lā New Century PCS, Hilo (808) 981-5866
- Laupāhoehoe Community PCS (808) 962-2200
- Volcano School of Arts & Sciences (808) 985-9800
Kauaʻi
- Ke Kula Niihau O Kekaha Learning Center (808) 337-0481
Molokaʻi
- Kualapuʻu School: Public Conversion Charter School (808) 567-6900
Oʻahu
- Kamaile Academy, Waiʻanae (808) 697-7110
- Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu Iki Lab PCS, Nānākuli (808) 620-9052
- Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory PCS, Kāneʻohe (808) 235-9175
- Parkway Village Preschool, Kapolei, (808) 847-3285
- Waiʻalae Elementary Public Charter School, Honolulu (808) 733-4880
- Waikīkī Community Preschool, Waikīkī (808) 923-1802
If you have any questions, please contact Deanne Goya, the Early Learning Program Director at the Commission office at (808)586-3775.
Investing in Pre-K and Beyond
"The Thinking Classroom" - Putting the Ideas of Project Zero into Action
From 2020-2026, the Hawai‘i State Public Charter School Commission partnered with educators and school leaders across the state creating a strong pre-K to grade 3 charter school network that is grounded in high-quality instruction and thinking practices supporting the implementation of the Thinking Classroom framework and learning experiences inspired by Project Zero.
Thinking Classroom elements are neither a curriculum to follow nor a program to implement. Rather, these ideas engage educators in critical questions that lead teachers and school leaders into subtle, yet profound actions that help students' growth and development.
Participating schools explore core ideas, take concrete steps to carry out specific actions to enhance student learning and adapt these ideas in ways that make sense for its school and students. These actions are visible thinking practices across classroom settings, creating a system of teacher support within the school that leads to effective instructional moves in classrooms, and ongoing reflection on student learning.
Through professional learning, collaboration and innovative instructional practices, the Commission helped foster student-centered classrooms that encourage curiosity, critical thinking, creativity and deeper engagement in learning. This work reflects the Commissionʻs ongoing commitment to advancing meaningful, future-focused education opportunities for Hawai‘iʻs public charter school students.
Click the image to watch the video about charter school leaders and teachers gathering at
Innovations Public School in Kona to participate in the Thinking Classroom workshop.
Hawai‘i Earns Top Preschool Quality Recognition for Fourth Year
Hawaiʻi is once again being recognized as a national leader in preschool quality, meeting all 10 benchmarks for high-quality early learning for the fourth consecutive year, according to the newly released National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook.
This recognition places Hawaiʻi among the top states nationwide to achieve all benchmarks, reflecting the state’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality early learning opportunities for its youngest learners.
During the 2024–2025 school year, Hawaiʻi enrolled 1,637 children in state-funded preschool programs, an increase of 611 students from the previous year. As part of a continued commitment to expanding public pre-kindergarten through a mixed-delivery system, the Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL), Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke, and the Hawaiʻi State Public Charter School Commission are working together to accelerate expansion efforts statewide.
“This year, we celebrated the opening of the 100th public preschool — a major milestone in expanding access to early learning across our islands,” said Lieutenant Governor Luke, who oversees the state’s Ready Keiki plan. “It is an honor to be recognized for quality learning while remaining focused on investing in our early education workforce, strengthening partnerships and making preschool available in every community, from Hilo to Hanalei.”
Hawaiʻi’s state-funded preschool programs continue to be recognized for maintaining small class sizes, employing highly qualified teachers, implementing comprehensive learning standards, and conducting regular program assessments.
“We are proud that Hawaiʻi’s programs continue to be recognized among the highest quality in the nation,” said Yuuko Arikawa-Cross, director of EOEL. “Just as important, we are committed to ensuring that more keiki and families–particularly those in underserved communities–can access and benefit from these valuable early learning opportunities.”
"This recognition underscores the importance of early learning education in Hawai‘i and the collaboration across our state," said Dr. Ed H. Noh, executive director of the Hawaiʻi State Public Charter School Commission. "We are proud of our commitment to support free public preschool access so that we can continue to provide our keiki with a strong foundation for lifelong success."
State leaders remain focused on expanding access to pre-K, as outlined in the Hawaiʻi Early Childhood State Plan, released in early April. The plan details opening new classrooms, recruiting qualified educators, and strengthening public-private partnerships across all islands, with the shared goal of ensuring every child in Hawaiʻi has a strong start and a bright future.
State of Preschool 2025 Yearbook for Hawaii
BACKGROUND
In Hawaiʻi, the Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL) Public Prekindergarten Program serves four-year-old children, with priority given to students considered to be “at-risk,” including those from families at 300% or below of the Federal Poverty Level. The EOEL Public Prekindergarten Program is required to operate on the same schedule as public elementary schools, providing services for 1,080 hours a year.
Beginning in SY 2020-2021, through Act 46, SLH 2020, the legislature gave statutory authority to the State Public Charter School Commission to administer the early learning program in charter schools. Act 46, SLH 2020 also changed the eligibility criteria to include both three- and four-year-old children. No other priority categories were defined. Likewise, the early learning programs in charter schools are required to operate on the same schedule as their K-6 students.
State-funded public preschool partially recovered last year from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic nationally, and in Hawaiʻi. More importantly, Hawaiʻi now has a plan to serve all three- and four-year-olds by 2032. Eleven new classrooms are planned for 2023 and an additional 80 new classrooms are planned for 2024. Hawaiʻi is one of several states addressing longstanding problems in early education across the country that have persisted as preschool access remained below pre-pandemic levels, funding was inadequate, and quality standards failed to improve, according to the 2022 State of Preschool Yearbook, released Wednesday by Rutgers University’s National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER).
KEY FINDINGS
For School Year 2024 - 2025 are summarized below for Hawaiʻi:
Enrollment in state-funded preschool was 1,637 keiki, an increase of 611 from the prior year.
State spending for preschool programs was $13,273,747, up $5,542,752 (72%) adjusted for inflation.
State spending per child enrolled in preschool was $8,109 up $573 from 2023-24 adjusted for inflation.
Hawaiʻi met 10 of 10 quality standards benchmarks. The benchmarks include:
Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS)
Curriculum supports
Teacher degree
Teacher specialized training
Assistant teacher degree
Staff professional development
Maximum class size (20)
Staff-child ratio (1:10).
Screening and referrals
Continuous Quality Improvement System (CQIS)
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