Funding released for Hawaii State Public Charter Schools

Funding for year three of the Preschool Development Grant was released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The release of these funds will allow Hawaii public charter schools to continue to provide pre-kindergarten services to income-eligible students in their communities and to expand from 120 slots this year to 360 in school year 2017-18. The federal funds will allow Hawaii to begin the full implementation of the Preschool Development Grant in 18 classrooms across the state.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for public charter schools in Hawaii to expand the educational offerings available to their communities by providing high-quality preschool programs,” said Sione Thompson, Executive Director of the Hawaii State Public Charter School Commission. “We are thrilled that this grant will enable us to continue to provide access to families who may otherwise be unable to afford preschool for their keiki.”

The grant provides opportunities for Hawaii to develop innovative preschool programs in targeted communities to serve as models for expanding preschool to all 4-year-olds from low- and moderately low-income families. Pre-K programs on the neighbor islands were strategically selected in rural areas that lack access to preschool programs.

Hawaii is one of 18 states awarded the highly competitive joint U.S. Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services Preschool Development Grant and is only one of five states to open new preschool programs. Hawaii is the only grantee to receive funds specifically for charter schools.

The grant also allows charter schools to create preschool programs that are aligned with research-based standards and reflective of each school’s mission and the needs of its community, such as providing pathways of learning in Hawaiian and English, the state’s two official languages.

Five of the 18 schools provide Hawaiian language learning opportunities and all schools provide varying degrees of Hawaiian cultural education. This allows the grant to support the resurgence and sustainability of the Hawaiian language and culture.