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After decades of urgent calls for a statewide preschool system, a public-private plan is finally being launched to create 465 classrooms so that every 3- and 4-year-old in Hawaii can have access to preschool by 2032, said Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke. and community leaders are set to announce today.
“Basically, we’re saying that any parent who wants to send their children to an affordable preschool setting should have that opportunity,” Luke said in an exclusive interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser about the details of the plan.
Right now, just over half of the state’s 35,272 3- and 4-year-olds are being served in pre-kindergarten classrooms.
About 95% of those keiki in programs are in licensed private pre-kindergarten institutions, which can cost families anywhere from hundreds of dollars to more than $1,000 per month. Meanwhile, free entry to public preschool seats is extremely hard to come by: Just over 900 children are served in public preschools run by the state’s Executive Office for Early Learning and public charter schools. About 20% of children typically choose not to participate. That leaves an estimated 9,297 of Hawaii’s preschoolers unserved, Luke said. (See chart for more information.)
The “Ready Keiki” plan to create an additional 465 classrooms with 20 children per classroom brings together multiple strategies, Luke said, including:
>> Equip existing classrooms in some state Department of Education elementary schools (about 50 classrooms identified as available) and public charter schools (about 30 classrooms identified), plus space in Hawaii’s 51 public libraries, at a maximum of approximately $1 million per classroom.
>> Build several hundred modular buildings, also popularly known as portables. They are likely to number more than 300, depending on state and private contributions, and are estimated to cost a maximum of $2 million each, though Luke said he thinks the price can be lowered since they follow a template.
>> Expand state subsidies provided under the Open Doors Preschool program to low- and moderate-income families, using the money for private preschool providers. Currently, the subsidies are available only for 4-year-olds, but Luke estimates that a $40 million request to add 3-year-olds and increase the subsidy amount, to be submitted to the Legislature, would add 1,400 seats. Other federal grants are being sought, Luke said.
>> Creating teaching classrooms at some high schools: Nanakuli, Mililani and Waipahu high schools have so far expressed interest in creating “early college” courses for educational careers, Luke said, and all 10 University of Hawaii campuses, along with the Imiloa Hawaiian harvest. Immersion program at UH Hilo to create immersion preschools.
>> Purchase of land for development near urban workplaces and growing partnerships with four major county governments and private employers.
The “Ready Keiki” initiative seeks to create “universal access to preschool” and not “universal preschool,” Luke said, because the latter label implies that attendance would be compulsory and the system would be entirely public.
The plan calls for at least 80 new classrooms to be ready to serve preschool students by August 2024, plus 50 more new classrooms each following year. Public preschool students would attend at no cost.
Total Variable Cost
The total token for construction will depend on multiple factors.
The state Legislature passed Law 46 in 2020 to set the goal of providing all 3- and 4-year-old keiki with access to pre-kindergarten enrollment by 2032, and in 2022 passed Law 257, allocating $200 million to build new school facilities and renovate existing facilities.
Now that the state has estimated the need for 465 more classrooms, the additional cost above the initial $200 million will be between $265 million, assuming all classrooms have been renovated, and $730 million, assuming all new construction.
Luke said costs could be reduced through the use of modular construction, taking advantage of more existing space and cultivating private partnerships. Also, if the Legislature increases the Open Doors Preschool subsidy, sending more keiki to private preschools, fewer new public preschools may need to be built.
On the other hand, as preschools gain momentum here, an increase in demand for preschool from families could increase the number of classrooms needed.
Construction decisions and budgeting will be “data-driven” and continually recalibrated, emphasizing cost minimization and accountability, Luke said.
While Luke provides leadership for the preschool initiative, the Early Learning Executive Office will handle operations while construction will be handled by the state’s new School Facilities Authority, he said. The authority can receive and use investments from philanthropic and private entities, so the funding will not come entirely from taxpayer money, Luke said.
Luke said she’s excited about “the coming together of public and private and philanthropy for this important cause. In the past there may have been jurisdictional fights or disagreements about what we are trying to accomplish. But now we’re at a point where we’re standing by, coming together to deliver on this commitment, which is to care for underserved 3- and 4-year-olds.”
Nearly two dozen state and county agencies, and private and nonprofit entities, including Kamehameha Schools, the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Harold KL Castle Foundation, are cooperating on the plan. Some of your officials are scheduled to speak at a press conference today at 11 am announcing the Ready Keiki initiative.
skilled labor
Luke acknowledged that it will take time and money to also build a skilled workforce for the additional preschool classrooms.
The federal Administration for Children and Families cites experts who recommend that no more than six to ten preschool-age children be cared for by a trained adult. Luke said each preschool classroom of 20 students would likely have a certified teacher with at least a four-year bachelor’s degree and a teaching assistant with at least a two-year associate’s degree.
Luke said he envisions public preschool teachers working under certification requirements and salaries similar to those of Hawaii’s current public school teachers, though nothing formal has been worked out so far between the Hawaii State Teachers Association and the condition.
The typical Hawaii teacher earned an average of $65,409 in 2020-21, according to the National Education Association.
“As we get more public preschools up and running, we also need to find a way to raise and increase salaries on the private side, because we don’t want to elect preschool teachers from the private sector.” Lucas said. “That’s why I think the subsidy increase through the Puertas Abiertas preschool program is really important, because what we hope is that preschool providers will use the subsidy increase to increase pay and salaries for their employees as well.” .
According to the HSTA, Hawaii’s existing public schools were forced to fill teacher vacancies with more than 1,000 emergency employees and long-term substitutes in the 2018-2019 school year. Each year, more than 60,000 keiki are not taught by a qualified Hawaiian teacher, the union said, a problem made worse by a wave of retirements and resignations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Luke said UH officials have told him the teacher shortage is mostly in high schools. “In fact, we’ve been told that there are about 100 teachers available who could go into preschools right now,” he said.
The Ready Keiki plan estimates operating costs per classroom at $175,000 per year.
high tuition
Meanwhile, for parents suffering under the heavy burden of preschool tuition, or simply getting by without preschool or other early childhood services, new preschool supports can’t come soon enough.
Hawaii has long ranked among the worst in the provision of public preschool education. And high private preschool tuition has priced out many low- and middle-income families already struggling with the islands’ rising cost of living. The median price of preschool in the US ranges from $4,460 to $13,158 per year, according to the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. That rounds up to roughly $370 to $1,100 per month.
Calls for a “universal preschool” on the islands date back at least to the 1990s, when a blue ribbon panel organized by the then-governor. Ben Cayetano included it in his list of recommendations to reform the Hawaiian school system. Over the years, countless legislators have championed access to early childhood education in campaign materials, speeches, and legislative proposals. No state administration has offered a substantial plan so far.
“We’ve talked for decades about how it was essential to prepare children for learning, kindergarten readiness and give them all the tools to prepare them for school, career and life,” Luke said. “We have made some progress, but it has always been bits and pieces.
“I remember (then State Schools Superintendent) Charlie Toguchi making an announcement (in the 1990s) that all 3- and 4-year-olds would have access to preschool by the year 2000,” Luke continued. “I have told legislators and businessmen and stakeholders that the year 2000 came and went 22 years ago. So we can’t let another year go by until we make this commitment.”
PRESCHOOL EXPANSION SCHEDULE
This is the state’s timeline for the Ready Keiki initiative to create 465 new preschool classrooms through public-private strategies, according to Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke:
2023-2024
>> Prepare to begin construction of new classrooms.
>> Have at least 80 new classrooms ready to operate by August 2024.
>> Request $40 million to expand Preschool Open Doors grants for low- and medium-income families.
2024-2032
>> Add approximately 50 new classrooms per year.
>> Buy land to build new preschools near areas where parents work.
>> Develop teaching career paths in universities and high schools.
>> Partner with private companies and non-profit organizations to support opportunities on the site.
Source: Office of Lieutenant Governor Slyvia Luke
