Hawaii to make preschool available for all 3-4 year-olds

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii put forward a plan Tuesday to make preschool available to all 3- and 4-year-olds by 2032, which if successful would put the state in a rarified group of states managing to provide pre-kindergarten education to most of its children.

Hawaii's leaders have aspired to universal pre-K for decades but have found it elusive. A recent analysis found the state was moving so slowly toward that goal that it would take 47 years to build all the public preschool capacity Hawaii needed. The state expects it will need 465 new classrooms to serve the additional students.

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who has been tasked by Gov. Josh Green to lead the state’s efforts, said only half of Hawaii’s 35,000 3- and 4-year-olds attend preschool, either by paying expensive tuition for private schools or obtaining one of the few spots in publicly-funded pre-K programs.

The state estimates there are about 9,200 children whose parents want to send them to preschool but aren’t able. It’s targeting its plans at this group.

“It’s clear about the difference in educational outcomes from a child who goes to pre-K and one that doesn’t,” Senate President Ron Kouchi said at a news conference announcing the plan.

“To be able to help our educational outcomes while keeping more money into the working families pockets to take care of all of their needs is a real critical component."

His colleague Sen. Michelle Kidani echoed this point, noting that many families are leaving Hawaii for other states because they can't afford preschool or daycare in the islands.

The state plans to have 80 new classrooms ready for use in 2024, each of them serving 20 students.

Hawaii has already identified 50 classrooms at existing public elementary schools and 30 in publicly funded charter schools that it can...