On June 30, 2023, Governor Josh Green signed the State budget bill into law that allocates $660,000 in funding to the Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL) for the Early Childhood Educator Stipend Program. A huge win for early childhood education, the stipend program will not only help to address the early learning workforce crisis, it will ultimately create more high-quality learning opportunities for our youngest keiki.

Through a generous donation made by the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation, EOEL and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa was able to launch the program in time for the 2023 summer school session. The program offers a tuition stipend to current and potential early childhood educators and caregivers that are enrolled in a certificate, degree, or license program in early childhood education, within the University of Hawaiʻi system.

In a recent news release about the Early Childhood Educator Stipend Program, Lt. Governor Sylvia Luke said, “As we prioritize early childhood education for Hawaiʻi’s youngest learners, it’s essential we invest in creating a robust workforce of qualified educators to support our keiki. The momentum right now to invest in early learning is so exciting, and it’ll take collaborative partnerships like this stipend program to make universal access to preschool a reality.”

Commit to Keiki is pleased that our state legislators continue to recognize the importance of child care and early learning for our youngest keiki and we are encouraged by the progress made thus far in addressing these critical needs.

To learn more about the Early Childhood Educator Stipend program, visit the EOEL website