Happy Holidays from
Commit to Keiki
As we near the end of 2025, Commit to Keiki reflects with gratitude on the many partners, providers, advocates, and elected officials who have stood together for Hawai‘i’s youngest keiki. This has been a year shaped by challenges. Families have felt the strain of rising costs, program closures, and shifts in federal funding. Early learning centers, mental health services, and family support programs continue to juggle increased need with limited resources. Yet through it all, Hawai‘i’s early childhood community has shown remarkable strength and heart.
These moments remind us why our work matters. The first five years of life lay the foundation for everything that follows. When children have stable care, safe homes, responsive relationships, and access to quality early learning, they carry those advantages into school, adulthood, and future generations. The systems that support them must be strong, coordinated, and resilient.
As we look ahead to the new year, our focus will remain on prevention, stability, and building a coordinated early childhood system that reflects our state’s values. We are grateful to everyone who stands with us in this work and helps ensure that Hawai‘i’s youngest keiki receive the care and opportunities they deserve.
From all of us at Commit to Keiki, we wish you and your ‘ohana a joyful and restorative holiday season filled with connection, warmth, and hope for the year ahead.
State Leaders Provide Critical Support for Early Childhood Nonprofits
Commit to Keiki extends our appreciation to the Hawai‘i State Legislature for their leadership in awarding emergency grants to nonprofits through Act 310, a program created in direct response to recent federal actions that froze or reduced grant funding and other forms of financial assistance. As federal resources shifted abruptly, state leaders recognized the urgent need to protect services that families rely on and moved quickly to establish a temporary grant program that could keep essential community supports in place.
This statewide investment provided funding to 95 nonprofits across Hawai‘i, representing a wide range of community needs. Notably, nearly 30% of the awardees serve young children and their caregivers, and close to 60% support both early childhood and food security. These nonprofits play an essential role in ensuring that young keiki have access to safe care, early learning opportunities, mental health supports, and nutritious food, which together form the foundation for healthy early childhood development.
For providers who have been navigating workforce shortages, rising costs, and increased demand, this support offers stability at a moment when many programs are stretched to their limits. It also reflects something we value deeply at Commit to Keiki: when public investment is steady and intentional, nonprofits can focus on serving families rather than absorbing the shock of unpredictable funding shifts.
We also wish to thank the legislators who served on the evaluation committee. Their work will ensure that resources continue to reach the programs most affected by federal budget cuts and help sustain services that families depend on.
As we look toward the upcoming legislative session, this action underscores the importance of creating lasting policies that protect essential early childhood services. Hawai‘i’s keiki and families deserve reliable systems, and these emergency grants show what is possible when our state leaders step forward to meet urgent needs.
Click here to view the full list of nonprofit awardees under Act 310.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Nov. 21, 2025
Hawaii lawmakers award $49.5M in emergency grants to nonprofits
Hawaii Public Radio, Dec. 9, 2025
Rising temperatures could have a chilling impact on young children
KHON, Dec. 18, 2025
For Our Keiki: Why the first five years matter most for a child’s brain
Looking Ahead to the 2026 Legislative Session
When lawmakers return to the Hawai‘i State Capitol in January, Commit to Keiki will be closely monitoring legislation that shapes Hawai‘i’s early childhood system.
Our 2026 policy priorities focus on strengthening the supports that families rely on in the earliest years of life. This includes expanding Family-Child Interaction Learning programs, funding a statewide early childhood personnel clearinghouse, and improving pathways that help families access public assistance and early childhood services. We will also be supporting proposals such as an Early Learning Apprenticeship Program, a Hawai‘i Child Tax Credit, paid family leave, and the preservation of programs affected by federal cuts.
Throughout the session, we will share updates on hearings, testimony needs, and key developments as they arise. To stay informed, follow @committokeiki on Facebook and Instagram. Legislative updates will also be shared through our monthly newsletter.
