February 2026 Newsletter
Highlighting Solutions to Strengthen Hawaiʻi’s Early Childhood Workforce
As we conclude Commit to Keiki’s six-episode KHON Living808 series, we’re pleased to share two recently aired segments that bring the conversation to a critical point. Throughout the series, we have focused on the systems that support Hawaiʻi’s youngest keiki and their families. These last two episodes focus on the early childhood workforce shortage and why policy solutions are needed to strengthen the system.
February 10 – The Early Childhood Workforce Shortage and Its Economic Impact
This segment featured Dana Vela, president and CEO of Kamaʻāina Kids, and Nadia Holt, associate director of community impact at the Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi. They addressed the far-reaching effects of Hawaiʻi’s early childhood workforce shortage on providers, families, and employers statewide. Staffing constraints are reducing child care capacity, extending waitlists, and limiting options for working parents. When families cannot secure reliable care, the consequences extend far beyond the household, affecting business operations, workforce participation, and overall economic stability.
February 11 – Building Career Pathways Through an Early Learning Apprenticeship Program
This segment featured State Representative Andrew Takuya Garrett and Melodie Vega, chief early education officer at Keiki O Ka ʻĀina. They discussed the current Early Learning Apprenticeship Program bill and how a paid, structured pathway could strengthen recruitment and retention in the field. The proposed model combines hands-on classroom experience with formal coursework and mentorship, creating a clear entry point into the profession. By building a stronger pipeline of qualified educators, the apprenticeship approach would help stabilize the workforce, support providers, and expand access to quality early learning, particularly for families with infants and toddlers.
Commit to Keiki has been actively tracking the following bills that align with our three priorities – child care and early learning, family violence prevention, and early childhood mental health. Here are the latest updates:
Early Learning (HB2019/SB2496): Appropriates funds to the Executive Office on Early Learning to administer funding for family-child interaction learning programs..
- HB2019 was referred to the House Committees on Education and Finance. It passed out of the House Committee on Education on February 12 and passed Second Reading on February 19. It now awaits hearing in the House Committee on Finance.
- SB2496 was referred to the Senate Committees on Education and Ways & Means. It is still awaiting hearing in the Senate Committee on Education.
Paid Family Leave (HB2360): By January 1, 2029, requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to establish a family and medical leave insurance program and begin collecting payroll contributions to finance payment of benefits. By January 1, 2030, requires the Department to begin receiving claims and paying benefits under the program. Specifies eligibility requirements and employee protections under the program.
- HB2360 was referred to the House Committees on Labor, Consumer Protection & Commerce, and Finance. It will be heard in its final committee on February 26.
Early Learning Apprenticeship Program (HB1872/SB2666): Establishes an Early Learning Apprenticeship Grant Program to be administered by the University of Hawaiʻi to provide financial support for early learning program service providers in the State to participate in state- or federally-approved early learning apprenticeship programs. Requires an annual report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds.
- HB1872 was referred to the House Committees on Education, Higher Education, Labor, and Finance. It was heard and passed out of the House Committee on Finance on February 25. It awaits Third Reading on the House Floor.
SB2666 was referred to the Senate Committees on Education and Ways & Means. It is currently awaiting hearing in the Senate Committee on Education.
Action is Needed to Protect
FCIL Programs
Family-Child Interaction Learning (FCIL) programs support keiki from birth to age five while strengthening the parents and caregivers who shape a child’s earliest years. These programs provide literacy-rich early learning, build social and emotional development, support early identification of developmental delays, and connect families to essential services.
Two bills this session, SB2496 and HB2019, are critical to ensuring these programs remain available to families across Hawaiʻi. Without action, proposed federal funding cuts could reduce the number of FCIL programs statewide from 64 to just three, eliminating nearly 120 early childhood educator positions and leaving countless families without access to services they rely on. These bills provide a solution by appropriating funds through the Executive Office on Early Learning to sustain FCIL programs and protect this essential part of Hawaiʻi’s early childhood system.
Commit to Keiki highlighted the real-world impact of FCIL programs last year through our Living808 series, featuring Hawaiian culture-based FCIL programs at Partners in Development Foundation. The segment showed how culturally responsive, intergenerational learning environments strengthen families, reinforce cultural identity, and prepare keiki for school while building confidence and resilience among parents and caregivers. It also highlighted the growing waitlists, and the consequences families face when access to these programs is limited.
Sustaining FCIL programs through SB2496 and HB2019 is not just about preserving individual classrooms. It is about protecting proven infrastructure, supporting families early, and making a strategic investment in Hawaiʻi’s youngest keiki.
Civil Beat, Jan. 30, 2026
Early Learning Sites Could Close Soon in Hawai’i Amid Federal Funding Chaos
KITV, Feb. 2, 2026
Dozens of traveling preschools in underserved communities at risk of closing
Maui News, Feb. 16, 20256
Sedona Wachaiyu represents Head Start Families on MEO Board
Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Feb. 24, 2026
February is Family Support Awareness Month
The February is Family Support Awareness Month, a time to recognize the programs and services that strengthen families, reduce stress, and create the conditions for our youngest keiki to thrive. At its core, family support is about prevention. It is about ensuring families have access to trusted guidance, stable resources, and timely support during the earliest and most critical years of a child’s development.
One of the most effective and evidence-based family support strategies is home visiting. Home visiting programs connect expectant parents and families with young children to trained professionals who provide education, coaching, and support in the home. These programs help parents build strong, responsive relationships with their children, support healthy brain development, and identify challenges early, before they escalate into crisis.
Research consistently shows that the earliest years of life shape lifelong outcomes. Brain development is most rapid from birth to age five, and a child’s environment during this period has a lasting impact on health, learning, and well-being. When families experience chronic stress related to economic instability, untreated mental health needs, or exposure to violence, that stress is absorbed by young children. Family support programs help buffer these risks by strengthening protective factors at the household level.
Investing in family support is not only the right thing to do, it is a smart public investment. Prevention-oriented programs reduce the need for more costly interventions later, support parents’ ability to remain in the workforce, and strengthen long-term economic stability for the state. Every dollar invested early yields measurable returns in education, health, and public safety outcomes.
Family Support Awareness Month is an opportunity to reaffirm our shared commitment to Hawaiʻi’s youngest keiki. By prioritizing early, coordinated investments that meet families where they are, we can strengthen the foundation for healthier families, a more resilient workforce, and a stronger Hawaiʻi for generations to come.
