Here’s How Hawaii Is Trying To Improve Child Care Access

Lawmakers are considering programs to boost the pay of child care workers and offer stipends to early childhood educators.

Early education advocates are hopeful that a framework passed by the Hawaii Legislature in 2020 to expand access to early education, including child care and pre-kindergarten, will help buoy efforts this session to increase child care worker compensation through a one-year pilot program and offer of stipends to recent UH graduates who commit to teaching in early education for at least two years.

“I think everyone is mindful that we need to take baby steps,” said Hawaii Sen. Bennette Misalucha, a backer of the proposals. “We’re not going to solve our challenges in one year, but it will give us enough (momentum) as we figure out next steps.”

The “Access to Learning” bill from 2020 became Act 46, which was further modified a year later as Act 210 due to the conditions of the pandemic.

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