Apply now for the 2023-2024 Early Childhood Educator Stipend! Investing in our youngest keiki ages 0-5 years old by investing in their educators

The State of Hawaiʻi Executive Office of Early Learning (EOEL) and University of Hawaiʻi, in partnership with generous funding from the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation, is proud to offer a tuition stipend to current and potential early childhood educators and caregivers! Stipends are available to individuals enrolled in a certificate, degree, or license program in early childhood education, including those in the Hawaiian language medium, within the University of Hawaiʻi system, with a stipend opportunity per Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) § 302L-9.

Participation in this program is voluntary. To qualify, the applicant must currently be enrolled in a generalist certificate, degree, or license program in early childhood education, including those in the Hawaiian language medium, within the University of Hawaiʻi system:

• UH Hilo (Hawaiian and Indigenous Language Medium Early Education Certificate)
• Hawaiʻi Community College
• UH Maui College
• UH Mānoa
• UH West Oʻahu
• Honolulu Community College
• Kauaʻi Community College3

The goal of this tuition stipend program is to help increase qualifications of our ECE workforce. We are seeking individuals who will commit to work in early care and education services directly to children from birth through 5 years of age for at least two consecutive years in one of the early learning systems described in HRS § 302L-2, including Hawaiian language medium and Hawaiian immersion settings and early learning settings at charter schools. Stipend awardees who keep this commitment will pay nothing back.


How to Apply

1. Register for your courses for the upcoming semester. You must be registered for eligible courses in order to qualify for this stipend. If you are not yet enrolled in a UH college campus, you must complete this step first by contacting the appropriate Admissions Office: https://www.hawaii.edu/admissions/
2. Access the application on SurveyMonkey using this weblink: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FHGD75Y or QR code:
3. Complete the application by the deadlines listed below.
4. Tuition awards will be announced about one week before the semester begins.
5. Awardees will need to sign a stipend agreement before awards are distributed.

Deadlines to Apply

Apply by the dates stated below for the semester you are applying for the tuition stipend:

• Summer 2023 – April 15, 2023
• Fall 2023 – July 15, 2023
• Spring 2024 – December 1, 2023
• Summer 2024 – April 15, 2024