The Hawaiʻi State Legislature provided an appropriation this year to sustain 360 prekindergarten slots in charter schools through the Executive Office on Early Learning Public Prekindergarten Program. Applications for high-quality, free prekindergarten programs are now being accepted at the following eleven charter schools on four islands for school year 2019-2020.

Hawaiʻi Island

  • Ka ‘Umeke Kā‘eo Public Charter School in Hilo
  • Ke Kula ‘o Nāwahīokalani‘ōpu‘u Iki Laboratory Public Charter School in Kea‘au and Waimea
  • Kua o ka Lā Public Charter School in Nānāwale
  • Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School in Mountain View
  • Volcano School of Arts & Sciences in Volcano
  • Laupāhoehoe Community Public Charter School in Laupāhoehoe

Molokaʻi

  • Kualapu‘u Charter School

Oʻahu

  • Kamaile Academy Public Charter School in Waiʻanae
  • Ke Kula Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory Public Charter School in Kāneʻohe
  • Waiʻalae Elementary Public Charter School in Honolulu
  • Ke Kula ‘o Nāwahīokalani‘ōpu‘u Iki Laboratory Public Charter School in Nānākuli

Kauaʻi

  • Ke Kula Niihau O Kekaha

To be eligible, children must be four years old on or before July 31, 2019. Priority will be given to children who are homeless, in foster care, placed through their individualized education programs in a general education setting, English as a second language learners, and whose family income is at or below 300% of the 2019 federal poverty guidelines for Hawaiʻi. Click here to see income eligibility calculations of 300% of FPG and below. All families are encouraged to apply and need to contact the school directly for more information and an application.

Building on the investment in Hawaiʻi by the Federal Preschool Development Grant, the State of Hawaiʻi continues the investment in our youngest learners, by appropriating the funding to continue this high-quality program in these eleven charter schools whose foundational grant sunset at the close of last school year. The federal grant awarded the Charter School Commission the opportunity to build the foundations for establishing high-quality early learning programs in eleven of its public charter schools.