Hirono Announces Nearly $1 Million in Federal Funding for Hawaii’s Preschool Programs
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, Senator Mazie K.
Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that Hawaii will receive nearly $1 million in continued
support under the federal Preschool Development Grant program. This funding
will support ongoing efforts to promote and improve the quality of early
learning opportunities for children by better connecting and aligning existing
programs and services throughout the state.
“This grant will help to improve high-quality early learning
programs across Hawaii through a needs assessment and strategic plan that will
build on existing plans in the state,” Senator Hirono said. “With this
additional funding, we will continue to support our keiki’s health, safety, and
readiness to learn, from the time they are born until they are five years old,
which is a critical time in their lives. I will continue to advocate for
federal resources that promote affordable, high-quality early childhood
programs for Hawaii.”
“We truly appreciate the recognition that services which support a
child’s well-being and health, beyond prekindergarten and beginning in the womb
into their elementary years, must work hand-in-hand to make a difference in a
child’s life,” Lauren Moriguchi, Director of the Hawaii Executive Office on
Early Learning, said. “We are grateful for this opportunity to work toward
Hawaii’s vision of a strong infrastructure for a coordinated system that
addresses equitable access to, and transitions between, high-quality programs
and services for all children birth through five statewide and especially our
most vulnerable, to support their health, safety, and readiness for lifelong
learning. The Executive Office on Early Learning looks forward to working
closely with the Hawaii Department of Human Services and the wide range of
public and private stakeholders to build this better system for our children,
our families, and our future.”
Senator Hirono played an
important role in securing robust funding for the Preschool Development Grant
program that was recently reauthorized in the Every Student Succeeds Act in
December 2015. In April 2018, Senator
Hirono led the charge with Senators Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), to
urge the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human
Services, and Education to fully fund the Preschool Development Grant program
and several other childhood education initiatives such as Head Start, Early
Head Start, and the Child Care and Development Block Grant.
In November 2018, Senator Hirono, along with the rest of the
Hawaii delegation, led
a letter of support on behalf of the Hawaii Department of
Human Services to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to advocate
for additional grant funding through the Preschool Development Grant Birth
Through Five program. In the letter, the delegation advocated for funding to
assist Hawaii’s plans to provide new and improve existing programing and
services for children from birth to age five.
As
a nationally recognized leader on early childhood and child care issues,
Senator Hirono is a staunch supporter of early childhood programs for Hawaii’s
children and families. Senator Hirono has consistently advocated for and
supported legislation related to education and child care, and during the 115th
Congress (2017-2018) introduced
legislation with Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.)
that would expand access to affordable child care for families, promote
universal access to high-quality preschool programs for three- and
four-year-olds, and support the early child care workforce. Previously, as
Hawaii’s Lieutenant Governor, she started Pre-Plus, which established public
preschool classrooms on elementary school campuses in the State.
###
