Hawai’i
Working families in Hawai’i need accessible, affordable, quality child care and early learning opportunities for their children.
Currently, federal and state early learning programs reach thousands of young children and their families in Hawaii. But too many working families in Hawai’i are missing out. As a direct result of child care issues, the Hawai’i economy loses millions of dollars each year in the form of lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.
There are 100K children ages 5 and under in Hawai’i – 62% of these children have all available parents in the workforce.
The typical annual cost of child care for an infant in Hawai’i is around $22,000.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant only reaches 17% of eligible families in Hawai’i. (This federal program helps low-income parents afford child care.)
On average, child care providers in Hawai’i earn just $36,070 a year; this can make it a challenge to recruit and retain this workforce, leading to supply issues.
Hawaii’s economy loses $476M annually due to child care challenges
Hawai’i: In The Headlines
Hawaii among most expensive states for child care costs
KITV | oCTOBER 28, 2024
Hawaii is among the top three states with the most expensive child care for infants.
Closing preschool gap has economic benefits
Spectrum Hawaii | August 2, 2024
More than 8,000 eligible Hawaii children do not attend preschool due to high costs and limited availability of spots in desired programs.
Child care costs continue to soar in Hawaiʻi
Hawai’i Public Radio | oCTOBER 10, 2024
One of the topics some researchers are looking to address is the soaring cost of child care in Hawaiʻi, which some call a crisis.
Hawai’i Resources & News
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