Maui Economic Opportunity’s Head Start preschool program, which offers
comprehensive early childhood education at no cost to income-qualifying
families, has available openings for preschool age children to attend the
2025-2026 school year, which begins in August.
Children who are or will be 3 or 4 years old by July 31, 2025, are eligible
for the program, which has sites in Haiku, Kahului, UH-Maui College, Kihei,
Lahaina, Makawao, Wailuku and Kaunakakai on Moloka‘i. Limited open slots
are still available, and families are encouraged to apply.
Families and children may qualify for Head Start if they are unhoused or in
temporary shelter, are enrolled in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP), or meet 100% federal income poverty guidelines
for Hawai‘i. Children in foster care are also eligible.
Parents or legal guardians are required to provide the child’s birth
certificate and income verification (preferably 2024 income tax returns or
2024 W-2 forms) and when applicable, TANF, SSI or SNAP benefit history
printouts.
Applications may be completed online at meoinc.org (scroll down to “Quick
Links”). For more information, contact the MEO Head Start office at (808)
249-2988 during office hours, weekdays, 7:15 a.m. to 4 p.m., except on
federal and state holidays.
Makawao Head Start teacher aide Alyssa Meninzor enjoys a field trip to the Maui Tropical Plantation with the children as they learn about different varieties of fruits and vegetables grown in Hawai`i.
