Maui Economic Opportunity’s Head Start preschool programs in Ha‘ikū and Lahaina currently have open spaces for children 3 to 5 years old.
The program offers preschool at eight sites on Maui and one on Moloka‘i at no cost to families who meet income and MEO Head Start eligibility criteria. The Head Start program is designed as a two-generational model by providing comprehensive family services and quality early childhood education by empowering families to succeed and be lifelong learners.
Both centers operate 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday to Thursday, and 8 a.m. to noon on Friday. The Ha‘ikū site is located next to Ha‘ikū Elementary and the Lahaina site, on the Princess Nāhi‘ena‘ena Elementary campus.
MEO Head Start is licensed for 20 students per classroom.
Families with children who turned 3 by July 31, 2024, are eligible to apply for the 2024-25 school year. Children entering kindergarten in fall 2026 will be prioritized.
The MEO Head Start application and eligibility criteria is available on the MEO website: www.meoinc.org. For more information, contact the MEO Head Start office at (808) 249-2988.
MEO Head Start is a federally funded program with additional support from the County of Maui.
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U.S. Sen Mazie Hirono converses with Makaala while he works on his salt painting in February at Maui Economic Opportunity’s Lahaina Head Start site. The Lahaina site, which was the only preschool site in Lahaina to survive the wildfires, has openings for preschoolers.
