Maui Economic Opportunity’s Head Start preschool classrooms on Maui and
Moloka`i are not currently impacted by the federal government shutdown and
will remain open.
While some of our Head Start partners have had to close due to funding
issues, MEO’s Head Start operates on a different program year, June 1,
2025, to May 31, 2026, explained MEO CEO Debbie Cabebe. This means that MEO
Head Start is funded for the current school year.
“MEO would like our Head Start parents and the community to know that our
preschool program remains open,” said Cabebe. “This is not the case for
some communities across the nation, forcing families to scramble to secure
child care or to stay home from work.
“We feel for those families and our fellow Head Start programs, which give
low income families the opportunity to thrive and their children the chance
to succeed in school.”
For 60 years, MEO has run Head Start, which is available to 3- and
4-year-olds without charge to income-qualifying families. The program
currently enrolls 180 children annually with sites in Haiku, Makawao,
Wailuku, Kahului, Kihei, Lahaina and Kaunakakai, Moloka`i.
MEO Head Start Makawao center enjoyed the experience of “hands-on” pumpkin
carving on Halloween 2023. Lead Teacher Jennifer McGurn supported the carving process while the keiki assisted with cleaning out the pumpkins.