Maui Economic Opportunity’s Head Start preschool program was notified this
week that federal funding has been secured for the 2025-26 school year.
Head Start is a national program that provides preschool for 3- and
4-year-olds at no cost to income-qualifying families. Local Head Start
officials have been fielding questions about the status of the program for
next school year amid cost-cutting at the federal level.
The federal notice of $2.7 million in funding allays some of the fears for
the upcoming school year that begins in August and ends in May 2026. The
money will allow MEO to continue to offer preschool to 180 children and
their families in classrooms at Eddie Tam Memorial Complex in Makawao,
Haiku Elementary, Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center in Wailuku,
Kihei Elementary, Luana Gardens in Kahului, Princess Nahienaena Elementary
in Lahaina, UH-Maui College, Wailuku Elementary, and MEO Moloka`i in
Kaunakakai.
MEO Head Start also is slated to receive $1.1 million from the County of
Maui in the 2025-26 budget to extend the school day and year for all 180
children.
Head Start is one of MEO’s first programs, operating since 1965, and takes
a holistic approach that focuses on readying the child for kindergarten and
educational success as well as assisting the family. Parents are able to
secure employment or complete their educational goals to achieve
self-sufficiency while contributing to the local workforce. Head Start
also assists with the family’s basic needs, offers parenting classes and
involves parents in their child’s education through classroom groups and
the countywide Head Start Policy Council.
There are a few spots remaining for the 2025-26 school year for children
who are 3 or 4 years old by July 31, 2025.
Other qualifications include families and children who 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 also are eligible. Families who are
rent burdened also may qualify.
“We are so pleased that Head Start was funded by the federal government for
next school year,” said CEO Debbie Cabebe. “There have been some anxious
moments but the federal notice provides assurance that MEO Head Start will
continue for our 61st year. We are grateful to the Maui County
Administration and County Council for their ongoing support and commitment
to the children and families.”
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.