Back on February 27, 1989, I wrote a letter to then-Lieutenant Governor Cayetano sharing my thoughts about early childhood education. At that time, the Berman Report had recommended universal preschool for all 4 and 5-year-olds in Hawaii along with other proposals to improve our public school system. (Article in EdWeek January 18, 1989) Since then, I have been waiting patiently through several Governors who have tried but failed to come up with a plan and funding.
But today, there is hope. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser published a headline story today titled, State to unveil ambitious preschool plan Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke is quoted as saying that the proposal is for “universal access to preschool.” There are still many hurdles to overcome - funding, staffing, classroom space, etc. With the initial funding support from the Legislature for the School Facilities Authority to build more preschool classrooms and an Executive Office of Early Learning that is committed to identify areas with the greatest need, I hope that this year, we will finally make progress on our commitment to narrow the opportunity gap and to make universal access to preschool possible for those who have been left out and left behind. I am hopeful.
I’ve written several blogs about this issue:
Universal Preschool (written January 19, 2013)
My Hopes for Education 2015 (December 26, 2014)
Everyone’s a Critic, But What’s the Real Problem? (February 15, 2015) The link to the op-ed piece “My Two Kids”
Let’s Get Moving on Universal Preschool in Hawaii (March 31, 2019)
