The Maui News

Pukalani Elementary will be one of 10 public schools to get a state-funded prekindergarten classroom starting in the 2020-21 school year.

With funding appropriated by the state Legislature this year, the Executive Office on Early Learning is partnering with the state Department of Education to open 10 additional public prekindergarten program classrooms for 4-year-olds across the state.

Of the 10, Pukalani is the only Maui County school. However, it will be the fifth in the county to get a pre-K classroom, joining Kula Elementary, Kaunakakai Elementary, Kilohana Elementary and Lanai High and Elementary schools.

EOEL launched Hawaii’s first publicly funded prekindergarten program in the 2014-15 school year. With the addition of the 10 latest schools, the program will have 36 classrooms serving 720 students statewide.

Schools are selected through a competitive application process that considers community need, including the percentage of at-risk and underserved children in the population; the availability of nearby early learning programs for 4-year-olds; availability of space on the school campus; and the principal’s commitment to implementing a high-quality prekindergarten program, including through active participation in professional development sessions offered by EOEL. EOEL also works with other early learning programs in the community as well as other grade levels to sustain positive child outcomes.

Details for families to apply for the 2020-21 school year will be announced in the spring. For more information, visit earlylearning.hawaii.gov/eoel-public-prekindergarten-program.