• Share of keiki on track with their well-child visits
• Share of keiki receiving developmental screenings in the past 12 months

Our families and parents are accessing supports and education they need.

A safe and secure environment is important for early childhood development because it helps children feel valued and able to take risks that are necessary for learning and exploration. Here are some ways that family safety and security support early childhood development: 

• Children who feel safe are able to focus their attention, learn new things, and take intellectual risks.  
• Children who feel safe are able to develop effective strategies for interacting with others and building relationships with their peers.  
• Children who feel valued and affirmed have higher self-esteem.  
• Children who have secure relationships in early childhood tend to perform better on critical thinking tests through age seventeen.

Safety and security are regarding adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that occur in childhood and influence healthy development.  Adverse Childhood Experiences include an inability to afford the basic necessities of living, experiencing violence, abuse or neglect, or having a family member die, spend time in prison, or suffer with a substance use or mental health condition. 

Across Hawaii, some 15.8% of children under 18, and 6.5% of children under 5 have experienced 2 or more adverse childhood events. Statewide, there were 4.1 confirmed cases of child abuse or neglect for every 1,000 children in 2022. 

Keiki are engaged with learning early & access a variety of opportunities before kindergarten.

High-quality, enriching early care and learning experiences can support a child’s development in many ways.

High quality ECE programs can help narrow achievement gaps. 

Research shows that 90% of the architecture of the brain develops in the first five years of a child’s life. ECE programs can help strengthen brain development by providing a safe and nurturing environment, and providing an opportunity to express curiosity and creativity.  

ECE programs can help children develop social-emotional skills by encouraging interactions with peers, teachers, and caregivers.  

Children who attend ECE may do better in school and have higher rates of high school graduation.  

In turn, children who attend ECE and attain higher levels of education have higher earning potential as adults

Children who attend ECE may be less likely to need remedial education or special services later.

IECE programs can help children be better prepared for school. 

• Early learning and education program enrollment
• Attendance
• Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA) scores
• Gr. 3 proficiency scores

Statewide, families have a difficult time accessing affordable childcare. Roughly 65% of Hawaii’s 88,841 children under age five (56,858) live in families where all adults are working. In turn, these children will spend significant hours each week in out of home care while there parents are at work. As of June, 2024, there were 696 child care providers registered with the Department of Human Services, with a combined capacity to care for 19,716 children under age 5. Where childcare is available, its cost often falls beyond the means of Hawaii’s families. A typical family in Hawaii with two working parents would need to pay close to 20% of their income to childcare for two children.