Forty-four free, public preschool classrooms are slated to open across the state, with at least one classroom on each island. This marks a historic number of new public pre-K classrooms opening in a single year. The announcement was made Friday at Kūhiō Elementary School by Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who is leading the state’s Ready Keiki initiative, along with the Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL) and Ready Keiki partners.

This tranche of openings follows 11 classrooms that opened last year, all of which were completed under budget and ahead of schedule. The 44 new classrooms will add 820 seats to the inventory of public pre-K seats across the state, bringing the total to 1,767.

 “This is the most public preschools the state has ever opened in one year. It’s a testament to the need for early learning opportunities across our state to ensure that every child can be ready for their future,” said Lt. Gov. Luke. “The 820 pre-K seats being added this year is just one step in our continuous work to ensure that every keiki, now and in the future, has the tools and learning opportunities to succeed.”

Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL) Director Yuuko Arikawa-Cross has been leading the effort to expand the state’s Public Pre-K Program. “This expansion reflects our commitment to providing early learning opportunities to all children in Hawaiʻi,” said Arikawa-Cross. “We are dedicated to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for every child.”

 Highlights of the EOEL public preschools opening for the 2024-2025 school year include:

• 34 of the 44 new classrooms will open at Title I schools.
• The first EOEL Hawaiian Language Public Pre-K classrooms will open at Blanche Pope and Lānaʻi High & Elementary.
• Three of the 11 sites that opened last school year are adding an additional classroom due to continued interest at Blanche Pope, Honowai, and Wailuku.
• The following areas will open their first public preschool classroom: Kāne‘ohe, Pearl City, Makakilo, South Maui, North Shore Maui, and West Moloka‘i.
• The ‘Aiea-Moanalua-Radford complex area will increase from one to five classrooms.
• Up to 160 seats will be nearby or along the commute route to Honolulu’s working areas.

 The 44 new public pre-K classrooms will open at the following campuses: