Pre-Plus
Document Actions
Overview:
Pre-Plus has expanded access to affordable and high-quality early childhood education for three to four year old children from low-income families across the State. The program is a public-private partnership to develop and build preschool facilities on public elementary school campuses and contract private preschool providers to operate them. The state agencies directly involved with Pre-Plus are the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS), the Department of Education (DOE) and the Department of Human Services (DHS).
History:
The concept of Pre-Plus was initially developed in 2001 when State and private agencies such as the Good Beginnings Alliance, Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children, Head Start, and the legislature’s Keiki Caucus, began collaborating on the development of workable solutions to the lack of spaces in existing preschools to accommodate the growing number of children needing early childhood education programs. The efforts of this partnership was rewarded in May 2002 when the legislature appropriated $5 million dollars of Capitol Improvement Project funds for two years, $2.5 million dollars in fiscal year 2003 and another $2.5 million dollars in fiscal year 2004, to build preschools on elementary school campuses throughout the State. The Lt. Governor’s office assumed planning oversight of this project until December 2002, when the project oversight was transferred to the DHS where it is presently housed.
A total of seventeen preschools were built with the money appropriated for this program. Thirteen of the Pre-Plus facilities are on Oahu, two on Hawaii, and one each on Maui and Kauai. Each facility is designed to accommodate a minimum of twenty (20) children, in accordance with the DHS licensing regulations. Together they have increased the number of preschool spaces and added enrollment opportunities for 350 preschool aged children.
Pre-Plus Philosophy and Goals of Service:
All of Hawai`i’s children should have the opportunity to attend a quality early childhood education program. With a positive preschool experience, the children will be healthy, curious, socially aware, and READY to start Kindergarten with their classmates.
The goals of Pre-Plus are to:
- Expand the number of preschool enrollment opportunities for disadvantaged children ages 3 and 4 years old;
- Provide quality child care programs in which children are safe, healthy, and ready to succeed;
- Promote school readiness and prepare children for a successful transition into Kindergarten.
Target Population and Enrollment:
Pre-Plus was built on the premise that it would provide preschool opportunities to disadvantaged children who in the past would not have that opportunity due to lack of financial resources and availability of services. Given this, the target population for Pre-Plus is all children, ages 3 and 4, who are not currently attending preschool, and priority for enrollment is given to those children whose family income falls at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (or FPL). This is the income eligibility limit for Head Start services and is roughly 75% of the State Median Income (SMI) limit. Child Care Connection Hawaii and Preschool Open Doors income eligibility limits are at 85% SMI, by size of family, meaning that most of the families would also qualify for DHS child care subsidy assistance.
DOE and DHS are contracting with the Honolulu Community Action Program - Oahu Head Start to provide preschool services at ten of the thirteen Oahu Pre-Plus facilities. The other three contracted providers on Oahu are Seagull Schools, Inc., Kama’aina Care, Inc., and Parents and Children Together (PACT) – Head Start. On the neighbor islands, Kama’aina Care, Inc., Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. (MEO), and Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council Inc. (HCEOC), operate the Pre-Plus programs. Together the seventeen Pre-Plus programs have increased the number of preschool spaces and added enrollment opportunities for 350 preschool aged children.
Enrollment priority is given to children who reside in the school district of the Pre-Plus site, although children may be accepted from any school district. For more information regarding a specific Pre-Plus site, please contact the specific service provider contracted to operate the preschool.
Pre-Plus facility locations and service providers:
Oahu
- Aiea Elementary School
- Ewa Elementary School
- Jefferson Elementary School
- Ka`ala Elementary School
- Kailua Elementary School
- Kuhio Elementary School
- Salt Lake Elementary School
- Wahiawa Elementary School
- Waiau Elementary School
- Waimanalo Elementary School
Contact Honolulu Community Action Program, Inc. (HCAP) at (808) 847-2400
- Fern Elementary School
Contact Parents and Children Together (PACT) at (808) 842-5996
- Kapolei Elementary School
Contact Seagull Schools, Inc. at (808) 261-8535
- Waipahu Elementary School
Contact Kama`aina Care, Inc. at (808) 262-4538
Hawai`i
- Keonepoko Elementary School
Contact Kama`aina Care, Inc. at (808) 262-4538
- Mountain View Elementary School
Contact Hawai`i County Economic Opportunity Council, Inc. at (808) 961-2686
Kauai
- Kilauea Elementary School
Contact Child and Family Service at (808) 240-2817
Maui
- Lihikai Elementary School
Contact Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. at (808) 249-2988
For more information you may also contact:
Call the Pre-Plus Program Coordinator, Marja Leivo, at (808) 586-7112 or send Email to mleivo@dhs.hawaii.gov.
