{"id":179950,"date":"2023-07-06T16:28:35","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T02:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=179950"},"modified":"2023-07-06T16:28:35","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T02:28:35","slug":"600k-supports-ece-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2023\/07\/06\/600k-supports-ece-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"$600K<\/abbr> supports early childhood workforce initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Sen.<\/abbr> Michelle N. Kidani and Lt. Gov.<\/abbr> Sylvia Luke play with the keiki at the 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Children’s Center (Photo credit: Office of Lieutenant Governor)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

State officials and community stakeholders celebrated funding for the Early Childhood Educator Stipend Program, an initiative to boost the state\u2019s Early Childhood workforce, on July 6 at the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa Children\u2019s Center, the on-campus preschool. The Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL<\/abbr>) received $660,000 in funding from the state budget, signed by Gov.<\/abbr> Josh Green on June 30.<\/p>\n

EOEL<\/abbr> launched the program in partnership with the 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa College of Education<\/a> (COE<\/abbr>) in time for the 2023 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> summer sessions. The program provides stipends to eligible 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> students enrolled in a certificate, degree or license program in early childhood education (ECE<\/abbr>), including those focused on Hawaiian language. It is the first publicly funded tuition stipend program available for practitioners in the early childhood field. Initial funding was generously donated by the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“We are grateful for this stipend program helping us complete a higher education degree. It helps practitioners who are starting out in their education as well as existing practitioners to achieve higher credentials,” stated in a joint statement by Malia Pimentel, Sheri Funasaki, Hazel Hernadez and Sarah Starr, early childhood educators who are current recipients of the program. “It recognizes that our knowledge in early childhood is an essential part of providing quality services to young children and we are committed to being well informed about the research of our field and equipped with practices to positively support all keiki and their families.”<\/p>\n