Following Schatz-McMahon agreement, Hawaiʻi providers set to receive $30M in federal funding by Friday

Following an agreement between US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, the US Department of Education finalized an extension to fully fund the Native Hawaiian Education Program for another year and today awarded $29.7 million of that funding, which is set to go to Hawai‘i providers by Friday.

The remaining funding from the extension agreement is expected to be released in the coming weeks. Federal funding for the Native Hawaiian Education Program supports more than 60 early childhood education sites across Hawai‘i and sustains other critical education programs, including home visiting for children under 5, workforce development for parents, and Hawaiian language immersion programs. The federally funded programs serve more than 3,000 Hawai‘i families.

“This is good news for Hawai‘i. This money helps thousands of young kids develop learning skills and gives Native Hawaiian families more affordable child care options,” said Schatz, vice chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “I’m grateful to Secretary McMahon for working with us to protect this funding and will continue fighting every day to make sure Hawai‘i gets its fair share of federal dollars.”

The agreement follows threats of cuts to Native Hawaiian programs across the federal government. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Schatz has been leading efforts to protect funding for Hawai‘i.