MEO Early Childhood Services Director Debbi Amaral retiring after 30-year career

Thousands of Maui County residents from low income families can thank Maui Economic Opportunity Director of Early Childhood Services Debbi Amaral ‒ who will be retiring later this month ‒ for getting a “head start” with subsidized preschool.

For the last 30 years, Amaral has devoted her life to providing quality child care, education and family support and has helped families and children weather community and personal crises. She has been director of Head Start programs on Maui and Molokaʻi for 3 and 4 year olds and the Kahi Kamaliʻi Infant Toddler Center at the J. Walter Cameron Center in Wailuku for the last 21 years.

“Giving young children in our community a foundation for their school years and future success is Debbi’s life’s work and legacy,” said MEO CEO Debbie Cabebe. “As director, much of Debbi’s work is behind the scenes but the continued operation of Head Start and Kahi Kamaliʻi through good times and bad, such as the Lahaina wildfires and COVID-19, attest to her leadership skills and devotion to our community’s young children.”

Amaral has faithfully and successfully carried the mantle of Head Start, which is one of MEO’s charter programs that began in 1965. Head Start provides preschool to children who come from low income families and are homeless and fostered. Besides the traditional preschool experience, Head Start supports the entire family with parenting classes and supportive services and gives parents a say in their child’s educational experience. Head Start is federally funded with Maui County providing grants to expand services. 

Opening in 2003, Kahi Kamaliʻi offers child care for children 1 to 3 years of age. Maui County provides funds to lower the cost to families; tuition assistance is available.

Amaral joined MEO in 1995 as Head Start Education and Disability Coordinator and was promoted to Assistant Director of Early Childhood Services in 2002 and to Director in 2005. Currently, she oversees nine Head Start sites with 180 children at Haiku, Kihei and Wailuku Elementary; Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary in Lahaina; UH-Maui College in Kahului, Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center in Wailuku, Hale Mahaolu’s Luana Gardens in Kahului; and MEO Molokaʻi in Kaunakakai.

Kahi Kamaliʻi is licensed for 15 children.

There have been major challenges in recent years. Following the August 2023 Lahaina wildfires, MEO’s Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Head Start site was the only preschool to survive in town and reopened in February 2024. COVID-19 in 2021 closed Head Start sites, but Amaral quickly set up health and safety protocols, created curriculum for virtual sites, secured laptops and hot spots for families, and organized drive-thru food giveaways and weekend meals through the Maui Food Bank.

Hiring credentialed site leaders became an issue for Head Start so Amaral secured a $105,000 federal grant to support 10 individuals to earn their Child Development Associate certification.

To support services for enrolled children and families, Amaral established a partnership with the Association for Infant Mental Hawai`i to become MEO’s mental health consultant.  Amaral prioritized program funding to purchase a SPOT camera to improve visual screening efficiency of preschoolers. 

In 2021, Amaral was named one of 11 Champions of Children for Early Learning, presented by the Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network, and completed a Head Start Johnson & Johnson Management Fellows Program in 2008 through the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. She served as president of the Head Start Association of Hawaiʻi from 2011-19 and has held other officer positions since 2006.

Amaral earned her associate degree in human services with an emphasis in early childhood from Maui Community College, now UH Maui College. Prior to joining MEO, she got experience as a teacher and teacher’s aide at Kahului and Wailuku Union, Iao and Kahului Baptist preschool programs.

She will be retiring at the end of the school year later this month. Amaral will be succeeded as director by Early Childhood Services Assistant Director Alex Domingo.

“It’s been an honor and privilege to represent our MEO Early Childhood Services department for Maui County,” said Amaral. “Mahalo to my many mentors throughout my career as a teacher aide, lead teacher, assistant director and program director.

“In addition, my sincere gratitude to our many community partners for providing valuable resources to enhance program services. Our communities are stronger when we work together in partnership to provide access to services that benefit children and families.”