#maui head start

Maui Economic Opportunity’s Head Start preschool program, which offers comprehensive early childhood education at no cost to income-qualifying families, has available openings for preschool age children to attend the 2025-2026 school year, beginning in August.

The CEOs of two major social service nonprofits on Maui claim the Trump Administration may eliminate a local program that offers preschool at no cost to low income families.

Maui County’s Community Action Agency, Maui Economic Opportunity, was praised as a “second government” for its far-reaching work assisting county residents in need by Maui County Council members, who declared May as Community Action Month.

Maui Economic Opportunity’s Head Start, a 100% subsidized preschool program for low income families, will begin accepting applications for the 2023-24 school year beginning Wednesday, Feb, 1, 2023.

A former Head Start student is now a teacher aide for the program. After 18 years, she was reunited with her own teacher, who worked there when she was a kid.

There are three honorees from Maui: Cristina and Devin Pagaduan, owners of Pastele House Maui; Maui Family Support Services, Inc. Early Head Start; and Debbi Amaral, Director of Maui Economic Opportunity Head Start.

Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. will hold a Family Engagement and Cultural Effectiveness Conference event on Oct. 28 through 30, 2015, at the Westin Maui in Lahaina. It is expected that 250 Head Start and Early Head Start professionals from the Mainland US, to the Outer Pacific Islands and Hawai‘i will attend.

The US Department of Health and Human Services will be awarding Maui Economic Opportunity with a $2.01 million grant for its Head Start services for eligible children and families in Maui County.