Much-needed child care programs in West Maui are now open for registration and subsidy assistance.
Three new classrooms have opened with support from Maui County through the West Maui Early Childhood Collective.
Located at Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary School, the collective’s efforts are part of an initiative to restore and expand child care and early childhood education following last year’s wildfires.
The fires resulted in the loss of 255 licensed child care spots for young children. Reestablishing those opportunities was a top priority, and the collective was formally established last October.
“Early on, we recognized that child care was essential for the recovery of Lahaina,” said Maui County Early Childhood Resource Coordinator Kaʻina Bonacorsi.
“The entire workforce is dependent on reliable child care. Teachers being able to teach — they need to have the peace of mind knowing they have a place to send their own little ones.”
Since then, over 100 child care spots have been restored in Lahaina — more than 80 of which are at the Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena campus.
Three different childcare and preschool programs are now open there: Maui Family Support Services (MFSS) Early Head Start, Kamaʻāina Kids and ‘Aha Pūnana Leo ‘O Lahaina.
“Child care has been a priority for our residents, even more so after the fire,” said Mayor Richard Bissen in a statement. “Our goal is to make sure our keiki have access to comprehensive care and education, so they can build on a strong foundation to achieve future success in life.”
Maui Family Support Services Early Head Start is for keiki ages 6 weeks to 3 years old and is free for eligible families. Limited space is available, and enrollment is still open. For more information, click here or call (808) 242-0900.
Kamaʻāina Kids is open for children ages 6 weeks to 3 years old and is tuition-based. Space is currently available. For more information, email lahaina@kamaainakids.com or call (808) 425-1474.
‘Aha Pūnana Leo ‘O Lahaina is currently accepting applications for its Kula Kamaliʻi Child Care Center for keiki ages 3 to 4 years old. The program is tuition-based. For more information, click here.
MFSS is offering a dedicated subsidy for the Kamaʻāina Kids program at Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena. Eligible families will have a reduced co-payment based on family information provided with their application. Families who meet the qualifying criteria will be prioritized for assistance. To start the application process, email countysubsidy@mfss.org to request a link to the program’s eligibility screen, which will further outline qualifying criteria, required information and steps to apply.
