Children

A universal school meals program has been proposed at the Legislature before, and itʻs usually met with pushback from state Department of Education officials due to concerns about the logistics and costs.

Office of Hawaiian Education Director Kauʻi Sang talks about the Kaiapuni placement request process; HPR’s Maui Nui reporter Catherine Cluett Pactol reports on a Hawaiian language immersion classroom on Molokaʻi

Ed Noh, the executive director of the Hawaiʻi State Public Charter School Commission, said enrollment in the 40 charter schools across the state is trending up, while enrollment in traditional public schools is trending down.

Hundreds of high schoolers across Oʻahu gathered after school Friday to protest recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement violence. The student-led gathering gained popularity on social media.

A new youth-to-youth crisis line just launched in Hawaiʻi to support mental health for young people — and 12 trained youth from Maui are volunteering. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol has the story.

Supporters of the bill say that youth mental health in Hawaiʻi has gotten worse over the past decade — with heightened anxiety and depression surrounding COVID-19 and the Lahaina wildfire — but they believe there aren’t enough resources to match the need.

Writer and illustrator Erzsi Kuba Palko spoke with HPR’s Lillian Tsang about her keiki book “Under the ʻŌhiʻa Tree.”

The state's Executive Office on Early Learning reported that there are 2,275 available seats for preschool-aged keiki. But as of this month, there are close to 5,000 applications.

Heather Peske, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, spoke to HPR's DW Gibson about a report that highlights the lack of paid parental leave for teachers across the country.

The first annual Nā Pua Mele O Hawaiʻi Song contest, hosted by Mana Maoli, brought in nearly 70 high school applicants from across the state and country.