Affordable, conveniently located, and high quality early childhood care and education (ECE) supports the well-being of children, families, and communities. Equitable deployment of ECE resources requires an understanding of where needs are greatest. This is especially important as Hawai‘i moves towards universal access to ECE by 2032, starting first with children in underserved communities.

This project provides new methods for measuring the availability, affordability, and quality of ECE programs within a set distance of a prototypical family home. An interactive mapping web tool shows how ECE access is distributed in communities across the state. These fine-grained data will help policymakers and the ECE community plan and monitor the strategic expansion of ECE services.

This project is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Collaborators include the Hawai‘i Children’s Action Network and advisory committees of local and national stakeholders.