$46M in federal funding secured for Native Hawaiian education programs

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Funding cuts to more than 60 Native Hawaiian education programs have been avoided after the U.S. Department of Education secretary agreed to keep the program fully funded, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon guaranteed $46 million to keep the programs fully funded for at least another year, Schatz said. The money will go to 60 early childhood education sites across Hawaii.

Schatz said the funding will also help sustain programs including home visiting for children under 5, workforce development for parents and Hawaiian language immersion programs, benefiting more than 3,000 Hawaii families.

“This is good news for Hawaii. This money helps thousands of young kids develop learning skills and gives Native Hawaiian families more affordable child care options,” Schatz said. “I’m grateful to Secretary McMahon for working with us to protect this funding and will continue fighting every day to make sure Hawaii gets its fair share of federal dollars.”

The potential cuts threatened nonprofits like Partners in Development Foundation, which runs the traveling preschool Tutu and Me.