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Early Childhood Education in Hawaii
These pages summarize rules to help you plan. They are not legal advice. Before you place students at a work site or change a program, check with your state agency, your district's counsel and your insurance carrier.
In short
Hawaii has no early childhood program of study; schools build it into Education programs or college dual enrollment, and aides count in ratio at 16 under the proposed rule.
State program: No early childhood program; Teaching As a Profession and Learning Support Professionals (Education cluster)
What a high school can deliver
Coursework within an Education program and dual enrollment; CDA eligibility depends on the sequence counting as early childhood CTE.
Credentials students can earn
No program credential list; CDA plus 6 months of experience is one route to assistant teacher at 18 (proposed rule: Changing)
Age and hour requirements
Aides 16+ count in ratio; directors, teachers and assistant teachers 18+ (HAR 17-892.2, from 2021 proposed text; check against the rule adopted June 6, 2024).
Other agencies involved
DHS Child Care Licensing (HAR 17-892.2); programs licensed or certified by the Department of Education are exempt (HRS 346-152(3)); lab preschool: Confirm with the agency.
Who can teach it
CTE Permit in one of the 13 HTSB fields; whether early childhood falls within the Education field: Confirm with the agency.
Child labor rules for work placements
Certificate of Age (eCL-3) online at 16-17; no hour limits except school hours. Background checks under HAR 17-801-5 before starting, with no age exemption; how minors are fingerprinted: Confirm with the agency.
College credit after high school
UH community college early childhood programs through Early College (not researched; Confirm with the agency).
Where to go next
- The full Early Childhood Education guide, showing Hawaii
- The Hawaii state profile
- Add this pathway to your plan
Early Childhood Education in other states
Other pathways in Hawaii
- Nurse Aide / Patient Care
- EMT
- Electrical
- Welding
- Construction and Carpentry
- HVAC/R
- Cybersecurity / Networking
- Programming / Computer Science
- Automotive
- Medical and Dental Assisting
- Cosmetology
- Agriculture
- Culinary and Hospitality
- Machining and Mechatronics
- Engineering and Drafting
- Firefighting
- Law, Public Safety and Corrections
- Business Management and Marketing
- Entrepreneurship
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