MEO Head Start Preschool Remains Open

MEO News Release

Maui Economic Opportunity’s Head Start preschool classrooms on Maui and Molokai are not currently impacted by the federal government shutdown and will remain open.

While some of our Head Start partners have had to close due to funding issues, MEO’s Head Start operates on a different program year, June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026, explained MEO CEO Debbie Cabebe. This means that MEO Head Start is funded for the current school year.

“MEO would like our Head Start parents and the community to know that our preschool program remains open,” Cabebe said. “This is not the case for some communities across the nation, forcing families to scramble to secure childcare or to stay home from work.

“We feel for those families and our fellow Head Start programs, which give low-income families the opportunity to thrive and their children the chance to succeed in school.”

For 60 years, MEO has run Head Start, which is available to 3- and 4-year-olds without charge to income-qualifying families. The program currently enrolls 180 children annually with sites in Haiku, Makawao, Wailuku, Kahului, Kihei, Lahaina and Kaunakakai, Molokai.