Statewide Pre-K Needs Analysis

CHALLENGE

In 2023, Hawaiʻi committed to universal access to public prekindergarten through the Ready Keiki initiative, charging the Hawaiʻi School Facilities Authority (SFA) with delivering classrooms quickly, equitably, and at scale. The challenge was not only how many classrooms to build, but where to place them so keiki could access programs close to home, across a geography of island isolation, uneven density, and a public school portfolio not originally designed for early learners. Without a defensible statewide picture of demand, capacity, and gaps, the program risked spreading investment too thin or concentrating it where need was already met.

APPROACH

MKThink built a statewide needs analysis integrating 2028 projections for the 3- and 4-year-old population, enrollment and capacity at every existing public Pre-K program, planned classroom conversions, and job density patterns shaping where families seek care. Each zip code was evaluated against an 80 percent access target. Findings were translated into long-range strategies organized into two delivery tracks, retrofits of existing facilities and new builds, each evaluated against eight performance criteria including cost per student, implementation timeline, location desirability, and access to age-appropriate outdoor play.

RESULT

The analysis identified 37 zip codes that would remain underserved even after SFA's second batch of rapid-delivery classroom conversions. Reaching the 80 percent access target required 330 additional classrooms statewide, including 230 in Honolulu County. Translated into a phased deployment roadmap, the findings gave SFA a defensible basis for prioritizing investment, sequencing delivery, and communicating progress to the legislature and public. Since the program's launch in 2023, Hawaiʻi has more than quadrupled its public Pre-K classroom count.