Hawaii officials are emphasizing an upcoming change in the age children can enter kindergarten as an opportunity for late-born pupils to receive an extra year to prepare for school.
Starting next school year, children must be at least 5 on July 31 to enter kindergarten the same year. The current cutoff is Dec. 31. The education department estimates about 5,000 children won’t be entering kindergarten next school year.
Many affected families are worried about how to afford another year of preschool. State officials are looking at the impact on low-income families and exploring ways to reduce the co-pay tiers for the state’s preschool program.
