Hawaii is a great place for quality child care. While only 10 percent of child care centers in the United States are nationally accredited, Hawaii boasts a whopping 22 percent of nationally accredited centers. This gives parents the peace of mind knowing that their children are being cared for in a center that meets quality standards.
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While only a little over ¼ of all families in Hawaii are single-parent families, it is important to note that almost ½ of all Hawaiian families have each parent of the household working in the labor force, whether it is a one-parent or two-parent household. This means that half of all families in Hawaii could potentially need child care.
It is estimated that over 61,000 children in Hawaii need child care. With only 603 child care centers in the state, child care would be a challenge if it weren’t for the family child care homes available.
The 541 family child care homes help ease some of the burden, and are obviously a popular choice in the state. Only nine percent of available child care spaces are in family child care homes. All other spaces available are in child care centers.
Cost may be one factor when looking for child care in Hawaii, as it is typically much more expensive for infant child care in a center than in a family child care home. While both choices are on the more expensive side for child care in the United States, infant care in centers is approximately 75 percent more expensive than care in a family child care home.
It is interesting to note that there is no difference between child care centers and family child care homes when it comes to costs in care for a 4-year-old child. Each cost the same as the average annual tuition for a public four-year college: around $7400 per year.
When not in child care, some fun things for families to do together in Hawaii include visiting the Honolulu Zoo or Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park in Kapolei, and going to Waikiki Beach. Whatever you choose to do, Hawaii is a quality place for children when spending time apart from parents in child care and together as a family.
