Childcare Options For Essential Hawaiʻi Workers

A new resource for essential workers in need of childcare is now available.

PATCH, the state’s designated Child Care Resource and Referral Agency, worked with licensed and registered providers to determine who is still operating and providing care for keiki of essential workers. The list can be accessed by clicking here.

“According to the Yale School of Medicine, (more than 65,000) children of essential workers birth to age 11 need care in Hawaiʻi,” said Carol Wear, Associate Director of PATCH. “We are getting many calls for child care and understand the urgency in getting this information out to anyone who needs it as quickly as possible.”

This list is being updated on a regular basis. It contains contact information and the ages the program accepts ranging from newborns to age 13. It is accessible to anyone who needs it. Parents can call PATCH’s referral lines for further assistance and information on accessing child care subsidies to help pay for tuition.

If licensed or registered providers are willing to provide care for keiki of essential workers, they can contact PATCH to be placed on the list.

• Hilo – 808-931-3169
• Kona – 808-322-3500
• O‘ahu – 808-839-1988
• Maui – 808-242-9232
• Kaua‘i – 808-246-0622

PATCH is a local non-profit dedicated to supporting and improving the quality and availability of care for the young people of Hawaiʻi. For more information, visit http://www.patchhawaii.org.

About Early Childhood Action Strategy (ECAS): ECAS is a statewide public-private collaborative designed to improve the system of care for Hawaiʻi’s youngest children and their families. For more information, visit https://hawaiiactionstrategy.org/.