HI HR123

Urges Hawaii state departments and agencies to include dedicated day care facilities for both adults and children when designing state buildings that will employ or house 250 or more persons.

Hawaii childcare costs average approximately $22,585 annually for infant care and $17,925 for toddler care, exceeding 20% of median household income compared to the federal affordability benchmark of 7%.

Licensed childcare providers currently serve only about 19,597 children under age five, while over 56,000 children in that age group have all available parents working, leaving roughly two-thirds without access to licensed care.

The resolution encourages state agencies to partner with licensed childcare and adult day care providers to operate services within state facilities and to integrate dedicated care spaces into capital improvement projects.

Hawaii faces a 25-30% workforce shortage in licensed childcare providers, and the high cost of land and construction remains a major barrier to expanding care services statewide.