Preschool open doors program; provider accreditation
HRS §346-184
in effect346-184. Preschool open doors program; provider accreditation
(a) Each service provider of the preschool open doors program shall be accredited or shall obtain accreditation within seven calendar years of first receiving any funds from the preschool open doors program; provided that any existing service provider unaccredited on July 1, 2022, shall commence the accreditation process no later than July 1, 2029, and obtain accreditation by July 1, 2034; provided further that the director may grant to any service provider one or more extensions to obtain accreditation on a case-by-case basis.
(b) Accreditation under this section shall be
obtained from one or more of the following national early learning accrediting
organizations:
(1) National Association for the Education of Young
Children;
(2) National Early Childhood Program Accreditation;
(3) National Association for Family Child Care; or
(4) An accrediting organization approved by the
director.
(c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and
(b), a service provider may receive or continue to receive funding through the
preschool open doors program if the service provider maintains a satisfactory
performance rating under the Classroom Assessment Scoring System developed by
the University of Virginia and performed in conformance with United States
Department of Health and Human Services guidelines.
(d) The department shall provide operational
and financial support to service providers to assist the service providers in
obtaining accreditation. The department may contract with a private entity to
assist service providers in obtaining accreditation.
[L 2020, c 46, pt of §7;
am L 2021, c 210, §7; am L 2023, c 169, §5 and c 171, §1]
Source: Hawaii State Legislature (capitol.hawaii.gov), via Internet Archive capturesURL: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol07_Ch0346-0398/HRS0346/HRS_0346-0184.htmFetched: 11/10/2026