Deciding which 鶹ýsystem ECE program fits you best will depend a lot on your geographic location and your career goals. Most careers working in licensed early childhood settings, like preschool and childcare centers, require coursework and degrees in ECE as determined by the Department of Human Services Child Care Licensing Program. If you want to teach in Hawaiʻi Department of Education (DOE) preschool classrooms, however, you will need to enroll in a degree program that simultaneously prepares you as an individual to obtain a teaching license through the Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board. The charts below are intended to help folks who are already clear on whether or not they need DOE teacher licensure.
Confused? Not sure if you need a teaching license? It is a confusing system! However, ECE faculty within the 鶹ýsystem can tell you which program will line up with your career goals, so please be sure to ask one of them.
ECE Pathways (Birth through 5 years) not for HTSB License
The programs below are best suited for jobs working in early childhood settings licensed by the and not under the jurisdiction of Hawaiʻi DOE. Your credentials are verified by the .
ECE Pathways that Prepare for HTSB License in P-3
The programs below are suited for individuals interested in working in Hawaiʻi DOE preschool classrooms (EOEL), including charter and Hawaiian language immersion kaiapuni classrooms. The programs below prepare you to obtain a teaching license through the (HTSB).
Many thanks to Robyn Chun, Program Coordinator of Graduate ECE Programs at 鶹ýMānoa College of Education, for creating and sharing these educational pathway charts (revised 10.22.2025).