The end of the year is an ideal time for reflection on strides made in the fight for economic security, quality care and education for Hawaii’s keiki and families. In the last legislative session, lawmakers passed bills that directly helped families struggling with basic needs. Necessary steps were taken on behalf of working families, such as earned income tax credit (EITC), food tax credit, and improvements to child and dependent care credit.

Although wins were celebrated, it is difficult to overlook the road ahead, especially during the holidays. Parents want to celebrate with joy but balancing the need to provide for gifts and holiday traditions while continuing to pay for housing and food seems impossible. The fact of the matter is that Hawaii still has lots of catching up to do when it comes to economic well-being for families.

In the National Annie E. Casey Foundation 2023 KIDS COUNT Data Book, our state ranked in the bottom 10 of the nation for children’s economic well-being reflecting a direct correlation between costs for child care/preschool and a family’s ability to spend or even save.

Since 1990, the Kids Count Data Book has ranked U.S. states based on how children and families are faring in four areas: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors. The data is alarming — Hawaii parents face astronomical child care costs. This heavy financial burden leaves parents with little to nothing left to care for their families. When our keiki grow up in economically unstable conditions, it can threaten their future education or employment options.

The four indicators that comprise the children’s economic well-being domain and help explain Hawaii’s rank at 44th in this domain are:

>> 39% of Hawaii children lived in households that spend more than 30% of their income on housing, reflecting Hawaii’s affordable housing crisis.

>> Teens ages 16 to 19 not attending school and not working: In 2021, 10% of Hawaii’s teens were not in school and not working, placing them at 44th in the nation.

>> 31% of Hawaii children lived in families where no parent was fully employed.

>> 14% of Hawaii’s children lived in households with incomes below the poverty line. Hawaii ranks better than the U.S. average in child poverty, at 18th in the nation, largely because the official poverty level does not factor in the high cost of living here.

Additionally, children of child care professionals are often at a huge disadvantage when it comes to economic well-being and security. Those working in child care are some of the worst paid in the state. Median pay for this sector in Hawaii was $14.56 an hour in 2022, $2 to $3 an hour less than the typical wage for retail and customer service workers. Now, think about these professionals who have children and families of their own to support. It’s an unimaginable struggle to get by on a daily basis, let alone during the holidays.

Last legislative session, our lawmakers made significant changes by implementing tax credits for low- to middle-income families, putting more money in the hands of working families. Which is why we are hopeful that they will continue to prioritize families. Let’s now move the needle to increase early education professionals’ pay, expand child care, and enact paid family and sick leave.

The data we see is only a reflection of our current circumstance. We always have the opportunity to change how Hawaii supports its parents, keiki and families with every policy decision. We need to unite our voice and use our collective power to ensure no family is left behind, especially during the holiday season when financial comfort and security matters the most. Hawaii’s families are some of the hardest-working in the nation. We often have no choice because of the cost of living here. The change we enact must reward that sacrifice with real economic and empathetic support.

Regina Blanchard-Walker is family leader of the ‘Ohana Leadership Council; Deborah Zysman is executive director of the Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network.