Hawaiʻi is spending $417 less on services per child compared to 2005, report says

The report's lead researcher, and former executive director of the Hawaiʻi Budget and Policy Center, Beth Giesting, says they focused on a handful of programs that ensure a child's well-being in budget and expenditure reports.

“That includes public education, economic security programs like housing and child care, children's protection programs like CPS,” she told HPR. “But also programs for at-risk youth and Medicaid health care programs.”

Giesting says they adjusted 2005's budget for inflation to give a more accurate comparison to fiscal year 2022. The report found the state budgeted $10,562 per child in FY22 — that's a $417 decline from 2005.

Giesting says if nothing is done, the decline in how much is spent on support programs will continue.

The report makes several recommendations state lawmakers could take to reverse the trend, such as earned income tax credits, reinvesting in programs for at-risk youth, and maximizing federal subsidies for food, utilities and child care.