The University of Hawai'i Board of Regents has unanimously approved a bachelor's degree program in early childhood education for the UH-West O'ahu campus in hopes of training more Head Start professionals.

"There is a clear workforce need for more preschool teachers," Joseph Mobley, vice chancellor for academic affairs at UH-West O'ahu, told regents at Thursday's monthly meeting at Kapi'olani Community College.

Graduates of the program will be granted a bachelor of arts degree in social science with a concentration in early childhood education.

The new degree program will be a partnership between West O'ahu and four community colleges — Maui, Kaua'i, Hawai'i and Honolulu — that currently offer only associate's degrees in the field, Mobley said. It will allow students to take early childhood education courses at the community college level and complete their bachelor's degree course work at West O'ahu, he said. The program is a response to recent congressional action that requires 50 percent of teachers in the Head Start program to hold a bachelor's degree by 2010.

Regents were happy to approve the program in hopes that it will train more teachers for the preschool level.

"I'm a firm believer that between birth and kindergarten is where we need to get the kids," said Alvin Tanaka, board vice chairman.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.