Early Education Education Initiatives in Hawaii

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Early Education Education Initiatives in
Hawaii
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A number of initiatives have been created by the
Legislature throughout the years to expand the
Early Education services offered to Hawaiis
keiki.

• C Focus on curriculum
• F Focus on facilities
• E Focus on educators

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Good Beginnings Alliance (C)
The 1997 State Legislature passed Senate Bill
1631, which was signed into law as Act 77. The
purpose of Act 77 is to recognize a public
private partnership between the State and a
private nonprofit corporation created as a focal
point for policy development and dedicated to
enhancing, developing, and coordinating quality
early childhood education and care
services.  Act 77 established entities, such as
Good Beginnings Alliance, to facilitate the
implementation of a coordinated system of early
childhood education and care for Hawaii. Good
Beginnings Alliance is a private nonprofit
corporation to coordinate policy, disburse public
funds, and implement community plans related to
the provision of early childhood education and
care services. For more information, please
see their website www.goodbeginnings.org
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Pre-Plus (F)
In 2001, the Legislature funded 5 million over 2
years though the state budget. The Pre-Plus
Program is a public-private partnership in which
the state provides the building rent free on
school grounds and licensed and accredited
private providers bid to operate the preschools.
Pre-Plus was created to provide preschool
education to low income families. The funds
allotted were to create 13 Pre-Plus programs
throughout the state.
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P-20 Council (C E)
In 2001, a task force consisting of elected
officials, representatives from UH, the Hawaii
DOE and Hawaii Association of Independent Schools
met to discuss the future of education in Hawaii.
By 2003, the task force lead to the creation of
the voluntary program Hawaii P-20 Council. The
P-20 Partnership adds value by addressing issues
of transitions for students and for institutions.
For students the transition points include the
move from early childhood education into
kindergarten, entry into high school, graduation
from high school, and entry into postsecondary
institutions or the workforce. For more
information please see their website
www.p20hawaii.org The 2007 Legislature passed
SB688, Act 281, which appropriates funds in each
years of the fiscal biennium to the P-20
Initiative for the initiation and development of
plans for education in Hawaii.
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Junior Kindergarten (C)

• The 2004 Legislature passed SB17 and it was
  signed into law as Act 219. This act established
  a junior kindergarten and kindergarten program in
  the department of education.
• A pilot program for the 2005-2006 school year
  and required the establishment of the program in
  all public elementary schools beginning with the
  2006-2007 school year, excluding charter schools.
  
• Development of a protocol for the transition of
  students from junior kindergarten to kindergarten
  to grade one to aid in the placement of students
  in the appropriate classroom.
• Hawaii has an early kindergarten age entry cut
  off. Any child attaining the age of 5 by December
  31st can register for kindergarten.
• Studies have shown that many students are not
  ready. In one study many more boys were shown to
  be labeled with slow and learning disabled and
  this correlates primarily with their age.

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School Readiness (C)
In 2002, the Legislature passed SB2283 (Act 013)
which, through the Good Beginnings Alliance,
defines the term school readiness to mean that
young children are ready to have successful
learning experiences in school when there is a
positive interaction among the childs
developmental characteristics, school practices,
and family and community support. The
overriding purpose for developing a definition of
readiness is to create conditions that will
enable children in Hawaii to succeed in
kindergarten and subsequent school
experiences. Task Force members include
Co-Chairs Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto
(DOE) and Dee Jay Mailer (CEO, Kamehemeha
Schools) Members Betsy Brandt (DOE, UH Policy
Center), Senator Chun Oakland, Sylvia Yuen (UH
Center on Family), Randy Hitz (UH College of
Education), Representative Ken Ito, Monica
Kaauwai (HAEYC), Shawn Kanaiaupuni (Kamehameha
Schools), Garry Kemp (DHS), Lyn McNeff (Head
Start), Betsy Moneymaker (DOE), Senator Sakamoto,
and Loretta Fuddy (DOH).
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Early Childhood Education Task Force (C,F,E)
The Legislature passed HB1300 in 2005 which was
signed into law by the Governor as Act 151. This
bill improves early childhood education in the
state by establishing an early childhood
education task force. Requires the Department of
Education (DOE) to assist in the expansion of
early childhood education by identifying unused
facilities or sites for classrooms.
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Act 259 Task Force (C,F,E)

• SB3101 passed in the Legislature in 2006 and was
  signed into law as Act 259. This Act builds a
  comprehensive system of early childhood learning
  services by further developing and refining the
  recommendations of the temporary early childhood
  education task force. Builds upon the existing
  framework and services for early childhood
  learning.
• The task force was a two-year effort creating a 5
  and 10 year plan for the State of Hawaii to
  implement a comprehensive statewide early
  learning system - birth to five years. They
  concluded that there needs to be
• Adequate facilities
• Quality programs/curriculum
• Qualified teachers/educators
• The proposed comprehensive 10 year plan will cost
  10 million for the first year and increases to
  170 million by the 10th year.
• The Act 259 Task Force has stated that the Early
  Learning is worth the cost

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Early Learning Council (C,F,E)
The 2008 State Legislature passed Senate Bill
2878 and is awaiting Governor Lingles approval.
If this bill is passed into law by Governor
Lingle, Hawaii will become the 41st state to have
a state-funded early learning program. This
bill will create the Early Learning Council, that
will be responsible for developing and
administering the new state early learning
program called Keiki First Steps. The long-range
goal is to offer quality early learning
opportunities to all of Hawaiis keiki, from
birth to the time they enter kindergarten.  The
ELC will hopefully build upon the framework of
the Act 259 Early Learning Educational Task
Forces final report in creating policies for the
Keiki First Steps early learning system.  While
no funds were appropriated for direct services
this year, the Legislature has appropriated
250,000 in the DOEs budget to support the work
of the ELC for this upcoming fiscal year. 
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SB2878 - Keiki First Steps

• Establishes statewide early learning system
  (Keiki First Steps)
• Includes range of early learning approaches
  (center-based, family childcare, family child
  interaction learning, and home-based instruction)
  which shall
• 1) Be widely accessible and voluntary for both
  those served and program and service providers
• 2) Be a cohesive, comprehensive, and sustainable
  system in which
• (A) All existing early learning
  programs and services are designed to promote
  
  early learning, are coordinated,
  improved, and expanded
• (B) Public and private resources are
  maximized
• (C) The use of public facilities for either
  publicly- or privately-run early
  learning programs is maximized
• 3) Provide high-quality early learning
  experiences with standards-based content and
  curriculum, and accountability and
  well-qualified educators and administrators with
  access to continuous professional development

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SB 2878 (cont.)

• Establishes Keiki First Steps Grant Program
  under the Early Learning Council and administered
  by Department of Human Services that
• shall increase early learning opportunities
  that meet high standards of quality through the
  awarding of grants to publicly- or privately-run
  center-based programs or family child care
  programs
• requires that early learning programs and
  services meet certain standards of quality
• Statutorily establishes Pre-Plus Program
• Promotes development of early learning
  facilities in DOE schools empty classrooms
• Bill is currently awaiting Governors decision
• June 23 Must be on Governors Intent to Veto
  List if considering veto action
• July 8 All bills, including SB2878, must be
  signed, vetoed, or approved into law without
  signature

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UH/Chaminade/Other (E)(Two Examples)
UH College of Education is working to produce
teachers to lower the teacher shortage gap need
in the State of Hawaii. Since 2000, the
enrollment in the COE has increased by 23 in
graduate level and 43 in the undergraduate level
due to the growing demand, increase in faculty
members, creating neighbor island outreach
efforts, additional cohorts and increased
elementary and secondary education capacity.
Chaminade University is dedicated to producing
teachers who are highly respected in Hawai'i and
sought after. Their program is for those
individuals seeking a master's degree with an
emphasis in areas such as child development,
Montessori, gifted education, leadership,
curriculum instruction, or teaching
(elementary, secondary, special education).
Other institutions have provided early education
programs as well.
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OPEN DOORS ()
Preschool Open Doors (POD) is a program in the
Department of Human Services Childcare
Connection Hawaii that provides state-wide
services to families sending their children to a
licensed preschool during the school year prior
to entering kindergarten. The Open Doors goal is
to contribute to the school readiness of children
three and four years old with special needs,
English as a second language, those in foster
care and the homeless.  Priority is given to
children closest to the kindergarten age. Open
Doors focuses on meeting the childs needs.
FY00 State funded 2.4 Million for Open
Doors FY00 Parents were given a monthly subsidy
of 350 for the school year to help with the cost
of tuition. FY08 Parents received on average
434 per student per month dependent on
preschool attended, an accredited preschool vs.
non-accredited, but licensed preschool receives
more money.
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SPED/FELIX (CE)
The Felix Decree has had a significant impact on
the State's educational system. Once a neglected,
under-funded program, special education has
become a comprehensive set of programs. There is
now a more aggressive effort to identify special
needs students as well as a more concerted effort
to ensure delivery of appropriate education and
mental health services to them. The percentage of
special needs students has grown from 6.5
(11,692 students) in 1993 to 11 (20,469
students) in 2004. With respect to funding,
where special education accounted for 75 million
in 1994, by 2006 it grew to 324 million.
Although Felix consent decree is behind us, the
State of Hawaii still has the task of improving
on our system of care for students with
disabilities. The school complexes high
schools, middle schools, and elementary schools
have worked cooperatively to create and enhance a
system for educating special needs students based
on their individual education plan. In the 2006
session, in response to constituent advocacy we
heard Senate Bill 2733, which sought to give
parents of autistic children more say in the
development of their child's individualized
education program.
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SPRB/GIA (F)
Special Purpose Revenue Bonds in 2002 the
Legislature passed Act 257 which assists
not-for-profit private nonsectarian and sectarian
schools P-12, colleges, and universities that
serve the general public by authorizing the State
to issue SPRBs for their benefit. 2008 - Island
Pacific Academy 30,000,000 2008 - Maui
Preparatory Academy 25,000,000 2007 - Le Jardin
Academy 25,000,000 2007 - Hanalani
Schools 10,000,000 2006 - Kawaiahao School
6,000,000 2005 - Hualalai Academy 30,000,000 200
4 - Iolani School 30,000,000 2004 - Haleakala
Waldorf School 9,450,000 2004 - Montessori
School of Maui 10,000,000 2004 - Island Pacific
Academy 20,000,000 2003 - Mid-Pacific
Institute 15,000,000
Organizations can apply for Grant-In-Aids and are
awarded state funds by the legislature to support
the activities of the recipient and permit the
community to benefit from those activities.
Some early education GIA recipients include
Parents and Children Together (PACT)
250,000 Makakilo Baptist Church Preschool
200,000 Hawaii Community Action Program (HCAP)
2,465,000 Keiki O Ka Aina Preschools 2,000,000
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Kamehameha Schools/Castle Foundation/Other
()(Two Examples)

• In addition to three campuses, Kamehameha Schools
  operates 30 preschool sites enrolling 1,500 3-
  and 4-year-old children statewide and serves
  thousands more students through community
  outreach and scholarship programs, and
  collaborations with educational and community
  organizations. Kamehameha subsidizes a
  significant portion of the cost to educate every
  student. Although modest tuition and fees are
  charged, nearly 60 percent of preschool and K-12
  families qualify for and receive need-based
  financial aid.
• Pauahi Keiki Scholars Preschool Program is a
  need-based scholarship program providing
  financial assistance for young keiki to attend a
  quality preschool in the state of Hawaii.
• The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation is committed to
  closing the achievement gap in public education
  so that all of Hawaii's children have access to a
  high-quality education that prepares them to
  pursue a wealth of future opportunities. The
  health of families, our communities, our economy,
  and our democracy depends on a system of
  excellent public schools for all students.
• In 2007, the Castle Foundation approved
  1,826,940 in public education grants to schools,
  teachers, and programs such as P-20 Initiative.
• Other foundations have provided early education
  support as well.

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