Report Title:

Early Childhood Education

Description:

improves early childhood education in the state by establishing a quality ratings committee and appropriating funds to allow the committee to develop a quality ratings system for early childhood education. Makes early childhood education more accessible to all children by increasing the number of childcare subsidies available through the preschools open doors program.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1300

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

PART I

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that nearly eighty-five per cent of brain development occurs in the first five years of life. Research has proven that the early years of a child are the most crucial in a child’s cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development, and it has been affirmed that early education measurably impacts K-12 student achievement.

The legislature further finds that every dollar spent on a quality preschool education generates a $7 return through improved student achievement and college attendance, and reduced welfare usage and crime rates. Early education encourages and provides the support that child care centers, family child care services, and families and friends need to improve the quality of life by ensuring that every child has a good beginning and maintains the potential with which they were born.

The purpose of this Act is to improve early childhood education in the state by implementing a quality ratings system by which licenses will be issued to early childhood education programs, and making early education more accessible to all children.

PART II

QUALITY RATINGS SYSTEM

SECTION 2. The legislature recognizes the importance of providing children with early education of the highest quality. Early childhood education programs, both public and private, should meet professionally accepted standards and be staffed by well-trained educators.

The legislature finds that several states have significantly improved their early childhood education system by adopting a quality ratings system. Such a system provides standards by which the quality of early childhood education programs may be measured, standards that may include a program's licensing status, accreditation, learning environment, staff or director qualifications, staff or director training, staff-to-child ratios, and group size. The State can then issue licenses based on the quality rating of each program, and issue subsidies to children based on the quality rating of the program they attend.

The purpose of this part is to improve early childhood education in the state by establishing a quality ratings committee and appropriating funds to allow the committee to develop a quality ratings system for early childhood education.

SECTION 3. Chapter 346, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§346- Quality ratings system. The department of human services shall adopt a quality ratings system based upon the recommendations of the quality ratings committee established pursuant to Act 77, Session Laws of Hawaii 1997, as amended by Act 60, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000, as amended by Act 13, Session Laws of Hawaii 2002, according to which licenses will be issued to early childhood education programs. The quality ratings system shall be based on program standards which may include education levels of staff, compliance history of the child care facility, accessibility to students who are financially disadvantaged, and other quality standards as recommended by the quality ratings committee."

SECTION 4. Section 346-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new definition to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows:

"Quality ratings system" means a system that provides standards by which the quality of early childhood education programs may be measured, and which may include standards such as a program's licensing status, accreditation, learning environment, staff or director qualifications, staff or director training, staff-to-child ratios, and group size.

SECTION 5. Act 77, Session Laws of Hawaii 1997, section 2, as amended by Act 60, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000, as amended by Act 13, Session Laws of Hawaii 2002, is amended by adding a new section to read as follows:

"§ -7 Quality ratings committee. (a) There is established within the school readiness task force convened by the interdepartmental council, the quality ratings committee to develop a quality ratings system for early childhood education. The committee shall:

(1) Research quality ratings systems in other states;

(2) Meet with the department of human services and stakeholders in the early childhood education community to design a quality ratings system;

(3) Conduct research on the quality of existing early childhood education programs;

(4) Conduct statewide focus groups to inform the early childhood education community about the quality ratings system to be implemented;

(5) Establish a pilot program that implements the quality ratings system in one county;

(6) Propose a method to issue subsidies from the department of human services to children based on the quality rating of the early childhood education program they attend;

(7) Develop and distribute informational materials to the public relating to the quality ratings system;

(8) Develop a plan to advance early childhood education programs through the quality ratings system with grants that support improvements in program quality based on each program's quality rating; and

(9) Perform any other function that may facilitate the establishment and implementation of a quality ratings system.

The quality ratings committee shall establish a timeline by which these tasks shall be accomplished.

(b) The quality ratings committee shall consist of seven members as follows:

(1) The superintendent of education or the superintendent's designee;

(2) The director of human services or the director's designee;

(3) The director of health or the director's designee;

(4) A representative from the good beginnings alliance;

(5) One member from the early childhood education community;

(6) One member from the resource and referral community; and

(7) One member from the business community.

The community representatives shall be appointed, without regard to section 26-34, by the school readiness task force in consultation with the dean of the University of Hawaii college of education. The good beginnings alliance shall facilitate the meetings of the quality ratings committee.

(c) The quality ratings committee may form advisory subcommittees to obtain input from key stakeholders as determined necessary by the committee.

(d) Members of the quality ratings committee shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for expenses, including travel expenses, necessary for the performance of their duties.

(e) The quality ratings committee shall submit a report of its progress, findings, and recommendations to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2006."

SECTION 6. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $       or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005-2006 to support the operations of the quality ratings committee.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of human services for the purposes of this part.

PART III

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ACCESSIBILITY

SECTION 7. In 1998, the legislature adopted House Concurrent Resolution No. 38, which endorsed six desired child outcomes as state policy, the third of which declares that every child will be prepared for and succeed in school, and that each child will have developmentally nurturing care and early education opportunities, meet age-appropriate knowledge and competencies, and graduate from high school.

Currently in Hawaii, there are about seventy-eight thousand children under the age of five. Of these children, only fifty-two per cent attend preschool, and forty-five per cent of eligible low-income families do not receive any preschool subsidies. The Hawaii state school readiness assessment shows that only half of Hawaii’s children enter school ready to succeed.

The purpose of this part is to make early childhood education more accessible to all children by increasing the number of childcare subsidies available through the preschools open doors program.

SECTION 8. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $        or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005-2006 to increase the number of child care subsidies available through the preschools open doors program, for program administrative expenses, and to provide parent workshops in each county for recipients of child care subsidies.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of human services for the purposes of this Act.

PART IV

SECTION 9. This Act is intended to enhance, and not replace, existing rules and regulations of the department of human services.

SECTION 10. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 11. This Act shall take effect upon its approval; provided that:

(1) Sections 3 and 4 shall take effect on July 1, 2008; and

(2) Sections 6 and 8 shall take effect on July 1, 2005.

INTRODUCED BY:

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