REPORT TITLE:
Early childhood


DESCRIPTION:
Improves the affordability, accessibility, and quality of early
childhood services.  (SD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        192
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO EARLY CHILDHOOD.


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

 1                              PART I
 
 2      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that recent neuroscience
 
 3 research demonstrates that the early years of a child are most
 
 4 crucial in a child's cognitive, emotional, social, and physical
 
 5 development, and affirmed that there are tremendous opportunities
 
 6 for preventive work with children and families as well as the
 
 7 predictable, costly consequences of not doing so.  The
 
 8 legislature further finds that quality early childhood education
 
 9 and child care which supports all aspects of early development by
 
10 parents and care givers in a variety of settings, including child
 
11 care centers, family child care, and in the homes of families and
 
12 friends, is crucial to ensuring that every young child has a good
 
13 beginning and does not lose the potential with which the child
 
14 was born.
 
15      The legislature adopted House Concurrent Resolution No. 38,
 
16 1998, which endorsed six desired child outcomes as state policy,
 
17 and encouraged private and public agencies serving children to
 
18 utilize these outcomes as a basis for policy and program
 
19 development.  This common set of outcomes focuses action and
 

 
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 1 accountability toward achieving positive results by improving the
 
 2 qualify of life of children and youth, and establishing
 
 3 indicators to measure progress in achieving these outcomes.
 
 4 These six child outcomes are:
 
 5      (1)  Every child will thrive physically--to be healthy from
 
 6           birth with ongoing access to good health care, and have
 
 7           a safe home, school, and community environment;
 
 8      (2)  Every child will form positive relationships--to have
 
 9           the attention of at least one caring adult and
 
10           supportive friendship with peers;
 
11      (3)  Every child will be prepared for and succeed in
 
12           school--to have developmentally nurturing care and
 
13           early education opportunities, meet age appropriate
 
14           knowledge and competencies, and graduate from high
 
15           school;
 
16      (4)  Every child will be culturally aware and appreciative
 
17           of diversity;
 
18      (5)  Every child and youth will choose responsible
 
19           behaviors--to exhibit respect for oneself, others of
 
20           every age, and society by refraining from drug use and
 
21           from sexual and illegal activity; and
 
22      (6)  Every youth will develop marketable skills enabling a
 
23           successful transition into adulthood.
 

 
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 1      The legislature finds that as public and private agencies
 
 2 address the third outcome, many facets of the early childhood
 
 3 system are affected.  These fall into the areas of health,
 
 4 education, and social services that overlap to support the family
 
 5 and the child.
 
 6      The legislature further finds that additional funding in
 
 7 selected programs targeting key populations, strategically linked
 
 8 together at the local level, can significantly enhance the
 
 9 State's capacity to achieve these outcomes, as well as leverage
 
10 additional federal and private dollars.
 
11      The purpose of this Act is to:
 
12      (1)  Address a variety of these facets to improve the
 
13           affordability, accessibility, and quality of early
 
14           childhood services; and
 
15      (2)  Provide coordination to the early childhood system.
 
16                              PART II
 
17      SECTION 2.  The legislature finds that one way to improve
 
18 Hawaii's performance on the first, second, and third outcomes is
 
19 to increase the supply and quality of child care.  One indicator
 
20 of increased supply and quality of care is an increase in the
 
21 number of providers receiving licenses or accreditation.  One
 
22 strategy to increase licensing and accreditation is to help
 
23 providers overcome the financial obstacles to starting or
 

 
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 1 expanding their child care business.
 
 2      The purpose of this part is to establish a child care
 
 3 facilities revolving loan fund to provide start-up or expansion
 
 4 capital to family child care homes and centers that are licensed
 
 5 or are seeking a license.
 
 6      SECTION 3.  Chapter 346, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended
 
 7 by adding a new section to part VIII to be appropriately
 
 8 designated and to read as follows:
 
 9      "§346-     Child care facilities grant fund.  (a)  There is
 
10 established a grant fund to be known as the child care facilities
 
11 grant fund to be administered by the department.  The purpose of
 
12 the fund shall be to make grants, each not to exceed $25,000, as
 
13 start-up capital or as expansion capital for family child care
 
14 homes or centers that are appropriately licensed or will become
 
15 appropriately licensed.
 
16      (b)  All moneys appropriated by the legislature for purposes
 
17 of subsection (a) shall be deposited into the fund."
 
18      SECTION 4.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
19 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $500,000, or so much
 
20 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000, to be paid
 
21 into the child care facilities revolving loan fund established
 
22 under section 3 of this Act.
 
23      SECTION 5.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 

 
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 1 department of human services for the purposes of this Act.
 
 2                             PART III
 
 3      SECTION 6.  The legislature finds that one way to improve
 
 4 Hawaii's performance on the third outcome is to increase the
 
 5 ability of working parents to place their children in quality
 
 6 care.  Many working parents need financial assistance to pay for
 
 7 the full cost of quality early childhood education and care.
 
 8      The purpose of this part is to increase the number of child
 
 9 care subsidies.
 
10      SECTION 7.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
11 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $3,000,000, or so much
 
12 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000, and the
 
13 sum of $3,000,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for
 
14 fiscal year 2000-2001, to increase the number of child care
 
15 subsidies, pay administrative expenses, and to provide parent
 
16 workshops to recipients of child care subsidies in each county,
 
17 as follows:
 
18                                    FY 1999-2000       FY 2000-2001
 
19      City and County of Honolulu    $1,296,000        $1,296,000
 
20      County of Maui                    568,000           568,000
 
21      County of Hawaii                  568,000           568,000
 
22      County of Kauai                   568,000           568,000
 
23 provided that:
 

 
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 1      (1)  Each county may allocate up to fifteen per cent of the
 
 2           sum appropriated for administrative expenses incurred
 
 3           in the disbursement of child care subsidies;
 
 4      (2)  Subsidies shall be granted to families with incomes up
 
 5           to eighty-five per cent of the state median income;
 
 6      (3)  The amount of each subsidy shall be based on family
 
 7           income on an inverse sliding scale, including a parent
 
 8           co-payment; and
 
 9      (4)  Receipt of a subsidy shall be contingent on applicant
 
10           families to attend a parent workshop.
 
11      SECTION 8.  The sums appropriated shall be expended by the
 
12 appropriate counties for the purposes of this Act.
 
13                              PART IV
 
14      SECTION 9.  The legislature finds that one way to make
 
15 progress towards the outcome that every child will be prepared
 
16 for and succeed in school is to increase the number of accredited
 
17 child care programs.  An accredited program is acknowledged to be
 
18 one that places emphasis on the quality of interactions between
 
19 teachers and children, and the developmental appropriateness of
 
20 the curriculum.  Health and safety, staffing, staff
 
21 qualifications, physical environment, and administration are all
 
22 reviewed during the accreditation.
 
23      The legislature further finds that the accreditation
 

 
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 1 mentoring of early childhood programs provides support for those
 
 2 interested in seeking accreditation, and develops mentoring and
 
 3 leadership skills among early childhood professionals.
 
 4      The purpose of this part is to expand the accreditation-
 
 5 mentor project for early childhood programs.
 
 6      SECTION 10.  There is appropriated out the general revenues
 
 7 of the State of Hawaii the sum of $155,000, or so much thereof as
 
 8 may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000, and the sum of
 
 9 $155,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year
 
10 2000-2001, to expand and continue the accreditation-mentor
 
11 project for early childhood programs, as follows:
 
12                                    FY 1999-2000       FY 2000-2001
 
13      City and County of Honolulu       $50,000           $50,000
 
14      County of Maui                     35,000            35,000
 
15      County of Kauai                    35,000            35,000
 
16      County of Hawaii                   35,000            35,000
 
17      SECTION 11.  The sums appropriated shall be expended by the
 
18 appropriate counties for the purposes of this Act.
 
19                              PART V
 
20      SECTION 12.  The legislature finds that public and private
 
21 resources are needed to achieve the child outcomes adopted as
 
22 state policy in House Concurrent Resolution No. 38, 1998.  Act
 
23 77, Session Laws of Hawaii 1997, acknowledged a performance
 

 
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 1 partnership among government, the business community, the
 
 2 philanthropic sector, providers of quality care, and parents,
 
 3 known as the good beginnings alliance.
 
 4      The good beginnings alliance has been incorporated as a non-
 
 5 profit entity that works through four good beginnings county
 
 6 councils and an interdepartmental council.  The good beginnings
 
 7 alliance partners work to implement strategies in good beginnings
 
 8 county plans and in the state early childhood master plan that
 
 9 support progress towards the child outcomes and key indicators
 
10 and benchmarks of those outcomes.
 
11      In order to continue the development and coordination of
 
12 quality early childhood education and care services, the
 
13 legislature finds that this public-private partnership requires
 
14 public funding to match the private funding acquired to date.
 
15      The purpose of this part is to continue coordination and
 
16 implementation of the good beginnings alliance initiative.
 
17      SECTION 13.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
18 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $150,000, or so much
 
19 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000, and the
 
20 sum of $150,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for
 
21 fiscal year 2000-2001, for the coordination and implementation of
 
22 the good beginnings alliance initiative, established under
 
23 Act 77, Session Laws of Hawaii 1997; provided that funds shall be
 

 
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 1 matched by private sources for the purpose for which these sums
 
 2 are appropriated.
 
 3      SECTION 14.  The sums appropriated shall be expended by the
 
 4 department of human services for the purposes of this Act.
 
 5                              PART VI
 
 6      SECTION 15.  The legislature finds that support for a
 
 7 child's healthy and educational development is critical when the
 
 8 child is very young.  The best place to start is with the
 
 9 empowerment of parents in their roles as parents and teachers in
 
10 the home.
 
11      Families for REAL (resources for early access to learning)
 
12 is a school-based family education program of courses and
 
13 activities for all families and their children between the ages
 
14 of birth and five years.  The program is based on Minnesota's
 
15 family education model which has proven to have a positive effect
 
16 on parenting and the well-being of children.  It recognizes that
 
17 families provide their children's first and most important
 
18 learning environments, and that parents are their children's
 
19 first and most significant teachers.  Participation by families
 
20 is voluntary and services are offered free.
 
21      Parents and their children attend age and developmentally
 
22 appropriate classes once a week for nine weeks.  They share and
 
23 learn critical parenting and teaching skills, network with each
 

 
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 1 other, learn about community resources, and become aware of what
 
 2 they can do to nurture healthy children and to help children to
 
 3 learn.
 
 4      In addition to the program's regular courses, special
 
 5 interest classes are offered on such topics as stress management,
 
 6 building strong families, child development, sibling rivalry,
 
 7 esteem, and language development.
 
 8      The legislature further finds that in school year 1997-1998,
 
 9 three sites, Pearl City Highlands, Kapunahala, and Wailuku
 
10 Elementary, provided direct services to 4,077 individuals.  The
 
11 long-range plan is to have a total of fourteen sites, one site
 
12 per area served by each of the eleven community schools for
 
13 adults plus one site each on the islands of Molokai and Lanai,
 
14 and Kona, Hawaii.
 
15      The legislature further finds that this is a cost-effective
 
16 program based on the fact that the average cost-per-person served
 
17 is $108.  The legislature also finds that the program attracts
 
18 families from all socioeconomic backgrounds, that forty to fifty
 
19 per cent of the participant families are identified as families
 
20 at-risk, and that all the families have much to learn from and
 
21 with each other.
 
22      The purpose of this part is to appropriate funds to expand
 
23 families for REAL.
 

 
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 1      SECTION 16.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
 2 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $364,000, or so much
 
 3 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000, for the
 
 4 expansion of families for REAL to Kapalama, King Kamualii, Pearl
 
 5 Ridge, and Waiakea elementary schools, and the sum of $360,000,
 
 6 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2000-2001,
 
 7 for the expansion of families for REAL to four additional school
 
 8 sites.
 
 9      SECTION 17.  The sums appropriated shall be expended by the
 
10 department of education for the purposes of this Act.
 
11                             PART VII
 
12      SECTION 18.  The legislature finds that in order for every
 
13 child to thrive physically and be prepared for and succeed in
 
14 school, there needs to be more opportunity for families with at-
 
15 risk children to receive infant and child monitoring, screening,
 
16 and additional community referrals to meet their needs before
 
17 entering public education programs.
 
18      One such opportunity is the keiki/family interactive mobile
 
19 units that provide an easily accessible early education and
 
20 intervention service to families with children from birth to five
 
21 years of age.  The program supports the parent as a child's first
 
22 teacher and brings age appropriate activities to neighborhood
 
23 parks or other accessible sites, facilitating bonding,
 

 
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 1 communication skills, normal growth and development, and
 
 2 cognitive stimulation.  Parent education activities are included
 
 3 as well.
 
 4      The program provides a non-threatening, culturally relevant,
 
 5 learning environment for at-risk children from birth to five
 
 6 years of age and their parents through which screening and
 
 7 appropriate community referrals can be made for health,
 
 8 nutrition, education, parenting skills, and psychological needs.
 
 9      Although these units were contracted to provide direct
 
10 service to four hundred individuals during 1997-1998, by the
 
11 completion of the year, a total of 1,147 (358 adults and 789
 
12 children) were served, demonstrating the need for the program.
 
13 Presently, the keiki/family interactive mobile units are offering
 
14 services to select areas of need across the State focusing on
 
15 homeless, isolated, or rural families as a priority.  Those
 
16 locations are as follows:
 
17      (1)  Island of Kauai:       Koloa;
 
18      (2)  Island of Oahu:        Wahiawa, Makiki, Loliana
 
19                                  Transitional Housing, Maililand
 
20                                  Transitional Housing, and
 
21                                  Weinberg Transitional Housing
 
22                                  Waimanalo;
 
23      (3)  Island of Lanai:       Lanai City;
 

 
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 1      (4)  Island of Maui:        Harbor Lights Housing, Malama
 
 2                                  Recovery Center, and Lahaina;
 
 3      (5)  Island of Hawaii:      Hilo Emergency Shelter, and
 
 4                                  Kawaihae Transitional Housing.
 
 5      The legislature further finds that an increase in funding
 
 6 will provide additional families the opportunity to participate
 
 7 in the keiki/family interactive mobile unit services at the
 
 8 following sites:
 
 9      (1)  Island of Kauai:       Kapaa;
 
10      (2)  Island of Oahu:        Kalihi/Palama/Liliha, Institute
 
11                                  for Human Services, North Shore,
 
12                                  Makaha, Kailua, and Waianae;
 
13      (3)  Island of Maui:        Wailuku;
 
14      (4)  Island of Molokai:     One site;
 
15      (5)  Island of Hawaii:      Pahoa, Hilo, and Kona.
 
16      The legislature further finds that the increase in service
 
17 delivery would also provide additional resources for
 
18 developmental screening of children as well as community
 
19 referrals to identify and meet the needs of at-risk children
 
20 before entering the department of education.  Through these added
 
21 funds, collaboration with agencies such as the good beginnings
 
22 alliance could be increased.
 
23      The purpose of this part is to increase the capacity of the
 

 
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 1 keiki/family interactive mobile units.
 
 2      SECTION 19.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
 3 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $465,470, or so much
 
 4 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000, and the
 
 5 sum of $465,470, or so much thereof as may be necessary for
 
 6 fiscal year 2000-2001, to increase the capacity of the
 
 7 keiki/family interactive mobile units.
 
 8      SECTION 20.  The sums appropriated shall be expended by the
 
 9 department of health for the purposes of this Act.
 
10                             PART VIII
 
11      SECTION 21.  The legislature finds that earning a high
 
12 school degree is one of the key factors which can assist teen
 
13 parents and their families to become self-sufficient, create
 
14 opportunities for themselves and their children, and maximize
 
15 their life potential.  The support needed to assist teen parents
 
16 to complete high school is cost effective in the long run -- for
 
17 every teen who is able to become self-sufficient, over $20,000
 
18 annually in welfare benefits are saved.
 
19      The legislature further finds that access to child care is a
 
20 systemic barrier that prevents many teen mothers and some teen
 
21 fathers who have not completed high school from going to school.
 
22 In Hawaii, teen pregnancy affects approximately 1,850 teens age
 
23 twelve through eighteen each year, of which over approximately
 

 
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 1 1,150 result in live births.  It is estimated that up to four
 
 2 hundred parenting students who have not finished high school may
 
 3 need assistance with child care.
 
 4      The purpose of this part is to provide child care for
 
 5 parenting teens so they may complete high school and pursue
 
 6 vocational training.
 
 7      SECTION 22.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
 8 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $         , or so much
 
 9 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000, and the
 
10 sum of $          , or so much thereof as may be necessary for
 
11 fiscal year 2000-2001, for child care for parenting teens.
 
12      SECTION 23.  The sums appropriated shall be expended by the
 
13 department of education for the purposes of this Act.
 
14                              PART IX
 
15      SECTION 24.  There is a national effort for child care
 
16 providers both in family-care settings and center-based settings
 
17 to be minimally qualified to work with children from birth
 
18 through age five.  Caregivers must demonstrate their ability to
 
19 nurture children's physical, social, emotional, and intellectual
 
20 growth in a child development framework.  The proof of their
 
21 competence is the child development associate credential.
 
22      The legislature finds that approximately one hundred
 
23 individuals are estimated to need financial assistance in
 

 
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 1 obtaining their child development associate credential.  Current
 
 2 cost for the application packet and assessment for credentialing
 
 3 is $350 per person.  This is a minimal cost as there may be other
 
 4 requirements that must be met, depending on the applicant's
 
 5 readiness, training, and experience.
 
 6      The purpose of this part is to subsidize the cost of
 
 7 obtaining a child development associate credential.
 
 8      SECTION 25.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
 9 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $35,000, or so much
 
10 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000, and the
 
11 sum of $35,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal
 
12 year 2000-2001, to provide financial assistance in attaining a
 
13 child development associate credential.
 
14      SECTION 26.  The sums appropriated shall be expended by the
 
15 department of human services for the purposes of the Act.
 
16      SECTION 27.  If any provision of this Act, or the
 
17 application thereof to any person or circumstance is held
 
18 invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or
 
19 applications of the Act which can be given effect without the
 
20 invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions
 
21 of this Act are severable.
 
22      SECTION 28.  New statutory material is underscored.
 
23      SECTION 29.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 1999.