STAND. COM. REP. NO. 383
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2005
RE: H.B. No. 1300
H.D. 1
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2005
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committees on Education and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 1300 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION,"
beg leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill is to improve early childhood education in the state by:
(1) Establishing a quality ratings committee and appropriating funds to allow the committee to develop a quality ratings system for early childhood education; and
(2) Making early childhood education more accessible to all children by increasing the number of child care subsidies available through the Preschool Open Doors Program.
The Good Beginnings Alliance, American Academy of Pediatrics, Atherton Family Foundation, and Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children testified in support of this bill. The Department of Human Services, Department of Health, and Waianae Coast Early Childhood Services, Inc., supported the intent of this measure. The Department of Education supported the intent of this bill with amendments. Haleakala Waldorf School and a concerned individual offered comments.
Your Committees have amended this bill by:
(1) Establishing a "rating system" instead of a "quality ratings system," and a "rating committee" instead of a "quality ratings committee";
(2) Clarifying that the rating system will be the basis on which licenses will be issued and accreditation can be granted to early childhood education programs, and teacher quality can be assured, to make early education more accessible, affordable, and sustainable for all children;
(3) Specifying that the rating system is to be based on indicators rather than standards;
(4) Making the rating committee responsible for:
(a) Recommending measures for improving existing early childhood education programs; and
(b) Proposing an overall plan for implementing early childhood education for all children;
(5) Changing the membership of the rating committee to include the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Hawaii Headstart, and to specify that the member from the early childhood education committee shall be a teacher;
(6) Deleting the appropriation to increase the number of child care subsidies available through the Preschool Open Doors Program; and
(7) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1300, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1300, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Human Services,
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____________________________ ALEX M. SONSON, Chair |
____________________________ ROY TAKUMI, Chair |
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