Makes an appropriation to provide early childhood education and care play-and-learn mornings at every native Hawaiian homestead community.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that recent neuroscience research has proven that the early years of a child are the most crucial in a child's cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development. Eighty-five per cent of a child's development occurs in the child's earliest development up to age five. Future academic success is dependent upon this early period of development. It has been affirmed that there are tremendous opportunities to prevent children and families from suffering the predictable and costly consequences of not taking advantage of these opportunities.

The legislature further finds that quality early learning supports aspects of early development activities provided by parents and care givers in a variety of settings, including child care centers, family child care, and in the homes of families and friends. Quality early learning is crucial to ensuring that every young child has a good beginning and will not lose the potential with which the child was born.

Hawai'i's Good Beginnings Alliance reports that, not only does early childhood education and care reduce academic achievement gaps experienced in grades K-12, it also minimizes future social costs and improves current workforce productivity.

The native Hawaiian population is considered a young population. Native Hawaiian children represent over one-third, or more than 26,054 of the State's population aged from birth to five. It is estimated that only twenty-three per cent of all three- and four-year olds attend preschool. That percentage is even lower for native Hawaiian children.

Play-and-learn mornings bring the young child and parents, grandparents, and family child care providers together for a morning of informal play activities three times a week. This program hires individuals from the community who are trained and receive child development certificates. Therefore, they are employable at any preschool in the State. This program builds the capacity of the individual and community, as well as builds the economic base of the community.

In comparison to the needs of the community, there is a shortage of quality early childhood education and care program spaces. Some families find that the financial cost of quality early childhood education and care programs is prohibitive, as well as too demanding on the child and family. Play-and-learn mornings offer an alternative for these families. Children who attend play-and-learn mornings are more ready to participate in traditional five-day per week preschool settings. Children who attend play-and-learn mornings are more ready for elementary school than children who have no early education experiences.

The purpose of this Act is to provide early childhood education and care play-and-learn mornings at every native Hawaiian homestead.

SECTION 2. 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, and the sum of $ , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, to provide a play-and-learn morning at every native Hawaiian homestead community.

SECTION 3. The sums appropriated shall be expended by the                     for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2005.