SB3101 SD2

Report Title:

Early Learning Authority; Establishment

Description:

Creates early learning authority within DOE. Sets powers and duties of authority. Creates workforce and professional development institute within authority and sets duties. Allows authority to contract with nonprofit early education agency to assist authority. Appropriates funds. (SD2)

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	3101
TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006		S.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to early childhood education.

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

SECTION 1. Act 151, Session Laws of Hawaii 2005, established in the University of Hawaii a temporary early childhood education task force to:

(1) Propose an overall plan to increase access to early childhood education opportunities for families, which may include incentives, resource development, the need for and availability of infrastructure, and possible funding sources;

(2) Develop plans and identify resources needed to improve the quality and services of early childhood learning programs;

(3) Design proposals to support the professional development of early childhood education staff;

(4) Create an implementation plan to motivate and promote the value of and participation in early childhood learning opportunities for parents and the general public, including the business community; and

(5) Recommend to the legislature a conceptual framework, along with proposals for policies and legislation necessary to facilitate and monitor the implementation of such a framework.

In December 2005, the temporary early childhood education task force submitted its report to the legislature. The purpose of this Act is to implement the recommendations of the temporary early childhood education task force.

SECTION 2. The Hawaii Revised Statutes is amended by adding a new chapter to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"Chapter

EARLY LEARNING AUTHORITY

§ -1 Early learning authority; established; board. (a) There is established the early learning authority, which shall be a body corporate and a public instrumentality of the State, for the purposes of implementing this chapter. The authority shall be placed within the department of education for administrative purposes only.

The authority shall develop, implement, and provide for the sustainability of a coherent, comprehensive early learning system that maximizes public and private resources to provide early learning opportunities for all young children in the State up to age eight. The authority shall increase efficiency and coordination of early learning opportunities statewide by:

(1) Developing standards, desired outcomes, and systems to evaluate early education programs;

(2) Ensuring a statewide integrated early childhood system;

(3) Increasing the quality of education through access to education and training of professionals; and

(4) Providing funding for early childhood programs.

(b) The authority shall be governed by a board of directors composed of members from the private and public sectors who shall be charged with addressing the vision, mission, goals, and guiding principles of Hawaii's early childhood learning system conceptual framework. The governor shall appoint the members of the board pursuant to section 26-34; provided that:

(1) Membership on the board shall not exceed twenty;

(2) The private sector shall be broadly represented and membership representing the private sector shall not be less than fifteen;

(3) The governor shall:

(A) Appoint members from a list of nominees submitted from the temporary early childhood education task force as identified in section 2(d) of Act 151, Session Laws of Hawaii 2005;

(B) Determine which board members shall serve ex-officio and whether they shall be voting or nonvoting members;

(C) Consider for membership additional individuals who do not represent organizations currently represented by members of the temporary early childhood education task force; and

(D) Appoint the members of the board no later than December 31, 2006; and

(4) The members of the temporary early childhood education task force shall act as a transitional board of directors until the governor appoints the permanent members of the board of directors pursuant to paragraph (3).

(c) The board shall appoint from its members a chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary, treasurer, and any other officers that the board may deem necessary or desirable to carry out its functions.

(d) Members shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for the necessary expenses, including travel expenses, incurred in the performance of their duties.

§ -2 Hawaii's early learning system conceptual framework. Hawaii's early learning system conceptual framework consists of the following:

(1) The mission and purposes of the early learning system are to:

(A) Provide equal opportunities for early learning, health, social, and family resources that are responsive to families; and

(B) Include services and programs that are respectful of the host culture, honor individual preferences, and offer high quality choices;

(2) The goals and ideals to which the early learning system aspires and that can be identified in short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term outcomes are as follows:

(A) All Hawaii residents should acknowledge and understand that the foundation of a child's life is developed in the first eight years and any interruption in the development trajectory may require expensive intervention in later years;

(B) Families and communities should be knowledgeable about children's needs and how to foster healthy development and learning;

(C) A variety of adequate, high quality care and learning options that support the whole child with regard to health, special needs, nutrition, physical development, safety, and early learning should be available and accessible to all of Hawaii's families with young children;

(D) The sustainability and progress of the early learning system should be ensured by policies that include the engagement and participation of communities, early learning and allied professions, and public and private agencies;

(E) Adequate, sustainable, coordinated funding should be available for all sectors of the early learning system; and

(F) Early care and education should be recognized and valued as a viable profession with adequate compensation and benefits, accessible initial preparation, and continuing professional development opportunities; and

(3) The principles used to guide decision making that express and support the mission and goals of the system are:

(A) Hawaii's residents should expect that every child has a right to quality early learning experiences;

(B) Families are recognized as children's first and most important teachers, and they should have choices among high quality early learning settings;

(C) All settings that serve young children and their families should acknowledge the integrated nature of development in the critical domains of cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and moral development;

(D) Care and education should not be considered separately in young children's learning and development;

(E) Programs and services supported by the early learning system should be standards-based and accountable;

(F) Standards established for early learning programs and services should be based on current knowledge of child development and should reflect best practices in early childhood pedagogy and professional development;

(G) Skilled and knowledgeable early care and education practitioners are an essential key to quality and should have access to education and training opportunities and receive equitable compensation and opportunities to succeed;

(H) Development and maintenance of the early learning system should be based on data that is coordinated and shared among all stakeholders in the system;

(I) Services should be seamless and transparent to parents and children within the early learning system;

(J) Limited resources should target underserved low-income families first because this intervention has proven to have the greatest return on investment;

(K) Interagency coordination and collaboration should be essential to ensure children's optimal development in all domains and the most effective use of resources; and

(L) Successful transition to elementary school requires effective collaboration, communication, and continuity between early learning sites and elementary schools. Transition strategies and practices should be based on current understanding of child development principles.

§ -3 Powers and duties. The authority shall:

(1) Mandate cross-sector and interdepartmental collaboration;

(2) Accept appropriations and any other state funding to support the operations of the authority and to implement priorities and standards;

(3) Develop a plan to ensure equal voluntary access to high quality early learning experiences for all children aged four;

(4) Convene a blue-ribbon task force to establish a plan and strategies for sustainable financing of the early learning system;

(5) Establish a workforce and professional development institute to ensure the recruitment and retention of a high quality workforce for early learning programs;

(6) Promote the importance of early learning to families, policymakers, and the general public; and

(7) Apply appropriations and any other state funding into early learning programs in order to help build and strengthen programs while enhancing their quality and capacity.

§ -4 Early learning community councils. (a) The authority shall establish four early learning community councils in the counties of Oahu, Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui. Community councils shall initiate and facilitate community representation so that the needs and plans of each community are reflected and represented in the plans of the respective community councils. These councils shall be supported by staff responsible for determining community needs and developing plans that provide a variety and breadth of programs that families desire.

Each community council shall have at least one representative from each of the following: the departments of education; health; and human services; each community; an organization representing parents with young children; a provider of early education and care services; a private agency concerned with health, human services, or education; the business community; and local government.

(b) The duties of the early learning community councils shall be to:

(1) Collect and report data;

(2) Identify outcomes and indicators;

(3) Set strategic priorities;

(4) Coordinate community programs and services;

(5) Plan and budget to align programs with community strategic priorities;

(6) Assess performance of the community in relation to community and system strategic priorities; and

(7) Coordinate interagency programs and services including public awareness, technical assistance to providers, leadership and professional development, and one-stop services for financial aid.

§ -5 Nonprofit organization; contract. The authority may contract with a tax-exempt nonprofit early education organization that qualifies as such under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, to assist in:

(1) Establishing operations of the authority by providing coordination and technical assistance;

(2) Establishing a workforce and professional development institute;

(3) Expanding community-based early childhood education programs such as play and learn groups. For the purposes of this chapter, "play and learn groups" means groups that are critical components of the early education continuum in Hawaii and that provide opportunities for parents and caregivers to share ideas and concerns and to learn from each other and playgroup leaders about health, protection, and developmental needs of children;

(4) Operating early learning communities and community early learning councils;

(5) Implementing quality improvement grants to increase overall program quality of early childhood education programs;

(6) Leading a blue-ribbon panel to establish a plan and strategies for sustainable financing of the early learning system;

(7) Funding infrastructure to ensure an improved data systems; and

(8) Funding council and community activities expressed in community plans.

§ -6 Workforce and professional development institute for early childhood education. The authority shall establish a workforce and professional development institute within the authority. The institute shall maintain the Hawaii careers with young children registry. The authority shall determine the composition of a board of directors to govern the institute, select the members, set their terms, and hire a director. The director, in collaboration with the institute board and the authority, shall:

(1) Develop an early childhood education compensation plan for the State;

(2) Develop and implement a plan to support the recruitment and retention of the early childhood workforce for all early learning settings;

(3) Develop and implement a plan to increase access to higher education and community-based training;

(4) Conduct ongoing needs assessment and analysis of community early learning programs staffing needs;

(5) Plan and provide for community-specific implementation of recruitment and retention strategies with a particular focus on creating career and professional development counseling and support statewide;

(6) Advocate for and convene partners to ensure increased access to a broad array of early learning community-based and higher education options;

(7) Provide technical assistance to the counties to identify the needs and secure funding to expand workforce and professional development opportunities within their communities; and

(8) Collaborate with the department of education and the teacher education coordinating council."

SECTION 3. 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 2006-2007, for the operation of the early learning authority and to contract with a nonprofit organization pursuant to this Act.

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

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval, except that section 3 shall take effect on July 1, 2006.