STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1574-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: S.B. No. 3101

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 3101, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to nurture quality early childhood education in Hawaii by:

(1) Establishing and appropriating funds for the Early Learning Educational Task Force (Task Force), which:

(A) Will develop plans and timelines for a coherent, comprehensive, and sustainable early learning system, including making recommendations for the early learning system and submitting reports to the Governor and Legislature; and

(B) Is composed of two working groups, including:

(i) The interdepartmental working group which will develop plans to maximize public and private resources to provide early learning opportunities for all children in the state who are four years old by January 1 of that school year; and

(ii) The quality assurance working group which will focus on issues of quality in early childhood education;

(2) Appropriating funds to build upon the existing framework and services for early childhood learning, including:

(A) Enhancing junior kindergarten services to ensure children are provided with learning experiences that promote the skills they need to be successful in kindergarten or first grade;

(B) Expanding to three new sites, DOE's Families for R.E.A.L., an early childhood program that fosters interaction between parents and their children; and

(C) Supporting grantees of the Early Head Start and Head Start programs that are comprehensive early childhood education programs that serve low-income children and families.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, Hawaii Chapter, Good Beginnings Community Council–Maui, and Hawaii's Children's Trust Fund Alliance testified in support of this bill. The Department of Education, Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children, Childcare Business Coalition, Good Beginnings Alliance, and two concerned individuals supported the intent of this measure. The Department of Human Services offered comments. The Hawaii Association of Independent Schools opposed this measure.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3101, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3101, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

 

____________________________

DWIGHT TAKAMINE, Chair