HB1722 HD1

PART I

SECTION 1. (a) The legislature recognizes that a coherent, comprehensive, and sustainable early learning system is necessary to promote the healthy development and school readiness of Hawaii's young children from birth to age five. An early learning system is the prerequisite for the fulfillment of Act 51, Session Laws of 2004, the purpose of which is to provide a road map for public education to guide and prepare our children to take on their civil roles in society. The early learning system should involve high-quality, public and private programs that are responsive to the cultural needs and diversity unique to Hawaii.

The legislature finds that significant milestones have already been achieved thus far in the promotion of young children's development and school readiness through both public and private efforts. More recent efforts include:

(1) Act 259, Session Laws of Hawaii 2006, the four-fold purpose of which included:

(A) The establishment of an early learning educational task force to develop a plan for an early learning system;

(B) The enhancement of junior kindergarten services;

(D) The expansion of the department of education's families for R.E.A.L. parent-child interaction program;

(2) Act 219, Session Laws of Hawaii 2004, which established a junior kindergarten in public elementary schools, the intent of which was to implement a flexible, developmentally-appropriate program for children who are ineligible for kindergarten;

(3) Act 13, Session Laws of Hawaii 2002, with which the State adopted the definition of school readiness as, "young children are ready to have successful learning experiences in school when there is a positive interaction among the child's developmental characteristics, school practices, and family and community support." This definition later spearheaded the development of the Hawaii preschool content standards with accompanying family and community guidelines, and the Hawaii state kindergarten readiness assessment and transition to kindergarten protocols;

(4) The establishment of the pre-plus initiative in 2002 to finance the development of preschool classroom facilities on public elementary school campuses, thus increasing the availability of early education opportunities for four-year-old children with high needs; and

(5) Act 77, Session Laws of Hawaii 1997, which established the interdepartmental council, four county-level community councils, and a corporation to facilitate the implementation of a coordinated system of early childhood education and care services.

However, the legislature finds that clarification of the following terms remains necessary:

(1) "Early childhood education", which currently means programs designed to support young children's healthy development and learning and success in school, through developmentally-appropriate and culturally-responsive instructional practices that adhere to the quality components of standards, curriculum, assessments, and transitions. Programs may include both center-based preschools as well as family-child interaction learning models; and

(2) "Child care", which currently means the supervision and responsibility for the well-being of a child over a period of time.

(b) The legislature also finds that, according to an interim report submitted by the early learning educational task force, skilled and knowledgeable early childhood education and care practitioners are an essential key to quality. But to be able to succeed, practitioners must have access to education and training opportunities and receive equitable compensation and opportunities.

The task force noted five key elements to proactively increase early educator capacity, as follows:

(1) Expand the availability and reach of scholarship, with state-funded financial aid, to support early childhood educators in completing college degrees and early childhood education-related coursework;

(2) Expand distance learning options for all early childhood educators;

(3) Expand offerings of early childhood education-related college courses and community-based training to meet the needs of early childhood educators, junior kindergarten teachers, and kindergarten teachers who are currently in the workforce;

(4) Establish a mentoring and coaching program, in conjunction with early learning programs, to improve quality in early childhood programs statewide, beginning with a focus on programs for four-year-olds; and

(5) Establish a recruitment and retention initiative to attract new entrants to the early childhood field, encourage practitioners to improve their qualifications, and entice highly-qualified early childhood educators to remain in Hawaii’s early learning community.

The legislature finds that an effective incentive program can be designed based on the model used for the annual incentive pay awarded to licensed teachers who receive national board certification.

(c) The legislature finds that according to a 2006 junior kindergarten pilot program evaluation report commissioned by the Hawaii educational policy center, additional funding is needed for junior kindergarten to enhance professional development, modify classroom environments, and assure appropriate student-to-teacher ratios according to national standards. These provisions would further the intent of Act 219, Session Laws of Hawaii 2004, to offer a quality educational program to four-year-old children born after August 1 and before December 31, who are ineligible to enter kindergarten.

(d) The pre-plus initiative successfully constructed an additional seventeen early childhood classrooms that can serve over three hundred fifty children with high needs. However, the legislature finds that there is still an insufficient supply of classrooms for early childhood programs statewide.

(e) Therefore, the purpose of this Act is to:

(1) Enhance the supply and quality of early childhood education programs that serve three- and four-year-old children on public school campuses by establishing an early childhood educator incentive program to, among other things:

(A) Support the licensure and professional development of early childhood educators and administrators in the private sector;

(B) Provide wage subsidies for private early childhood educators who do not have a teaching license recognized by the Hawaii teacher standards board but are working toward licensure; and

(C) Encourage better program alignment and articulation among private preschools and family-child interaction programs operating on public elementary school campuses, and the elementary school program;

and

(2) Enhance the quality of the junior kindergarten program by, among other things:

(A) Reducing the student-to-teacher ratio per four-year-old classroom to meet national standards;

(B) Providing for the professional development of junior kindergarten administrators and educators; and

(3) Increasing the offering of college coursework to the early childhood education workforce by funding additional online and distance learning courses;

(4) Increasing the supply of suitable early childhood education facilities located on public school campuses through the continuation of the pre-plus initiative for classroom construction; and

(5) Strengthening and clarifying the interdepartmental council's role in the coordination of early childhood education programs at the school and complex levels.

PART II

SECTION 2. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding two new sections to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§302A - Early childhood educator incentive program. There is established an early childhood educator incentive program that shall be administered through a qualified nonprofit organization awarded through a competitive process. The University of Hawaii college of education shall award a nonprofit organization a contract to administer a program with the following characteristics:

(1) The administrator shall create a competitive award system for early childhood education programs that are willing to participate in the incentive program and become aligned with a public school;

(2) Early childhood education programs may receive up to $ per designated employee per year for the following:

(A) Designation of one or more employees who do not yet have a license recognized by the Hawaii teacher standards board to teach in a Hawaii public school, who complete a state-approved program leading to licensure in early childhood education;

(B) Costs for the professional development of the designated employee or employees and pay for a wage subsidy of up to $ per employee for up to five years following receipt of a license;

(C) Development of a memorandum of agreement with a public school, including charter schools, to develop a collaborative and seamless educational plan that would maximize continuity between the child's early education and public school learning environment and curriculum;

(D) Provision for the part-time assignment of the early childhood education employee in the public school as an assistant to regular teaching faculty; and

(E) Creation of opportunities for the movement of participating personnel with the children as they move from the preschool to the public school to minimize disruptions and maximize the readiness of children to enter public school, and the readiness of the schools to receive them.

§302A– Early childhood education facilities; identifying sites; inspections. (a) The department shall identify unused public school land or facilities for use by state early childhood education programs. Suitable empty classrooms, as determined by the department, shall be prepared and used for state early childhood education programs; provided that the classrooms meet the licensing standards determined by the department of education and department of human services. Priority shall be given to land or facilities on sites with sufficient space for three or more classrooms.

(b) The department shall assist in the identification of possible construction sites for the development of pre-plus facilities.

(c) All early childhood education program facilities shall be open at all times to visitation and inspection by representatives of the department of education, department of human services, and department of health, and by designated representatives of the respective county fire departments.

(d) The department may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 to effectuate this section."

PART III

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 2007-2008 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for the early childhood educator incentive program.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii college of education for the purposes of this section.

SECTION 4. 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 2007-2008 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for junior kindergarten faculty, faculty professional development, and classroom materials; provided that the ratio of students-to-faculty shall not be greater than national standards for student age levels.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this section.

SECTION 5. 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 2007-2008 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for additional courses for early childhood education teachers, including online and distance learning courses.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii college of education for the purposes of this section.

SECTION 6. 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 2007-2008 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for additional family-child interaction programs located on public elementary school campuses.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of health, family health service division, parenting support programs, for the purposes of this section.

PART IV

SECTION 7. The director of finance is authorized to issue general obligation bonds in the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary is appropriated for fiscal year 2007-2008 for the plans, design, and construction of additional schools as part of the pre-plus initiative.

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

SECTION 8. The appropriation made for the capital improvement project authorized in section 7 shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal year for which the appropriation is made; provided that all moneys that are unencumbered as of June 30, 2011, shall lapse of that date.

PART V

SECTION 9. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 10. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1722
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII