PUHI — If Hawai‘i wins the federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge in December, the state will have $50 million to spend on preschools. Terry Lock, the governor’s Early Childhood coordinator, made the announcement last week during a
PUHI — If Hawai‘i wins the federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge in December, the state will have $50 million to spend on preschools.
Terry Lock, the governor’s Early Childhood coordinator, made the announcement last week during a Hui Kilo Pohaku meeting of early childhood educators, parents and advocates at Kaua‘i Community College.
“The governor is passionate about investing in young keiki,” Lock said. “It’s part of the three iniatives of his New Day plan.”
At the core of Hawai‘i’s application in the Early Learning Challenge is a statewide integrated early learning and development system, to be in place by 2015.
“When it comes to research-based education reform, quality early learning is one of the best investments we can make to support our keiki,” said Congresswoman Mazie Hirono in a release. “I commend Governor Abercrombie, Superintendant Matayoshi, Early Learning Coordinator Lock, and Hawai‘i’s early learning providers for their commitment to our youngest learners. This effort will allow many more children to have access to preschool. I also applaud the state’s efforts in strengthening the quality of early education by seeking a federal Early Learning Challenge grant.”
Hirono serves on the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee, and spearheaded the effort in Congress to expand the next round of the federal Race to the Top grant competition to include early learning initiatives.
The Early Learning Challenge grant competition will focus on improving early learning and development programs for young children by supporting the states’ efforts to increase the number and percentage of low-income and disadvantaged children in each age group of infants, toddlers and preschoolers who are enrolled in high-quality early learning programs, states the U.S. Department of Education website.
It also focuses on the design and implementation of an integrated system of high-quality early learning programs and services and ensure that any use of assessments conforms with the recommendations of the National Research Council’s reports on early childhood.
The goal of the system acknowledges the continuing importance of quality education, including health development and learning outcomes for keiki 0 to 5 years old, closing the school readiness gap between keiki with high needs and their peers at kindergaten entry.
As the Early Childhood Coordinator appointed in July, Lock is planning a Department of Early Childhood to support an early childhood system that improves outcomes for all children, prenatal to age 5, in Hawai‘i.
She works closely with Hawai‘i’s Early Learning Council to coordinate and strengthen public and private partnerships to improve services and outcomes for children and families.
Val Rita, a teacher of 16 years, said Hui Kilo Pohaku was formed to make a difference on Kaua‘i.
“The group is open to anyone,” Rita said. “We have the abilities, capabilities and intelligence to make a difference. We cannot sit back and do nothing. I’ve been a teacher for 16 years and nothing has changed.”
Lock, impressed with the more than 70 people who turned out for the meeting, said that will change and things will start happening. Hawai‘i is one of 35 states including Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico vying for the Early Learning Challenge grants; the results will be released in December.
Elisabeth Chun, the Executive Director of the Good Beginnings Alliance, said based on the U.S. Census Bureau, Hawai‘i shows a population of 88,987 for children 0-5 years old.
Of that number, 33,932 are 3-4 years old and 16,758 are 4 years old.
It also shows that based on free and reduced lunch, 47.2 percent of the state’s parents of children under 5 are low-income.
To care for this segment of the population, Hawai‘i lists 416 licensed preschools, 71 licensed infant/toddler centers, 516 licensed family child care homes, 10 licensed group homes.
Chun, in explaining the Be My Voice Hawai‘i campaign, an advocacy group formed to inform legislators of critical issues and data in early childhood, said in Hawai‘i a child is born in poverty every 3.5 hours, one of three children don’t read at third-grade level, a child is abused or neglected every four hours and a child dies before its first birthday every three days.
Closer to home on Kaua‘i, Chun said there are 800 births a year. There are also 32 Center-based programs with three accredited preschools.
There is a shortage of Infant-Toddler Centers, with just two serving specific populations including high school teenaged parents and employees and contractors at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Mana.
Chun said there are 47 licensed Family Child Care homes, although not all provide IT (Infant-Toddler) care.
The shortage of IT Center-based care leads the Kaua‘i critical issues. Following that, Chun said there is very limited vision and hearing screening for young children, and access to degree programs and preschools are also limited.
To reinforce those statements, ‘Ae Kamali‘i preschool in Lihu‘e has an enrollment of 40 students and a wait list of 87 for 4-year-olds and 73 for 3-year olds.
The eight Head Start sites on Kaua‘i has a total enrollment of 156 with a wait list of 12 4-year-olds and 26 3-year olds with almost all of the early childhood centers listing wait lists.
Chun also pointed out the decrease in the percentage of children accessing preschools due to subsidies for low-income children disappearing.
As remedies, she suggested the shortage of qualified staff professionals be increased through increased access to degree and professional development programs, the establishment of decentralized community-based hubs for professional development and the increased access to distance learning opportunities.
To improve the availability of developmental, vision and hearing screening, Chun suggested the state dedicate funding for screenings and infrastructure as well as increase community-based hubs for easier access for direct service programs and professional development.
“We need parents and servers to say early childhood is important in Hawai‘i,” Chun said. “That is ‘Be My Voice Hawai‘i.’”
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
