LIHUE — State House of Representative Roy Takumi, D-Pearl City-Waipio-Pearl Harbor, introduced HB1487 that would amend the compulsory education law and make kindergarten mandatory. “There has been much discussion about the need to include late born 4-year-olds in our kindergarten
LIHUE — State House of Representative Roy Takumi, D-Pearl City-Waipio-Pearl Harbor, introduced HB1487 that would amend the compulsory education law and make kindergarten mandatory.
“There has been much discussion about the need to include late born 4-year-olds in our kindergarten classes, as well as about the need for a public preschool program,” Takumi said in a press release Monday.
“And although about 97 percent of Hawaii kids already attend kindergarten, if we are truly serious about the importance of early learning for our youngest keiki, then we should first make kindergarten mandatory for all children in Hawaii, even while discussing the need for early learning.”
A federal Department of Education study reports that children enrolled in kindergarten increase their knowledge and skills regardless of development prior to enrollment.
First graders who did not attend kindergarten are typically developmentally behind their peers in academic and social development and are more likely to fail a grade level in elementary school.
The 2014 session starts Wednesday.
The public can participate in legislative discussions and follow the progress of the bill by logging onto the House website at www.capitol.hawaii.gov.
