Bill Text: HI SB926 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii Senate Bill 926 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Keiki Caucus; Early Childhood; Appropriation

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-03-24 - (H) Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting no (0) and Har, Riviere, Wooley excused (3). [SB926 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2011-SB926-Introduced.html

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	926
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to children.

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

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that many of Hawaii's children lack the fundamental skills they need when they enter kindergarten. According to the 2010 Hawaii State School Readiness Assessment, less than twenty-one per cent of Hawaii's public school kindergarten classes consistently displayed literacy concepts and skills necessary for success in school. This figure represents a drop of nearly four per cent from 2009's Hawaii State School Readiness Assessment. The understanding of math concepts fared slightly better, with approximately twenty-three per cent of public school kindergarten classes consistently demonstrating these skills. However, this figure represents a drop of nearly seven per cent from 2009's Hawaii State School Readiness Assessment. These trends do not bode well for Hawaii's keiki.

Hawaii has long recognized the importance of early childhood development on future learning. Unfortunately, many services designed to help children succeed in school have been eliminated or drastically cut over the past two years. Without proper funding for these programs, Hawaii's keiki will have a harder time reaching their full potential. From Neurons to Neighborhoods, a report developed by a committee of seventeen national experts in the fields of education, psychiatry, neuroscience, economics, and public policy, found that:

[S]triking disparities in what children know and can do are evident well before they enter kindergarten. These differences are strongly associated with social and economic circumstances, and they are predictive of subsequent academic performance.

Research has confirmed that a large gap exists between the academic abilities of children from high- and low-income families by age six: the latter "lag further behind in acquiring more sophisticated reading and math knowledge and skills such as recognizing words by sight or solving simple addition and subtraction problems" (National Child Care Association, 2002). Because many of Hawaii's children lack the fundamental skills they should have when they enter kindergarten, it is essential for the State to respond by funding programs designed to address school readiness and early childhood development.

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to various early childhood and school readiness programs in the State.

SECTION 2. 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 2011-2012 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2012-2013 for the baby S.A.F.E. (substance abuse free environment) program.