Bill Text: HI SCR59 | 2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urging The Funding Of The Maintenance And Expansion Of Prekindergarten In All Public Schools To Allow Access To All Children Of Hawaii, Especially Native Hawaiians, In Both Official Language Pathways.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-03-16 - The hearing on this measure has been cancelled until further notice. [SCR59 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2020-SCR59-Introduced.html
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THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
59 |
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THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
urging the funding of the maintenance and expansion of pre‑kindergarten in all public schools to allow access to all children of hawaii, especially native hawaiians, in both official language pathways.
WHEREAS, early opportunities support positive outcomes in academics, promotes emotional well-being, and provides keiki with a strong foundation for a lifetime of success; and
WHEREAS, research shows us that more than eighty-five per cent of brain development occurs from the time of birth to the age of five; and
WHEREAS, students that attend preschool are more likely to graduate from high school and college; and
WHEREAS, unfortunately in Hawai‘i, the greatest inequity in education occurs even before a keiki starts kindergarten with a shortage of availability and access to early learning opportunities, where there is only one licensed seat for every four children under the age of six, according to the 2017 Hawai‘i Early Needs Assessment; and
WHEREAS, the 2017 United Way ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) report found that forty-eight per cent of Hawai‘i households are considered Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed and below, and for many of these families the 2017 Hawai‘i Early Learning Needs Assessment notes that the cost of full-time childcare - between $7,800 and $9,500, on average – is unaffordable; and
WHEREAS, the State of Hawai‘i's public pre-kindergarten consists of twenty-six Executive Office of Early Learning public pre-kindergarten classrooms and eighteen public charter school pre-kindergarten classrooms, and serve as a starting foundation for universal access; and
WHEREAS, the Executive Office of Early Learning and the Department of Education seek partnerships with established Hawaiian Medium Education Learning institutions to build capacity and resources for the program; and
WHEREAS, the Hawaiian Language is an official language of the State of Hawai‘i and equitable promotion and resourcing for Hawaiian language medium pre-kindergarten education is needed to support and equip families and students that choose the Hawaiian language medium pathways offered through the State of Hawai‘i Department of Education's Kula Kaiapuni and Hawaiian immersion public charter schools; and
WHEREAS, Hawai‘i ranked last among all states and the District of Columbia for the percentage of four-year olds attending state-funded preschool, as noted by the 2018 State of Preschool Yearbook by the National Institute for Early Education Research; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawai‘i, Regular Session of 2020, the House of Representatives concurring, that funding should be available to financially maintain and expand pre‑kindergarten throughout Hawai‘i in all public schools to allow access to all children of Hawai‘i, especially native Hawaiians, in both official language pathways; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies
of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor,
Chair of Board of Education, Superintendent of Education, Director of Department
of Education Office of Hawaiian Education, Chair and Executive Director of the
State Public Charter School Commission, Chair of Early Learning Board, Director
of Executive Office on Early Learning, President of Association
of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Chief Executive Officer of Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, and Chair of Native Hawaiian Education Council.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Urging the appropriation of funding to financially maintain and expand pre-kindergarten throughout Hawai‘i in all public schools to allow access to all children of Hawai‘i, especially Native Hawaiians, in both official language pathways
