STAND. COM. REP. 2279

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.B. No. 2613

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2613 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR FAMILIES FOR RESOURCES FOR EARLY ACCESS TO LEARNING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funding for the Families for Resources for Early Access to Learning Program (R.E.A.L.).

Your Committee received testimony in support of the measure from the Department of Education, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Good Beginnings Alliance, and two graduate students from the School of Social Work at the University of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that research has established that early brain stimulation between birth and age eight is critical to life-long learning and well-being. Thus, parents, as their children's first and primary teachers, are essential in providing a caring and intellectually stimulating environment for their children.

Your Committee further finds that Families for R.E.A.L., based on Minnesota's statewide Early Childhood/Family Education Model, is a public school early childhood/family education program for parents of children ages birth to five, located in three of seven Department of Education school districts. Establishing anchor sites within the other four school districts would establish a statewide system to proactively support children coming to school ready to learn.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2613 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair