HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

862

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO SCHOOL READINESS.

 

 

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

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that more of our children are entering kindergarten without the physical, cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional skills expected to prepare them for success in school life.  For example, only forty per cent of kindergarten classes had the majority of their students entering the 2012-2013 school year with school behaviors and skills, and even fewer demonstrated the necessary approaches to learning, according to the Hawaii State School Readiness Assessment.

     It is no coincidence the Hawaii State School Readiness Assessment also reports that fifty-seven per cent of students who entered kindergarten had attended preschool.  This is a lower percentage than in years past.  According to kindergarten teachers in the department of education, many of the children who do not have experiences in pre-kindergarten programs could be eighteen to twenty-four months behind in development than their peers who do.  The link between school readiness and success in school is indisputable.  Act 13, Session Laws of Hawaii 2002, defined school readiness as "young children are ready to have successful learning experiences in school when there is a positive interaction among the child's developmental characteristics, school practices, and family and community support."

     The State must expend efforts to promote school readiness, especially in light of its expectation that kindergarten students master the grade-level Common Core State Standards to develop the academic competencies and habits of mind necessary for college and career success.

     The legislature through Act 178, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012, repealed the junior kindergarten program and delayed the change in kindergarten entry age to the 2014-2015 school year; a child must be five years old by July 31 of the school year.  The legislature's intent was to align the changes with the implementation of a program that would more effectively provide a developmentally appropriate experience to prepare children physically, cognitively, linguistically, socially, and emotionally prior to beginning the public education provided by the department of education.

     The program must be in place by 2014 to serve the children who will be affected by the change in kindergarten eligibility – those born August 1 to December 31.

     The purpose of this Act is to establish a statewide school readiness program consisting of providers of school readiness services to assist families in preparing their children for success in school.  The statewide school readiness program will be administered by the executive office on early learning and is a major component of the early learning system established pursuant to section 302L-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

     SECTION 2.  Chapter 302L, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

     "§302L-     School readiness program.  (a)  There is established within the early learning system a school readiness program to be administered by the executive office on early learning.  The school readiness program shall:

     (1)  Prepare children for school;

     (2)  Provide access to school readiness services that address children's physical, cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional development; and

     (3)  Assist low- and moderate-income families.

The program shall not provide any instructional services that supplant or duplicate the academic program of any public or private school that is established for the purpose of compliance with section 302A-1132.

     (b)  The program shall serve four-year-old children, with priority for:

     (1)  Children who are not eligible to attend public school kindergarten in the calendar year they turn five years of age because their birthdates occur after the July 31 cut-off for kindergarten eligibility; and

     (2)  Underserved or at-risk children.

Families may enroll their children in the program on a voluntary basis.

     Families shall share in the costs of the program through a copayment according to a sliding fee scale that is based on need and through fulfillment of family participation requirements, pursuant to rules adopted by the office.

     The program shall not serve children who are enrolled in or eligible for public elementary education.

     (c)  The office may contract with eligible providers of school readiness services to increase the capacity of the program to provide school readiness services to children across the state.  Eligible providers shall:

     (1)  Either be the department of education or licensed by the department of human services to provide child care under part VIII of chapter 346; and

     (2)  Meet the standards established under the program pursuant to rules adopted by the office, which include qualifications for staff who work with children and data collection regarding participating children.  The office may provide support to providers to meet these standards.

     For the purposes of this program, eligible providers are not deemed to be educational institutions.

     (d)  The office may adopt rules necessary to carry out the purposes of this section."

     SECTION 3.  Section 26-12, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§26-12  Department of education.  The department of education shall be headed by an executive board to be known as the board of education.

     Under policies established by the board, the superintendent shall administer programs of education and public instruction throughout the State, including education at the preschool, primary, and secondary school levels, adult education, school library services, health education and instruction (not including dental health treatment transferred to the department of health), and such other programs as may be established by law.  The state librarian, under policies established by the board of education, shall be responsible for the administration of programs relating to public library services and transcribing services for the blind.  This section shall not apply to the executive office on early learning and its programs.

     The functions and authority heretofore exercised by the department of education (except dental health treatment transferred to the department of health), library of Hawaii, Hawaii county library, Maui county library, and the transcribing services program of the bureau of sight conservation and work with the blind, as heretofore constituted are transferred to the public library system established by this chapter.

     The management contract between the board of supervisors of the county of Kauai and the Kauai public library association shall be terminated at the earliest time after November 25, 1959, permissible under the terms of the contract and the provisions of this paragraph shall constitute notice of termination, and the functions and authority heretofore exercised by the Kauai county library as heretofore constituted and the Kauai public library association over the public libraries in the county of Kauai shall thereupon be transferred to the public library system established by this chapter.

     The management contracts between the trustees of the library of Hawaii and the Friends of the Library of Hawaii, and between the library of Hawaii and the Hilo library and reading room association, shall be terminated at the earliest time after November 25, 1959, permissible under the terms of the contracts, and the provisions of this paragraph shall constitute notice of termination.

     Upon the termination of the contracts, the State or the counties shall not enter into any library management contracts with any private association; provided that in providing library services the board of education may enter into contracts approved by the governor for the use of lands, buildings, equipment, and facilities owned by any private association.

     Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the board of education may establish, specify the membership number and quorum requirements for, appoint members to, and disestablish a commission in each county to be known as the library advisory commission, which shall in each case sit in an advisory capacity to the board of education on matters relating to public library services in their respective county."

     SECTION 4.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

BY REQUEST


 


 

Report Title:

School Readiness Program

 

Description:

Establishes the School Readiness Program within the early learning system.

 

 

 

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.