Hawaii’s Early Learning System

1. Hawaii’s Early Learning System Looking at… ECE Task Force: Governance Committee

2. Family Support System Health and Nutrition System Special Needs/Early Intervention System Early Care and Education System Early Learning: A System of Systems Early Learning System

3. Current System Standing • Strengths • Growing partnerships • Increased awareness of the importance of the early years • Weaknesses • Broken communication amongst services within systems (small circles); and between systems • Disconnected continuum of services • Coordination and/or authority

4. FY99: Percentage of Funds for 0 -5 FY 1999: A Wise Investment Spending for Young Children, Children’s Budget Analysis Issue Brief

5. Spending for Children Ages 0 – 4 In Million Dollars: FY 1999 FY 1999: A Wise Investment Spending for Young Children, Children’s Budget Analysis Issue Brief

6. Spending Per Child in 1999 How Funds Are Allocated Among Programs FY 1999: A Wise Investment Spending for Young Children, Children’s Budget Analysis Issue Brief

7. Family Support System Health and Nutrition System Special Needs/Early Intervention System Early Care and Education System Early Learning: A System of Systems Early Learning System

8. Health and Nutrition System • Primary Care Physicians • Child Care Health Consultants • Community Health Centers • USDA Child Care Food Program • Department of Health

9. Family Support System • Head Start and Early Head Start • Child Protective Services • Home Visiting Programs • Department of Social Services • TANF/Workforce Development • Play and Learn Groups • Parent Education • Healthy Start

10. Special Needs/Early Intervention • Department of Mental Health • Department of Education - 619 Special Education • Private Providers • Early Intervention

11. Early Care and Education System • Head Start and Early Head Start • Family Child Care, Center-based Care, Informal Care, Kith/Kin Care, Play and Learn Groups • Child Care Resource and Referral • TANF/Workforce Development • Child Care Subsidy Programs • School Readiness Initiative • Department of Human Services

12. Family Support System Professional Development System Health and Nutrition System Special Needs/Early Intervention System Early Care and Education System Early Learning: A System of Systems Early Learning System

13. Professional Development System • Hawaii Careers with Young Children • Higher Education System • Accreditation • TANF/Workforce Development • Community-based Training • Scholarships (for Practitioners) • Registry • Health/Nutrition (?) • Family Support (?) • Early Intervention/Special Education (?)

14. Focusing on…. Early Learning System

15. Proposed Vision An optimal early childhood system will enable all of Hawaii’s children to be loved, safe, healthy and ready to succeed.

16. Proposed Mission The optimal Early Learning System will… • Provide equal opportunities for early learning, health, social and family resources that are responsive to families. • Include services and programs that are respectful of the host culture, honor individual preferences, and offer high quality choices.

17. Proposed Goals • Coordinated and significant funding to sustain the Early Learning System • Hawaii’s citizens acknowledge and understand that the foundation of a child’s life is developed in the first eight years. • Families and communities are knowledgeable about children’s needs and how to foster healthy development and learning. • There is adequate availability of high quality child care spaces for all of Hawaii’s children.

18. Proposed Goals (cont’d) • Programs and services are available that support the whole child with regards to health, special needs, nutrition, physical development, safety and early learning. • Early Care and Education is recognized and valued as a viable profession. • Compensation and benefits • Support for continued professional development • Access to high quality training • Data is available and shared in an effort to support system development and growth.

19. Proposed Guiding Principles • Young children learn while being cared for, thus education and care must not be considered separately. • Parents should be valued and supported as their child’s first teacher. • Families need to have access to quality early care and education program choices. • Limited resources should target underserved low income families first, since this intervention has proven the greatest return on our investment.

20. Proposed Guiding Principles • Programs are available and accessible to support parents as partners in meeting their child’s physical, health, emotional, social and cognitive needs. • High standards for program quality, health and safety, and professional training and development are established and maintained. • Skilled and knowledgeable early care and education practitioners are an essential key to quality; they must have access to education and training opportunities and receive equitable compensation opportunities to succeed.

21. Proposed Guiding Principles • Data (?) • Services are collaborative and seamless to consumers (i.e. parents and children) within the Early Learning System. • Mechanisms are in place for developing policies that include grassroots communities, service professionals, and public/private agencies to assure continued enhancement of the Early Learning System.