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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.C.R. NO.            H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
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                     HOUSE CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CONDUCT A STATE-WIDE PRE-
   SCHOOL AND EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM NEEDS ASSESSMENT.



 1       WHEREAS, it is generally recognized that a quality pre-
 2   school program can have a major impact on how well a child does
 3   throughout the child's educational career; and
 4   
 5       WHEREAS, community input and support of educational
 6   programs tend to be greater at the pre-school level because of
 7   the young age of the children; and 
 8   
 9       WHEREAS, parental involvement is enhanced when children
10   begin their education at an age when they still require
11   substantial emotional, physical, and time resources from their
12   parents; and
13   
14       WHEREAS, pre-school experience helps children prepare for
15   and successfully enter the educational system by acquainting
16   them with both school operations and peer interaction, which,
17   in turn, make the transition into the educational system
18   smoother; and
19   
20       WHEREAS, virtually every community in some way lacks access
21   to pre-school and early childhood education because of their
22   unique needs; and
23   
24       WHEREAS, it is imperative to identify the barriers to
25   providing quality pre-school and early childhood education in
26   each and every community; now, therefore,
27   
28       BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
29   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
30   of 1999, the Senate concurring, that the Department of
31   Education (DOE) is urged to conduct a state-wide pre-school and
32   early childhood program needs assessment by school district;
33   and

 
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                                  H.C.R. NO.            H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the assessment:
 2   
 3       (1)  Identify communities that lack pre-school and early
 4            childhood programs;
 5   
 6       (2)  Determine the adequacy of school and community
 7            facilities; and
 8   
 9       (3)  Determine the means to, the cost of, and the types of
10            resources needed for developing universal access to
11            preschool and early childhood programs;
12   
13       and
14   
15       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DOE work in collaboration with
16   the Departments of Health and Human Services; the Good
17   Beginnings Alliance; Head Start; the Hawaii Association for the
18   Education of Young Children; and private schools; and
19   
20       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the assessment is not intended
21   to supplant existing pre-school and early childhood programs;
22   and
23   
24       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DOE submit its findings and
25   recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days
26   prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2000; and
27   
28       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
29   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Directors of
30   Education, Health, and Human Services; and the Executive
31   Directors of Head Start, the Good Beginnings Alliance, and the
32   Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children.