HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

107

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

  
   

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting the Special assistant on children and families in the office of the governor to convene and co-chair the hawaii after-school initiative.

 

 

WHEREAS, current studies about unsupervised children indicate that these children have higher absentee rates at school, have lower academic test scores, exhibit higher levels of fear, stress, nightmares, loneliness, and boredom, are 1.7 times more likely to use alcohol, and are 1.6 times more likely to smoke cigarettes; and

WHEREAS, recent data shows that in the City of Chicago, violent juvenile crime rate soars in the hours immediately after the school bell rings and also that children are most likely to be victims of a violent crime committed by a non-family member between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.; and

WHEREAS, research also indicates that children who attend high quality after-school programs have better peer relations, emotional adjustment, conflict resolution skills, grades, and conduct in school compared to their peers who are not in after-school programs; and

WHEREAS, children who attend after-school programs have more learning opportunities, academic activities, and enrichment activities and spend less time watching television than their peers; and

WHEREAS, in one study, children who attended an after-school program missed fewer days of school, had better homework completion, better school behavior, and higher test scores; and

WHEREAS, polls show that 92 percent of Americans believe there should be organized activities for children and teens during after school hours, and that 75 percent of Americans are ready to either pay more taxes or to forego a tax cut to provide children with good early childhood development programs and quality after-school programs; and

WHEREAS, as working parents can attest, child care concerns do not end once children are old enough to go to schoo, as a parent who is employed full time can be away from home an average of 2,400 hours a year, while children spend less than half of that time in school; and

WHEREAS, there are established 21st Century Community Learning Centers programs whose purpose is to provide activities that offer significant expanded learning opportunities for children and youths in the community, and that contribute to reduced drug use and violence; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2002, the Senate concurring, that the Special Assistant on Children and Families in the Office of the Governor is requested to convene and chair a task force, to be known as the Hawaii After-school Initiative (Initiative), to develop a plan to ensure quality after-school programs for every school-age child in the State; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Initiative be composed of representatives from the Board of Education (BOE), Department of Human Services (DHS), 21st Century Community Learning Centers, and other related state agencies, as well as private organizations representing violence prevention, parents, park districts, special need populations, private foundations, civic and cultural interests, community-based youth service providers, law enforcement, education, business, local volunteerism, faith-based communities, health, evaluation, and research, child and youth advocacy, alcohol, tobacco, and substance abuse prevention, and mental health; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the activities of the Initiative include:

(1) An assessment of the after-school services in the State, including:

(A) Identification of the number of children and youths served statewide in after-school programs;

(B) Identification of the number and location of children and youths who are in need of after-school programs; and

(C) Identification of the various funding streams currently supporting after-school programs;

and

(2) The development of a plan for coordinating after-school services and for achieving the goal of providing after-school services for every school-age child in this State;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Initiative plan include strategies for the State to promote best-practice models for after-school programs and to promote coordination and collaboration of after-school services at the local level; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the 21st Century Community Learning Centers is requested to assist the Department of Education in converting existing A-Plus after school programs into 21st Century Community Learning Centers through the provision of technical assistance and competitive grants; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Initiative engage children and youths in the development of the plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Initiative review model programs operating in the State and other states and that the review examine program components identified as best-practices that are based on proven research; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Special Assistant on Children and Families, BOE, and DHS are requested to provide support, by grant or contract, to a statewide organization for the development and implementation of the Initiative plan and assessment, and that funds for the Initiative be sought from the federal government, human services organizations, and private sponsorship; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Special Assistant on Children and Families, BOE, and DHS submit a report of their findings and recommendations on the Initiative plan to the Governor and Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2003; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Special Assistant on Children and Families, Chairperson of the Board of Education, and Director of Human Services.

Report Title:

After-school Initiative