Hirono, who is spending several days touring Maui, read to 20 children enrolled in the Early Head Start Kupukupu Childhood Development Program provided by Maui Family Support Services.

"The children were so attentive. They were engrossed in her story," Lucy Feinberg, MFSS program services director, told The Maui News. "The children loved it."

Feinberg said that books are an important part of education even to children of the early Head Start age, from 6 weeks to 3 years old.

Hirono last week expressed her support for early education by introducing legislation to fund early childhood education efforts by the states.

Her legislation, Providing Resources Early for Kids (Pre-K) Act of 2007, would establish a partnership between the federal government and the states to improve the state-funded preschool programs such as the Kupukupu program.

Hirono is a member of the House Education and Labor Committee

"This is cost-effective legislation because those who receive quality early childhood education are more likely to grow up and contribute to our society and economy, and we save money as fewer students need to repeat a grade or require special education," she said of her proposal.

The bill would provide $1 billion per year for five years to help states strengthen their pre-kindergarten programs and allow state various options based on their particular needs.

She said the funds would give states additional resources while helping to supplement services provided by other federal programs such as Head Start. The bill is not a federal mandate, Hirono said in her announcement of her bill.

Feinberg said that shifting priorities to raising healthy children through infant and toddler development and education will pay off in the future. Currently 30 percent or 40 percent of children who enter kindergarten have not had pre-school education.

"A lot of it is economics," Feinberg said.

To help lower that figure, the federal government provides funding to programs like Kupukupu, which provides the services free to 20 children enrolled at MFSS facilities in Wailuku. The program run by MFSS since 2003, provides a full-day child development program for parents who meet income eligibility guidelines establish by the federal government.

MFSS also offers a Home Visiting Early Head Start Program, which currently assists 35 children. While the federal government does offer support, Feinberg said the funds do not cover all the costs and the agency relies on community support, donations and grants.