Hawai'i is about to take the first step toward greater state involvement in the education of preschool children.

With milestone legislation poised for passage, Hawai'i is expected to join a growing list of states that have established some form of an early childhood education system.

State lawmakers said last week they are likely to pass the "Keiki First Steps" legislation — Senate Bill 2878 — which would set aside at least $250,000 to establish a state council on early learning. The council is intended to be the governing body of what is likely to become Hawai'i's public-private early education system.

The system would be a private-public partnership, with services offered by existing and new childcare or preschool facilities.

The state eventually would make money available to the private schools to use for kids age 3 to 4. As a condition of taking the money, a school would have to agree to meet state standards.

Early childhood education advocates say that the earlier children begin learning, the better they perform once they reach kindergarten. They also say that early education reduces dropout rates, boosts test scores and ensures success beyond school.

In the first years of the proposed program, the focus would be on targeting underserved families who are unable to afford, or lack access to, early learning. Eventually, the program would serve 80 percent of all 3- and 4-year-olds — estimated to reach nearly 20,000 in 10 years.

MORE MONEY SOUGHT

While advocates of early childhood education applaud the state's effort, they initially pushed for about $10.5 million in startup funding from the Legislature. That money would have not only created a system, but also would have allowed for the implementation of early education services as soon as next year.

"We knew it was going to be difficult for the kind of funding we would like to have. But the establishment of the early learning council is key to the Keiki First Steps program and this will begin the creation of a system," said Robert Peters, head of Hanahauoli Schools and co-chairman of the Legislature's Early Learning Educational Task Force.

Peters said that once the council is established, its job will be to put in place policies to oversee the quality and curriculum of private providers of early childhood education who accept state funding.

The council will also have to address issues such as teacher shortages, workforce development and continuing education for teachers.

"The first step you need to make whenever you establish some sort of system is to figure out what entity will determine quality and accessibility," said state Rep. Roy Takumi, chairman of the House Education Committee.

"On one hand, the kind of dollars that we needed to expand early childhood education are not available. But I think it is great news that we're going to join 40 other states in establishing a private-public preschool system for the state," Takumi said.

MOST KIDS UNPREPARED

Less than 18 percent of children enter kindergarten with the literacy standards they need to succeed in school, according to a report by the early learning education task force. That means the vast majority of children entering school are already behind, the report said.

Hawai'i is one of a handful of states across the country that have not created a preschool system, Takumi said. Most states have established some kind of early education system, or have at least created programs that will eventually become a comprehensive preschool system.

Last week, leaders in early education from four states gathered in Hawai'i to compare notes and discuss strategies to boost early learning. The gathering was hosted by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which has contributed some $35 million in grant money to early learning initiatives in Hawai'i.

Graciela Italiano-Thomas, president of Thrive by Five in Washington state, said her state established a Department of Early Learning which is working with the private sector to expand early learning services to high-need areas.

"Start with the children who need it the most. You want to make quality early learning available to every child, but you want to start with those who you know would get the greatest impact," said Italiano-Thomas, whose organization represents the private sector in Washington's early learning system.

Hawai'i's Keiki First Steps plan would be similar to that, said Liz Chun, executive director of the Good Beginnings Alliance.

Chun said the job of the early learning council will be to determine what constitutes a quality early learning provider.

"We want to ensure we have a quality system and the money would go toward technical assistance for those programs that need to increase the education of their teachers and associate teachers," Chun said.

TEACHER SHORTAGE

Early education in Hawai'i faces a shortage of quality teachers working with preschool students. Of the 510 teachers working in the field, about 61 percent have a bachelor's degree, but many require more study in early childhood education. About 39 percent have an associate's degree and 12 percent have only a high school diploma.

According to the state's Early Learning Educational Task Force, Hawai'i preschools need to recruit about 840 new teachers if they are to reach 80 percent of young children.

But the question of money remains. The early learning task force had estimated that the cost of Hawai'i's early learning system would continue to rise over 10 years as more and more children are served.

Costs would eventually rise to about $170 million, which is what it will likely take to maintain the system.

Peters said that the state, by establishing the council, will now have an official body lobbying to build up Hawai'i's capacity to provide early childhood education. The organization would also be the main group lobbying for more funding.

Rep. Kirk Caldwell, House majority leader, said funding for early learning would have to be gradual to slowly build up the workforce necessary to reach a majority of young children.

"The issue of funding is a tremendous one," Caldwell said. "I believe we'll move this forward, but we'll do it in an incremental way where we know how much it is going to cost."