WASHINGTON — Pre-kindergarten programs in Hawai'i and other states need more federal help to cope with a growing and, so far unmet, demand, Elisabeth Chun, a state education leader, told a House panel yesterday.

In Hawai'i, almost 40 percent of young children live in families that cannot afford early-education programs. Programs that do receive federal and state subsidies are filled and have long waiting lists, said Chun, executive director for Good Beginnings Alliance in Honolulu.

Chun said federal funding for Head Start, Early Head Start, young children's special-education programs and federal childcare and development block grants create a foundation for early childhood education in Hawai'i and every state.

"Yet, none have had a significant increase in funds for six years," Chun told the House Education and Labor Committee. "Given what we know from the research on the value of the investment in high-quality childhood programs, they should be made Congress' first priority for increased investment, starting now."

Chun and other experts said early childcare and educational experiences are especially important for low-income children, who face greater risk of behavior and academic challenges.

"Research has shown that high-quality early-childhood education programs make a difference in educational, social, emotional and physical outcomes, especially for high-risk, low-income children," she said.

Education experts, citing $25 billion spent annually on preschool programs already, also told the committee that Congress should push for better coordination of various federal early-childhood education programs at the state and local levels and find ways to improve the programs' quality.

"Why would we think that simply pouring new money into the existing system would produce better outcomes," said Ron Haskins, a senior fellow with the Bookings Institution in Washington.

The committee is considering a number of bills that would expand federal involvement in early-childhood education.

"Investments in these programs must be made wisely and we must ensure that we target resources to what works," said U.S. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the committee. "But it is clear that new and greater investments must also be made."

U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai'i, a committee member, is pushing her bill to improve pre-kindergarten education with a $5 billion grant program targeted to increasing the number of teachers, giving states flexibility to improve curriculum quality and expanding programs serving the youngest children, aged birth to 3.

"This hearing shows there is growing support for legislation that promotes high-quality early education," said Hirono who chaired the hearing.

Charles E.M. Kolb, president of the business think tank Committee for Economic Development, called for more investment in pre-kindergarten programs because it increases the likelihood the students will make more economic and social contributions to society than it costs to educate them.

Implementing voluntary preschool programs for all students is expected to generate $2 to $4 in benefits for every $1 invested, Kolb said. That amount would include 50 cents in reduced crime costs and 36 cents to 77 cents in school savings, he said.

Reach Dennis Camire at dcamire@gns.gannett.com.