Universal Preschool for Hawaii鈥檚 Keiki Is a Yes-Brainer
Children are struggling without early learning to prepare for kindergarten and time is being wasted on an empty debate.
Children are entering kindergarten unprepared, and our public school teachers readily say it鈥檚 more than the Department of Education can handle.
It鈥檚 inequitable for everybody 鈥 for the children who aren鈥檛 ready; for those who are ready, but are held back by the needs of those who aren鈥檛; for the teachers and staff faced with these uneven levels of preparation.
It鈥檚 hard to believe there is any question that Hawaii 4-year-olds need at least a year of preschool before heading into kindergarten. There are longitudinal studies and many states that prove just how important preschool is to educational success.
Ballot measure 4 could open the way for more children to get a year of helpful preparation before they reach kindergarten classes, like this one at Ala Wai Elementary School.
PF Bentley/Civil Beat
It鈥檚 even harder to believe that the leadership of the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA) would block or delay such a measure when it would benefit its members, who are tasked with educating all the children of Hawaii with these varying degrees of readiness.
in the upcoming election asks voters to approve an amendment to the Hawaii Constitution that would allow the state to contract with licensed, non-profit preschools, after they meet strict standards. This would pave the way for all 4-year-olds to get that year of preparation to succeed when they enter kindergarten.
It鈥檚 being done across the nation in all but 10 states. Unfortunately, Hawaii is one of these lagging without universal preschool.
Middle class families would be assessed according to what they can afford, and our most needy families would not be required to pay. This is the truth, and anyone who says differently is misinformed or is intentionally distorting the truth.
If the leaders of HSTA get their way and block universal preschool for our 4-year-olds, our lower-income and middle-income families will suffer. The 鈥渞ich鈥 kids that the HSTA leaders manipulatively call out as the beneficiaries are already in preschool. Their parents can afford it, and they don鈥檛 need a constitutional amendment. They don鈥檛 need subsidies, and they won鈥檛 qualify for them.
Middle class families would be assessed according to what they can afford, and our most needy families would not be required to pay. This is the truth, and anyone who says differently is misinformed or is intentionally distorting the truth.
If our state votes 鈥淵es on 4,鈥 there are 300 early learning centers across the islands that would have the option to participate in a private-public universal preschool system for 4-year-olds. Most of them already serve low-income students, and this would allow them to expand. Not all of them will choose to participate, but we hope the majority will, so that those who need it most have access to quality early education.
If our state votes no, it鈥檚 a vote against a model that is working across the country. 鈥淣o鈥 means our keiki continue to lose out on an opportunity to succeed. 鈥淣o鈥 means our teachers lose out as they grapple with classrooms of children not ready for the rigors of grade school. It鈥檚 not fair for anyone, and it鈥檚 perplexing why the leadership of the HSTA would do this to its members and our community.
Community-based programs have space, and many are prepared for growth. In a mixed-delivery system of public and private options, there are more people sharing the load, from parents to education philanthropies and private foundations. This lowers the state鈥檚 share while expanding access. A public-only system will cost us way more, much more if you consider the long-term expense of children being at a disadvantage because they don鈥檛 get what they need at the critical time in their development.
While our kids continue to struggle without the benefit of early learning to prepare for kindergarten, time is being wasted on an empty debate.
We need all Hawaii鈥檚 resources, public and private, to completely serve our 17,500 plus 4-year-olds every year. It lacks logic to exclude an already built system of quality early learning providers in favor of a public-only option. All states with universal preschool are using a public-private model, successfully.
Please join my family in voting 鈥淵es on 4,鈥 and know that you are supporting a proven solution for improving the outcomes for all our children.
GET IN-DEPTH
REPORTING ON HAWAII鈥橲 BIGGEST ISSUES
Every campaign season we get tons of emails and commentary from people supporting or opposing particular candidates. Campaign Corner is a forum for healthy 鈥 and civil 鈥 discussion of candidates and their issues. Endorsements and criticisms are part of a voter鈥檚 decision-making process. Here are the ground rules: The column must be written by an identifiable person and accompanied by a current head shot and brief bio. The commentary must be original and not published elsewhere. No campaign email blasts. No letter-writing campaigns. Send columns and questions to news@civilbeat.org.聽The opinions and information expressed in Campaign Corner are solely those of the authors and not Civil Beat.
