Invest in our keiki, invest in our future

In an increasingly complex world, it’s amazing to think that the most effective solution to reversing the trend of rising crime rates, breaking the cycle of poverty and creating a stronger economy is as simple as quality early childhood education.

The research is clear: Learning begins before birth and continues through the critical first years of a child’s life. Failure to participate in quality early childhood experiences can result in learning and social delays that affect a person’s ability to do well in school, career and life.

That’s why it’s alarming that, according to the Hawaii State School Readiness Assessment, only 40 percent of public school kindergartners attended some type of preschool. And in many Native Hawaiian and low-income communities that statistic is closer to 18 percent. Compare that to 80 percent preschool attendance rate in many of Hawaii’s affluent communities and you can see where disparities begin.

So how do we reach at-risk children who are in greatest need of early education?

Unfortunately, the process for obtaining funding to achieve this is not simple. Recently, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services voted to approve $750 million in competitive grants to help states develop preschool programs and $1.6 billion in additional funds for Head Start. These are the first steps in a very critical national effort to offset sequester cuts with critical funding for early education.

However, more needs to be done, and it is crucial that all members of Congress understand that investing in early childhood education is good for all communities, economies and families. We need our delegation to not only support this, but advocate for our innovative model of Family Child Interaction Learning programs.

In this model, parents participate in preschool alongside their children. It focuses on reaching families in vulnerable communities and enabling them to determine their own educational future. Parents are the strongest assets and critical to a child’s learning. By engaging them as their children’s first teachers and providing them with the educational tools for their children to succeed, we not only strengthen bonds between parent and child, we create stronger attachments, happier families and well-adjusted children who are ready for school.

These programs are making a dramatic difference in the social, emotional and cognitive development of pre-kindergarten children who not only met, but exceeded 90 percent of school readiness benchmarks as measured by the Hawaii School Readiness Assessment in 2011 and 2012.

In addition to enhancing the school readiness skills of 739 children and their families annually, Institute for Native Pacific Education & Culture (INPEACE) programs have also helped more than 85 residents in predominantly Native Hawaiian communities to obtain degrees in early childhood education.

But this isn’t enough; all the family child interaction programs in our state reach less than 1 percent of the 0-5-years-old population with services. For these types of programs to reach disadvantaged communities on a broader level requires absolute commit- ment from our government leaders to support early childhood education.

That’s why INPEACE has joined forces with the Alliance for Children and Families/United Neighborhood Centers of America, to educate state and national leaders on the critical value of early childhood and family engagement in creating opportunities for self-reliance, achievement and success. For every dollar Hawaii spends on early childhood services, there is a $4.20 savings for the state in social welfare services.

Spending money on early childhood education will save taxpayers for years to come in the form of lower crime rates, a stronger workforce, and a reduced need for social services. It’s the smartest investment we can make for our children, communities and future.