U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono says a bill she introduced Friday with bipartisan support is designed to help children get a good start in elementary school by ensuring that states take into account the needs of preschoolers in charting their educational systems.

"Without spending any additional taxpayer dollars, this bipartisan legislation helps our keiki enter school ready to learn and increases their success in the early years," she said. "That early success puts our students on the path to graduate and compete for the best jobs."

Hirono teamed up with Reps. Walter Jones, R-N.C., Jared Polis, D-Colo., and Don Young, R-Alaska, to introduce House Resolution 2794, the Continuum of Learning Act of 2011. It would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to strengthen connections to early childhood education programs.

"It’s something we’ve needed for a very long time," said Kathy Murphy, executive director of the Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children. "We haven’t had anyone at the federal level address the continuum of learning from birth all the way through. At a time when we can’t get anybody to agree on anything in Washington, Mazie got Democrats and Republicans to come together on the issue of education."

In Hawaii, 41 percent of students entering kindergarten last year had no preschool experience, according to a survey conducted by the Good Beginnings Alliance and Hawaii’s Department of Education. The legislation would encourage elementary schools to better meet the needs of those children and also work with preschools to improve the transition for their students as they enter kindergarten.

"We know that children need to be ready for schools and also schools need to be ready for children," said Elisabeth Chun, executive director of the Good Beginnings Alliance. "The plan that’s been put forward in this bill encompasses the different components that make that work well. We’re very excited about it."

States are required to submit education plans to the federal government, but they generally cover just kindergarten through 12th grade. The bill would ask them to include an early learning component by 2015. The legislation would not create any new program or require new funding. Instead, it calls for:

» Strengthening state guidelines to promote high-quality preschool programs.

» Encouraging elementary schools to use federal Title I funds to support early childhood education for disadvantaged students.

» Better coordination between preschools and elementary schools on curriculum and services.

» Training and certification for teachers from preschool through third grade on children’s emotional, social and academic development.

"Education and learning is a continuum," Hirono said. "It doesn’t just start at kindergarten. It starts long before. The evidence is there that quality early learning is where we should put more of the focus."

She added, "It’s not just the educators that advocate this. There are a lot of other groups, including business people who understand we need to have an educated work force and acknowledge how important early learning is to the whole process"

Gary Kai, executive director of the Hawaii Business Roundtable, expressed support for the bill.

"Research shows that the highest rate of return for investments in human capital occurs in a child’s earliest years," Kai said.

Hirono, a longtime proponent of early education, started the state’s Pre-Plus program, a public-private partnership that launched 17 preschools on public school campuses. She also pushed to include early education in the federal Race to the Top initiative. A $500 million Early Learning Challenge Fund was announced May 25.