Forty of our 50 states have systems for 4-year-olds to attend preschool, regardless of income. Ten states do not — Hawaii is among them.
Any further delay for Hawaii to join them perpetuates a sad disparity among children that benefits no one, least of all our most rural communities. Each year, 17,500 4-year-olds are eligible for preschool.
These keiki are our future. It’s a "yes-brainer" that we give them what they need — equal opportunity with their peers across the nation.
But if hope for the future isn’t a compelling enough argument, then urgency should be. Each year that we delay we lose valuable federal funding while those other states build and strengthen their preschool system with that money. A vote yes would help ensure we get our fair share of available federal funding.
When children attend preschool, most reach kindergarten better prepared to learn. K-12 education is stronger then because teachers focus on core learning in children who already have basic skills and socialization.
We know extensive research indicates that 90 percent of a child’s brain develops before kindergarten.
We know this: Keiki who attend quality preschools are more likely to read at grade level by fourth grade.
We know this, too: Children who attend preschool are 80 percent more likely to graduate from high school.
That’s why we are confused, and saddened, that leaders of Hawaii State Teacher’s Association (HSTA) so vocally oppose this early learning initiative that has been tested true across the nation. Many on-the-line teachers tell us they personally support "Yes on 4" because they see the benefits of preschool in their classrooms.
We cannot believe that HSTA wishes to block kids from getting access to early education, but the arguments it has offered serve only to confuse the issue. We seek to set the record straight.
» Voting "Yes on 4" means a step toward universal preschool for 4-year-olds. A vote no or a blank vote means thousands of children will not get access to preschool, especially true for our lowest income kids.
» The estimated cost to create a Department of Education-only preschool system would be more than $300 million dollars; not the $125 million that HSTA states.
» A call for pulling people together to study this to death can’t be more than a stalling tactic, especially since preschool value is already so well documented.
» There will be no discrimination based on race, religion, gender or ancestry — or income. Community preschools must qualify on those and many other grounds before they are funded.
» No preschool that chooses to contract with the state would be able to teach religious doctrine on state time. That’s the law.
» This will not raise or lower taxes. Voting "Yes on 4" simply provides our state the option to contract with community providers of preschool. The state Legislature would have to make an appropriation for preschool expansion — just as it would for any investment in an entirely DOE system.
Let’s face facts. Community-based programs have space, and are prepared to expand. In a mixed-delivery system, there are more people sharing the load, from parents to education philanthropies and private foundations. This lowers the state’s share while expanding access.
Let’s maximize the resources we have. This is much more fiscally responsible and sustainable, and would allow us to reach more children, quickly.
Think about it. Ask yourself: Is this better for my keiki, my grandbabies, the kid next door? Is this better for Hawaii? We think it’s a yes-brainer.
