Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

Hawaii Senate Bill SB712 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
OldNewDifferences
11 THE SENATE S.B. NO. 712 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to the preschool open doors program. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
22
33 THE SENATE S.B. NO. 712
44 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
55 STATE OF HAWAII
66
77 THE SENATE
88
99 S.B. NO.
1010
1111 712
1212
1313 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
1414
1515
1616
1717 STATE OF HAWAII
1818
1919
2020
2121
2222
2323
2424
2525
2626
2727
2828
2929
3030
3131 A BILL FOR AN ACT
3232
3333
3434
3535
3636
3737 relating to the preschool open doors program.
3838
3939
4040
4141
4242
4343 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
4444
4545
4646
4747 SECTION 1. The purpose of this Act is to expand the eligibility criteria for the preschool open doors program, thereby enhancing access to child care opportunities for families with young children. This expansion seeks to address the needs of families with young children by increasing access to affordable childhood care services, contributing to the developmental outcomes for Hawaii's youngest residents. SECTION 2. Section 346-181, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows: "§346-181 Preschool open doors program. (a) There is established within the department a [school readiness] program to be known as the preschool open doors program within the department's child care assistance program. The program is intended to support families in accessing early learning services for young children. The program shall: (1) Provide access to [school readiness] early learning services that address children's physical, cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional development; (2) Require each provider to conduct [school readiness] early learning assessments; and (3) [Give priority to children from low- and moderate-income families; and (4)] Prepare children for school through either of the State's two official languages. (b) Subject to the availability of funds, the program shall continuously serve [three- and four-year-old] two-year-old through five-year-old children who are in the [two] three years prior to kindergarten entry until they enter kindergarten pursuant to section 302A‑411[, with priority extended in the following order during a priority application period established for each upcoming state fiscal year: (1) Children who are not eligible to attend public school kindergarten in the calendar year in which they turn five years of age because their birth date occurs after the kindergarten eligibility date pursuant to section 302A-411; (2) Underserved or at-risk four-year-old children who were previously served as three‑year‑old children; (3) Four-year-old children who were previously served as three-year-old children; (4) Four-year-old children; (5) Underserved or at-risk three-year-old children; and (6) Three-year-old children; provided that the department shall adopt rules, pursuant to chapter 91, to determine a child's underserved or at-risk status, if not duplicative of the rules already adopted under chapter 17-799, Hawaii Administrative Rules; and applications received after the end of the priority application period and through January 31 of each year shall be processed on a first-come, first-served basis for the remainder of the state fiscal year]. (c) A child care program chosen by a parent or guardian for the purposes of this chapter shall be limited to: (1) A group child care center that is licensed by the department under section 346-161; (2) A group child care home that is licensed by the department under section 346-161; (3) An accredited family child care center that is registered by the department in accordance with section 346-171; or (4) An exempt center-based provider that is listed with the department in accordance with section 346-152. (d) Participation in the program shall not require preschools or early learning programs to be accredited by an approved accredited body. (e) Enrollment in the program shall be voluntary. A parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the program shall share in the costs of the program through a copayment [according to a sliding fee scale that is based on need] of up to one dollar pursuant to rules adopted by the department. [(d)] (f) The department may adopt interim rules to carry out the purposes of this section without regard to chapter 91 or 201M; provided that: (1) The department shall hold at least one public hearing prior to the adoption of interim rules; (2) The interim rules shall comply with all applicable state and federal laws; and (3) The interim rules shall be effective for no more than one year after their adoption." SECTION 3. Section 346-188, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows: "(b) The department shall develop standards, policies, and procedures for the administration of the child care accreditation program, which shall, at minimum: (1) Provide upfront grant funding to cover the cost of accreditation by one of the national early learning accrediting organizations, [as identified in section 346-184(b), or] as approved by the director; (2) Provide grant funding for technical assistance to assist an eligible child care provider through the accreditation process; and (3) Be available to licensed group child care centers, licensed group child care homes, licensed infant and toddler child care centers, and registered family child care homes." SECTION 4. Section 346-184, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is repealed. ["§346-184 Preschool open doors program; provider accreditation. (a) Each service provider of the preschool open doors program shall be accredited or shall obtain accreditation within seven calendar years of first receiving any funds from the preschool open doors program; provided that any existing service provider unaccredited on July 1, 2022, shall commence the accreditation process no later than July 1, 2029, and obtain accreditation by July 1, 2034; provided further that the director may grant to any service provider one or more extensions to obtain accreditation on a case-by-case basis. (b) Accreditation under this section shall be obtained from one or more of the following national early learning accrediting organizations: (1) National Association for the Education of Young Children; (2) National Early Childhood Program Accreditation; (3) National Association for Family Child Care; or (4) An accrediting organization approved by the director. (c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b), a service provider may receive or continue to receive funding through the preschool open doors program if the service provider maintains a satisfactory performance rating under the Classroom Assessment Scoring System developed by the University of Virginia and performed in conformance with United States Department of Health and Human Services guidelines. (d) The department shall provide operational and financial support to service providers to assist the service providers in obtaining accreditation. The department may contract with a private entity to assist service providers in obtaining accreditation."] SECTION 5. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored. SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval. INTRODUCED BY: _____________________________
4848
4949 SECTION 1. The purpose of this Act is to expand the eligibility criteria for the preschool open doors program, thereby enhancing access to child care opportunities for families with young children. This expansion seeks to address the needs of families with young children by increasing access to affordable childhood care services, contributing to the developmental outcomes for Hawaii's youngest residents.
5050
5151 SECTION 2. Section 346-181, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
5252
5353 "§346-181 Preschool open doors program. (a) There is established within the department a [school readiness] program to be known as the preschool open doors program within the department's child care assistance program. The program is intended to support families in accessing early learning services for young children. The program shall:
5454
5555 (1) Provide access to [school readiness] early learning services that address children's physical, cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional development;
5656
5757 (2) Require each provider to conduct [school readiness] early learning assessments; and
5858
5959 (3) [Give priority to children from low- and moderate-income families; and
6060
6161 (4)] Prepare children for school through either of the State's two official languages.
6262
6363 (b) Subject to the availability of funds, the program shall continuously serve [three- and four-year-old] two-year-old through five-year-old children who are in the [two] three years prior to kindergarten entry until they enter kindergarten pursuant to section 302A‑411[, with priority extended in the following order during a priority application period established for each upcoming state fiscal year:
6464
6565 (1) Children who are not eligible to attend public school kindergarten in the calendar year in which they turn five years of age because their birth date occurs after the kindergarten eligibility date pursuant to section 302A-411;
6666
6767 (2) Underserved or at-risk four-year-old children who were previously served as three‑year‑old children;
6868
6969 (3) Four-year-old children who were previously served as three-year-old children;
7070
7171 (4) Four-year-old children;
7272
7373 (5) Underserved or at-risk three-year-old children; and
7474
7575 (6) Three-year-old children;
7676
7777 provided that the department shall adopt rules, pursuant to chapter 91, to determine a child's underserved or at-risk status, if not duplicative of the rules already adopted under chapter 17-799, Hawaii Administrative Rules; and applications received after the end of the priority application period and through January 31 of each year shall be processed on a first-come, first-served basis for the remainder of the state fiscal year].
7878
7979 (c) A child care program chosen by a parent or guardian for the purposes of this chapter shall be limited to:
8080
8181 (1) A group child care center that is licensed by the department under section 346-161;
8282
8383 (2) A group child care home that is licensed by the department under section 346-161;
8484
8585 (3) An accredited family child care center that is registered by the department in accordance with section 346-171; or
8686
8787 (4) An exempt center-based provider that is listed with the department in accordance with section 346-152.
8888
8989 (d) Participation in the program shall not require preschools or early learning programs to be accredited by an approved accredited body.
9090
9191 (e) Enrollment in the program shall be voluntary. A parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the program shall share in the costs of the program through a copayment [according to a sliding fee scale that is based on need] of up to one dollar pursuant to rules adopted by the department.
9292
9393 [(d)] (f) The department may adopt interim rules to carry out the purposes of this section without regard to chapter 91 or 201M; provided that:
9494
9595 (1) The department shall hold at least one public hearing prior to the adoption of interim rules;
9696
9797 (2) The interim rules shall comply with all applicable state and federal laws; and
9898
9999 (3) The interim rules shall be effective for no more than one year after their adoption."
100100
101101 SECTION 3. Section 346-188, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
102102
103103 "(b) The department shall develop standards, policies, and procedures for the administration of the child care accreditation program, which shall, at minimum:
104104
105105 (1) Provide upfront grant funding to cover the cost of accreditation by one of the national early learning accrediting organizations, [as identified in section 346-184(b), or] as approved by the director;
106106
107107 (2) Provide grant funding for technical assistance to assist an eligible child care provider through the accreditation process; and
108108
109109 (3) Be available to licensed group child care centers, licensed group child care homes, licensed infant and toddler child care centers, and registered family child care homes."
110110
111111 SECTION 4. Section 346-184, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is repealed.
112112
113113 ["§346-184 Preschool open doors program; provider accreditation. (a) Each service provider of the preschool open doors program shall be accredited or shall obtain accreditation within seven calendar years of first receiving any funds from the preschool open doors program; provided that any existing service provider unaccredited on July 1, 2022, shall commence the accreditation process no later than July 1, 2029, and obtain accreditation by July 1, 2034; provided further that the director may grant to any service provider one or more extensions to obtain accreditation on a case-by-case basis.
114114
115115 (b) Accreditation under this section shall be obtained from one or more of the following national early learning accrediting organizations:
116116
117117 (1) National Association for the Education of Young Children;
118118
119119 (2) National Early Childhood Program Accreditation;
120120
121121 (3) National Association for Family Child Care; or
122122
123123 (4) An accrediting organization approved by the director.
124124
125125 (c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b), a service provider may receive or continue to receive funding through the preschool open doors program if the service provider maintains a satisfactory performance rating under the Classroom Assessment Scoring System developed by the University of Virginia and performed in conformance with United States Department of Health and Human Services guidelines.
126126
127127 (d) The department shall provide operational and financial support to service providers to assist the service providers in obtaining accreditation. The department may contract with a private entity to assist service providers in obtaining accreditation."]
128128
129129 SECTION 5. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
130130
131131 SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
132132
133133
134134
135135 INTRODUCED BY: _____________________________
136136
137137 INTRODUCED BY:
138138
139139 _____________________________
140140
141141
142142
143143
144144
145145 Report Title: Preschool Open Doors Program; Eligibility Description: Expands the preschool open door program's eligibility criteria. Repeals the requirement that open door program providers be accredited. The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
146146
147147
148148
149149
150150
151151 Report Title:
152152
153153 Preschool Open Doors Program; Eligibility
154154
155155
156156
157157 Description:
158158
159159 Expands the preschool open door program's eligibility criteria. Repeals the requirement that open door program providers be accredited.
160160
161161
162162
163163
164164
165165
166166
167167 The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.