§302A-410  Quality early education plan. 
(a)  The department plan for quality early education shall focus on children
from ages four up to six years.



(b)  The board shall adopt standards and
criteria for quality early education based on current national standards and
the needs of Hawaii's children.  The standards and criteria shall provide the
basis upon which the early education plan shall be developed.



(c)  The department of education shall work
cooperatively with the department of human services, the department of health,
college level education programs, early education organizations, parents of
young children, and other appropriate organizations, in developing a quality
early education plan.  The plan shall include but not be limited to the following:



(1)  Standards for curriculum, activities, facilities,
and teacher training for early childhood education;



(2)  Methods and materials designed to involve and
educate parents and guardians in the education and development of their young
children;



(3)  A timetable and implementation schedule, approved
by the board, to be submitted to the governor and the legislature;



(4)  Costs for delivery of early childhood services,
including how costs can be shared between the public and private sectors; and



(5)  Assessment of training and certification capacity
of teachers, including assurances by teacher training institutions to recruit
and graduate qualified staff for early childhood education.



(d)  Early education shall be delivered through
private providers to the maximum extent possible, and provision shall be made
to enable parents and guardians to opt for home care if they so choose by
providing early childhood education resources in each school for in-home use.



(e)  Beginning with the 1997-1998 school year,
this section shall be interpreted as though the term "certification"
read "licensing", as the term is used in part III, subpart D, and as
circumstances require. [L 1996, c 89, pt of §2 and am c 298, §2; am L 2001, c
312, §13; am L 2002, c 16, §17]



 



Note



 



  Contracts with private nonprofit corporations for early
education and care services (repealed June 30, 2010).  L 1997, c 77, §2; L
2000, c 60; L 2002, c 13, §2.



 



Cross References



 



  Early childhood education facilities; identifying sites, see
§302A-1506.5.