Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL)

Early Learning Board Meeting

Thursday, October 10, 2024

AGENDA

1:30 pm – 4:00 pm

 

Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Center for Early Education and Development (CEED), 2nd Floor Kindergarten and Children’s Aid Association (KCAA Preschools of Hawaii)

2707 South King Street, Honolulu, HI 96826

The public may attend the meeting in person or remotely via the ZOOM link (see below)

2707 South King Street, Honolulu, HI 96826

The Chair will preside in person

 

Early Learning Board Vision: Creating a sustainable early learning system that partners with families to ensure that every child is healthy, valued, and successful in school and life.

Early Learning Board Mission: To support children’s academic and lifelong well-being by directing and supporting the Executive Office on Early Learning for an effective, coordinated, high-quality early learning system from prenatal to kindergarten entry.

 

Board expectations:

• Inquiry Ask informed questions. Other mindsets are equity, bold, and radical. (Anne Douglass)
• Come informed: Written reports to be read before Meeting time can be utilized for discussion and decision-making. Not all written reports require decision-making.
• County representatives should be informed about early learning in their
• Shifting in our thinking from seeing early educators as objects of change to agents of change.
  (Anne Douglass)

The Board will accept public testimony with each agenda item. Public comments are limited to 2 minutes per agenda item and must address items listed on the published agenda

 

I.	Welcome/Mission/Announcements/Roll call: Elaine Yamashita	1:30 – 1:35
II.	Review and Approve Minutes: Elaine Yamashita Action: Approve 09/12/24 Meeting Minutes	1:35 – 1:40
III.	Executive Office on Early Learning Updates Report: Director Arikawa-Cross/Staff	1:40 – 2:10

 

	Roadmap to Achieve the Objectives of Act 46 and Act 210 (SLH 2021) related to early learning and early childhood care opportunities in the State of Hawaii by 2032 – Public Pre-Kindergarten Expansion & Early Learning Board (ELB): ●       Workforce Development and Support ●       Facilities for Early Childhood Education Programs ●       Funding for the Early Care and Education Mixed Delivery System ●       Program Quality Improvement and Maintenance ●       Systems Updates ○       Early Learning ■       Increase in the number of students experiencing unstable housing that submitted applications ○       Special Needs and Early Intervention ■       2nd Annual Early Childhood Conference ○       Family Support ■       Outreach activities in Honolulu and on Kauaʻi ○       Ready Keiki Backpack Distribution Update ○       Visits to EOEL PreK on Molokaʻi ○       Preschool Development Grant B-5 Opportunity: Notice of Application: PDG Early Childhood Workforce Stabilization & Compensation Assistance Program
IV.	Unfinished business: Proposed bill to amend Sec. 302L-1.6(b) HRS (Adds Head Start Collaboration position to ELB as non-voting member to comply with federal Head Start act): Postponed at 9/12/24 meeting.   Action: Information/discussion/vote	2:10 – 2:20
V.	Unfinished business: Salary adjustment for EOEL Executive Director Postponed at 9/12/24 meeting.   Action: Information/discussion/vote	2:20 – 2:25
VI.	Unfinished business: Proposed Standing subcommittee to handle Legislative matters Postponed at 9/12/24 meeting.   Outcome: Discussion. Possible action: Refer to Governance for follow up.	2:25 – 2:40
VII.	Unfinished business: Clarification and update on Act 156 (SB 2475 SD2 HS2 CD1) – Establishing the Harm to Students Registry: –     From July: Currently Dept. of Education (DOE), Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools (HAIS), and EOEL are working on implementation. Because the statute refers to education, Dept. of Human Services (DHS) licensed child care programs are not currently required to consult the registry, although they have access. The harm to students registry would have a record	2:40 – 2:55

 

	of complaints that do not necessarily lead to prosecution and conviction. Fingerprint and criminal history checks reflect convictions. –        Sept. update: DOE campuses with non-DOE or EOEL early childhood programs are planning to screen these teachers and aides as contractors on campus. Contractors are subject to the requirement. –        Question for discussion: How will DHS-licensed child care programs access the Harm to Students Registry?   Outcome: Information, discussion
VIII.	Finance committee: Working on proposed salary schedule for EOEL Executive Director. Current salary adjustment is based on Hawai‘i Government Employeeʻs Association (HGEA) Bargaining Unit 06. Finance is looking at what future salary adjustments are based on, which could be a combination of current state models.   Outcome: Information/Questions/Discussion	2:55 – 3:00
	Break	3:00 – 3:10
IX.	Schedule for vice-chair election: Governance committee, Dayna Luka for chair Matt Shim Process was approved at 7/11/24 meeting. Schedule for nominations, self-nomination, and vote.   Outcome: Information	3:10 – 3:15
X.	Proposed by-laws for board: Governance committee, Matt Shim Set of proposed by-laws, based on current practices and approved board policies. Governance recently reviewed and adjusted section 9.8, which relates to how a public member can propose an agenda item. The whole document will be up for discussion and approval at the November 14 meeting.   Outcome: Information, discussion.	3:15 – 3:25
XI.	EOEL Executive Director evaluation criteria: Governance committee, Dayna Luka for chair Matt Shim Memo from Governance for 2024 evaluation criteria for the EOEL Executive Director is adapted from Dec. 2023 memo. Governance worked on criteria with the Executive Director. Memo presented today, to be voted on in November.   Outcome: Information, discussion	3:25 – 3:35

 

XII.	EOEL Workforce and Enrollment Data Review: Director Arikawa-Cross/Staff Data requested: 1.       Total number of EOEL teachers and educational assistants hired 2.      Current number of vacant teacher and EA positions, by island and school 3.      Total number of enrolled students in EOEL PreK classrooms, including update on number of accepted applications   This data can be used to provide a clear picture of staffing needs and enrollment status, so that ELB can make informed decisions on addressing workforce shortages and improving student intake processes.   Outcome: Information, discussion	3:35 – 3:50
XIII.	Proposed ad hoc or standing committee: System communication and collaboration – Elaine Yamashita –        Resource to read before meeting: Building Block 5 of the Hawai’i Early Childhood State Plan 2019-2024 (pp. 20-22): https://earlylearning.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Hawaii-Early -Childhood-State-Plan-Comprehensive.pdf –        Purpose is to establish what information needs to be shared, what the communication channels are, and how the information is available in order to establish and maintain an effective early learning system. –        Members would include key system stakeholders.   Outcome: Discussion/questions. Possible action: Refer to Governance for further definition and development.	3:50 – 3:55
XIV.	Review Agenda Outcomes/Announcements/Closing – Elaine Yamashita	3:55 – 4:00

 

Next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 14, 2024

Public Written Testimony addressing items on the agenda: Interested persons may submit written testimony via email to Tara Castrovinci at [email protected]. For easier recognition, please include the word “TESTIMONY” in the email subject line. Testimony may also be hand delivered or mailed to Tara Castrovinci, Executive Office on Early Learning, Prince Jonah Kuhio Elementary, 2759 S. King Street, Room C8, Honolulu, HI, 96826. Written testimony must be received no later than 3 p.m. on Oct. 8, 2024, for Board consideration and possible inclusion in the Board Packet. Any written testimony submitted after such time will be retained as part of the record and will be distributed to Board members at the beginning of the meeting. Written testimony may be part of the Board Packet and posted on the Board website; given that possibility, the public should be mindful about sharing personal information in their written testimony.

 

Remote Oral Testimony addressing items on the agenda may also be provided during the meeting. To provide Video/Zoom Testimony, interested persons may use the Zoom Meeting link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87057448197. They may use any one of the following methods to offer oral testimony: indicate in the chat they wish to offer oral testimony when the Chair announces an agenda item; call or email Tara Castrovinci (see email/phone number below) by 9 am on the day of the meeting to request that the testifier be called on by name to present oral testimony; or, use the “raise hand” feature in Zoom. Public oral testimony is limited to 2 minutes per agenda item and must address items listed on the published agenda.

Board Packets (Meeting Materials) are available on the EOEL/ELB Website at https://rebrand.ly/ELB. The Board Packet will also be available for public inspection in the EOEL’s Office (Prince Jonah Kuhio Elementary, 2759 S. King Street, Room C8, Honolulu, HI, 96826)

The ELB is conducting in-person meetings at the CEED/KCAA Preschools of Hawaii location (2707 South King Street, 2nd floor, Honolulu, HI 96826) with some Board members joining remotely. The Public may attend the meeting in-person, or may join remotely using the link below:

Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87057448197

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Meeting ID: 870 5744 8197

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If you are logging into Zoom via computer or mobile app, we request that you identify your first and last name as well as the organization you are representing, but it is not necessary for you to do so to attend the meeting. If you choose to identify yourself, you can do this when you sign onto the meeting or once you are in the meeting. Attendees who wish to remain anonymous need not disclose their names or organizations and/or may use pseudonyms or other identifiers.

Captioning available through Zoom; host will turn on for all.

If you need auxiliary aids/service or other accommodation due to a disability, contact Tara Castrovinci at (808) 784-5350, or at [email protected] as soon as possible. Requests made as early as possible will allow adequate time to fulfill your request. Upon request, this notice is available in alternative formats.

 

If the Zoom connection is interrupted during the meeting, the meeting will recess for up to thirty

(30) minutes to allow staff to attempt to restore connectivity. If the audiovisual connection cannot be restored, the meeting may reconvene with audio only using the phone information listed above. If the connection cannot be restored withing the thirty (30) minutes of interruption, the Board may continue the meeting by notifying the public of the date, time, and place of the meeting at early learning.hawaii.gov/about-us/early-learning-board/. Otherwise, the meeting will be automatically terminated.

 

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