Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL)

Early Learning Board Meeting

Thursday, July 11, 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)

The Chair will preside at

the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Center for Early Education, 2nd Floor 2707 South King Street, Honolulu, HI 96826

 

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.

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/Introductions: Elaine Yamashita	1:30 – 1:35
II.	Review and Approve Minutes: Elaine Yamashita Outcome: Action, Approve 06/13/24 Meeting Minutes	1:35 – 1:45
III.	Board Member Report on an Event Attended: Kauʻi Burgess Early Care and Education Symposium, “Cultivating Leadership From Within” 2024 (Director Arikawa-Cross and Chair Yamashita also attended) Outcome: Information	1:45 – 1:55
IV.	Chair’s Report on Meetings Attended as ELB Chair: Elaine Yamashita Lt. Gov. Ready Keiki Meeting 06/27/2024. (Director Arikawa-Cross also attended.) Outcome: Information	1:55 – 2:05
V.	Executive Office on Early Learning Updates Report: Director Arikawa-Cross/Staff   Legislative Updates: Some Bills Signed on July 1, 2024 ●       SB No. 3087 SD1 HD1 CD1 Relating to Early Learning – Authorizes early learning programs to be established on public school campuses and other available public buildings. ●       SB No. 3116 SD2 HD1 CD1 Relating to the Preschool Open Doors Program –	2:05 – 2:30

 

	Establishes that the priority of selection for participation in the Preschool Open Doors Program applies only during the priority application period before the start of each state fiscal year. Establishes that applications received after the beginning of the fiscal year through January 31 shall be processed continuously through the fiscal year on a first-come, first-served basis. ●       SB 2475 SD2 HD2 CD1 Relating to Education – Establishes a harm to students registry, for all early learning programs or schools and K-12 educational institutions within the State ●       HB 2227 HD2 SD1 Relating to Child Care – Expands the existing exemption from state law governing child care for United States Department of Defense-certified child care providers on federal property to those operating off federal property. ●       HB 2430 HD2 SD1 CD1 Relating to Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children Program – Establishes and empowers the DOE and DHS to implement measures to maximize participation in summer EBT program for keiki   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 Executive Office on Early Learning Office: New Hires Secretary hired to support the work of Systems Building and the EOEL Public PreK School Sites Outcome: Information/Questions/Discussion as needed
VI.	Presentation on Chair’s Expectations, Culture of Board Meetings – Elaine Yamashita –        Inquiry mindset. Ask informed questions. Other mindsets are equity, bold, and radical. (Anne Douglass) –        Come informed: Written reports to be read before meetings. 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 county. –        Shifting in our thinking from seeing early educators as objects of change to agents of change. (Anne Douglass) –        Working on by-laws to send to the Governance subcommittee (mahalo to Lane Tsuchiyama) Outcome: Information	2:30 – 2:40
	Break	2:40 – 2:50
VII.	Review of Responsibilities and how ELB is or will address each.   Four responsibilities according to HRS 302L-1.6	2:50 – 3:30

 

	1.      Directing EOEL on how best to meet the developmental and educational needs of children, from prenatal care to entry into kindergarten. (Currently, whole Board) 2.      Providing recommendations to the office on improving the quality, availability, and coordination of early learning programs. (Currently, whole Board. Does this need to be assigned to a committee?) 3.      Promoting collaboration across agencies and stakeholders serving young children. (Currently, it’s not clear how this is met. Does this need to be assigned to a committee?) 4.      Appointing the director of the office and evaluating the director on an annual basis. (Currently done by Governance standing committee)   Current Standing Committees (information) ●      Governance (Addresses how ELB is governed) ●      Finance (Addresses finances of EOEL/ELB. Should this committee expand its scope to include understanding how the early learning system is financed?) ●      Proposed Standing Committee(s)? Suggested: Early Learning System Performance   Previous ad hoc subcommittee on Early Educator Workforce Equity submitted a report in Dec. 2022 which resulted in the only current policy (1-101) adopted by ELB. This policy was part of the basis for 2023-24 Framework of Policy Priorities. Should this subcommittee continue given that the workforce shortage is still a pressing issue? Outcome: Information/Questions/Discussion
VIII.	Amending previously approved (07/09/2020) Early Learning Board Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson term limits –Governance committee, Matt Shim Action: Discussion, vote on proposed changes	3:30 – 3:40
IX.	Proposed selection process for vice-chairperson – Governance committee, Matt Shim Action: Discussion, vote on proposed process	3:40 – 3:50
X.	Addressing 6/13/24 public request to add an agenda item – Elaine Yamashita Working to include clear procedure in by-laws.	3:50 – 3:55
XI.	Review Agenda Outcomes/Announcements/Closing – Elaine Yamashita	3:55 – 4:00

 

Next meeting is tentatively scheduled for August 8, 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 July 10, 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 Website at ELB Meeting Materials. 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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