An Abercrombie Administration
Hawaii’s Children 1st
  • Create cabinet level Director of Early Childhood to coordinate a cost-effective, comprehensive early childhood policy
  • Expand implementation of proven early childhood intervention and prevention programs to create universal care for very young children
  • Coordinate extensive public and private partnerships to ensure universal network of childcare and preschool support
  • Make government a model of family-friendly employment practices
  • Develop a high quality early childhood workforce

Early Childhood

Our values are clear: in Hawaii, we put children first. We have always felt an obligation to future generations and we act on that obligation even when that means sacrificing something today.

The science is also clear: We know for a fact that the brain is shaped for life in early experiences beginning at birth. We know that young children need positive interactions with caring adults to develop properly. We know that it is much more difficult and expensive to remediate problems later in life than it is to support parents in getting their children off to a good start. We know that by 18 months, developmental disparities already appear that will affect educational attainment for the rest of a person’s life. We know that risk factors in early childhood, left unaddressed, practically assure poor health outcomes.

We know these things, and yet the State of Hawaii has been dismantling early intervention programs like Healthy Start and has reduced the assistance families need to access early learning opportunities. Right now, we are pouring tax dollars into disease management, incarceration and remedial education; an Abercrombie Administration will turn this on its head by making efficient and effective investments in the time of life when the brain develops, with particular emphasis on the most at-risk children in the population. Hawaii will return to core values, and we will be the nation’s leader in early childhood policy.

We have some of the most able business people, social workers, researchers, educators, philanthropists, and advocates working on early childhood issues in Hawaii. What we need now is leadership and political will. As Governor, I will provide an unprecedented level of leadership in this arena and I will see these commitments through. Investing in early childhood has an impact on education, health, safety net programs, homelessness, crime, substance abuse, community development and economic development. It was true when I first helped develop the Healthy Start program as a state legislator, and it is true today. On a strong foundation of early childhood development, and by once again being a pioneer in this area, Hawaii will build our social, educational, and economic future.

Guiding Principles

Opportunity for every child
To ensure a society with equality of opportunity, we must move our focus to the time before a child enters school. A child’s opportunity begins to take shape at birth and we must ensure every child can get off to a healthy start.

Early childhood investment is economic development
According to Good Beginnings Alliance, China invests 6.6 times more on early childhood education versus post-secondary education. We cannot afford to neglect this cost-effective investment in our future workforce.

Early identification and prevention
Science can trace health problems, anti-social behavior, violence, and educational struggles to traumas that occur in early childhood. We have an obligation to identify and address these risk factors.

Child and family centered
Programs and services currently housed in administrative silos will be reorganized with the parent’s and child’s experiences in focus to ensure efficient and effective use of taxpayer dollars and achieve intended goals.

Public/Private partnerships
Many of the resources and expertise for a comprehensive system of early childhood programs already exist in Hawaii. What is needed is leadership and coordination to ensure that no child is allowed to fall through the cracks.

Science-based and culturally appropriate
Early childhood initiatives will be informed by the best available evidence and real experiences of children, families and practitioners in the field—we know that cultural practice is a critical factor to make programs effective. Together we will create a comprehensive system that continually improves and makes best use of public resources.

Parental involvement and strong families
The most important people in a child’s life are family members. We need to raise expectations and also increase opportunities so that families can manage economic realities in Hawaii and still fulfill their critical role as parents.

The Abercrombie Plan

  1. Cabinet level leadership and coordination on early childhood. Programs, services, and leadership in the area of early childhood are currently scattered among the Departments of Health, Human Services, Education, the Judiciary, and other agencies. In order to develop a comprehensive statewide policy to make a significant investment in early childhood, a Department of Early Childhood will be established with cabinet-level leadership to ensure government services are implemented well, improved continuously, and meeting needs. Most importantly, by eliminating duplication of effort and engineering partnerships with the private sector, this reorganization will ensure cost-effective use of public resources

  2. Expanded implementation of proven prevention and early intervention programs to create universal care for very young children. Healthy Start will be reestablished and strengthened to ensure that the most at-risk newborns, toddlers and their families get the support they need and to avoid much more costly interventions in the future. Hawaii will have universal pre-natal care, including education related to nutrition, alcohol and drug cessation, health care and screening for every child through a medical home, peri-natal substance abuse prevention and treatment services for pregnant and parenting women, risk/needs assessment and intensive home visiting for high-risk families of newborns, universal developmental screening with effective interventions, and school readiness assessments. With better allocation and coordination of public resources and working in partnership with the private sector, Hawaii will have the most comprehensive early child development system in the nation.

  3. Public-private partnerships to create a universal network of childcare and preschool support. Ensuring that every young child in Hawaii has access to high quality preschool will be a team effort. By coordinating with schools, nonprofits, foundations, community organizations, and employers, and by developing a strong legislative framework, the Department of Early Childhood will assure that all children, including those in families with low-incomes, can realistically access high quality childcare and preschool services. Employers will be encouraged and incentivized to allow for the family interaction that is critical for a young child’s social and intellectual development. Preschool programs will be of high quality and—in accordance with the Abercrombie Plan for Education—will be integrated with the Department of Education to create a seamless transition from preschool to the public school system.

  4. Government as a model of family-friendly employment practices. As it encourages private employers to do the same, the State of Hawaii will lead by example by implementing family friendly policies that encourage and enable interaction in families with very young children. Besides supporting healthy development in young children, these policies will improve morale and productivity, and ultimately make government more effective and efficient. Policies will include flexible work schedules, telecommuting opportunities, job sharing programs, on-site services for children and mothers, and family leave. The State of Hawaii will have a new employment paradigm that reflects the value of putting the interests of children first.

  5. Develop early childhood workforce. Building on the expertise and commitment that already exists in Hawaii, we will expand capacities and build real career paths so that our best early childhood workers and professionals can stay in the field and make a good living serving our children, families, and communities. Their good work today saves our society billions of future dollars in remediation. The Department of Early Childhood will work with educational institutions, nonprofits, the private sector, and experts to build a workforce large enough to meet Hawaii’s needs.