Legislature(2007 - 2008)BUTROVICH 205
03/10/2008 05:00 PM Senate HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES
Audio | Topic |
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Start | |
SB149 | |
SCR19 | |
SB107 | |
Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ | SB 149 | TELECONFERENCED | |
*+ | SCR 19 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+= | SB 107 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SCR 19-GOVERNOR'S SUMMIT ON EARLY LEARNING 5:23:44 PM CHAIR DAVIS announced consideration of SCR 19. SENATOR BILL WIELECHOWSKI, Sponsor, presented an overview of SCR 19, a concurrent resolution asking the legislature to examine implementing the recommendations of the governor's summit on early learning. He referenced a previous presentation by Best Beginnings, which disclosed that Alaska was one of only 10 states awarded a grant in 2007 by the National Governors' Association to hold a summit on early learning. Approximately 150 policy makers participated in that summit, and one of the goals was to insure that Alaska's future economy would be supported by an educated, productive work force. To that end, the participants drafted a number of recommendations to insure that all children, especially those most in need, had access to quality early education opportunities. SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI went on to say research demonstrated that certain work force skills were taught most effectively to children under 6 years of age. Research also showed that critical brain development occurred most rapidly in those early years. Based on that research, Alaska seemed to be short- changing its' youngest learners and as a result, Alaskan children were falling behind in key areas such as early language and literacy, thinking and cognitive development, and basic social skills. Recent studies showed that nearly half of Alaskan children entered school unprepared to be successful learners. Experts attributed this largely to a lack of available pre- school education; Alaska was one of only 10 states without a state-funded early childhood system. SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI directed the committee's attention to research results that were included in their packets. Study after study documented the value of quality preschool education in higher achievement test scores; significantly less grade repetition; major reductions in special education placements; substantially higher rates of high school graduation; dramatic increases in college attendance; substantially fewer arrests and much less reliance on public assistance. One of the most extensive studies done in this area compared the performance of low income children at ages 14, 15, 19, 27 and 40 who attended preschool with those who did not. Even at age 40 the differences in performance were staggering. Former preschoolers had a greater rate of employment and higher earnings. According to economists these factors combine to make returns from investments in preschool far greater than those from most public economic development projects. For example, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis reported that for every dollar spent on early education, society reaped $16 of benefit. He drew particular attention to a page in that report entitled "Large Return on Investment" that showed the return to society on investment in preschool not only in terms of reduced spending on public assistance, education and criminal justice, but in increased collection of taxes. SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI commented that support for early education was strong, with 87 percent of Alaskans supporting state funding for early education and child care according to a poll conducted by the McDowell Group. Interestingly, more than three quarters of Alaskans believed that early learning and child care were more important to fund than support for local governments or construction of new roads and highways; and almost two thirds felt that funding for early education was more important than funding for university education. Nationally, support for early learning programs was growing rapidly; last year the Governor of Illinois took steps to make his state the first in the nation to provide high quality preschool for every 3 and 4 year old by 2011. In summary, he said the sponsor substitute for SCR 19 called on Governor Palin to thoroughly consider the recommendations of the Summit on Early Education and to work closely with the legislature to implement those recommendations as appropriate. It was his intention to further the discussion about the benefits of preschool and hopefully, come back to the committee with a more concrete proposal next year. SENATOR THOMAS asked Senator Wielechowski for a complete copy of the report titled "High/Scope Perry Preschool Study to Age 40" [by Larry Schweinhart of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation]. SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI said he would provide that to him. 5:29:29 PM NANCY SCHOEPOEFER supported SCR 19 as a private citizen advocate for the Best Beginnings Initiative. She said she had been involved with Best Beginnings since February 2007. At that time she was employed by Conoco Phillips Alaska Inc. (CPAI) as their designated representative to Best Beginnings and, since retiring from CPAI at the end of January, continued to be actively involved in the program. MS. SCHOEPOEFER said the Best Beginnings Initiative brought numerous public and private providers to the table to, among other things, look at implementing a quality rating and improvement system, and to conduct a comprehensive public engagement campaign to inform parents, extended families, community members and businesses about the economic and social return on investment of education during a child's early years. She encouraged passage of SCR 19 and urged Governor Palin to consider the recommendations of the Governor's Summit on Early Learning and work closely with the legislature to implement those recommendations. ABBE HENSLEY, Executive Director, Best Beginnings, thanked Senator Wielechowski for sponsoring this resolution. She said that more than 150 Alaskans came together at request of Governor Palin to come up with recommendations to address 3 goals: 1) All children, especially those most in need, would have access to early literacy and learning opportunities in their homes or in out-of-home settings. 2) Early learning services would be coordinated. 3) Parents, grandparents and extended families would have needed support resources for their engagement in young children's learning. SENATOR THOMAS asked if Ms. Hensley and Best Beginnings participated in the early learning summit. MS. HENSLEY responded that Best Beginnings provided the staff for that summit and was the glue that held it together. SENATOR THOMAS asked whether she had any dissenting opinion; did any group feel that the recommendations were not appropriate. MS. HENSLEY explained that the way recommendations were arrived at was through people meeting on specific topics in small groups. Those groups then came together and provided recommendations to the whole group and they voted on the top recommendations. Although they didn't make it necessary for everyone to agree on every recommendation, she believed that there was consensus on the ones that made the final list. SENATOR THOMAS asked if it was a fair statement that there was not really any dissent. MS. HENSLEY confirmed that it was and said that, although participants might have disagreed on which recommendations were more important, they did not disagree with the recommendations themselves. 5:36:16 PM MICHELLE BROWN, President and CEO, United Way of Anchorage, thanked the committee for hearing this resolution and Senator Wielechowski for bringing it forward. She said the United Way Board of Directors comprised 25 community and business leaders, all of whom very strongly endorsed this resolution and the findings of the Governor's Summit on Early Learning. The United Way had been studying the issue with community partners for several years and concurred with the findings of major business organizations that early learning was necessary, not just for our youths' academic success, but for Alaska's economic success in a global economy. As a consequence, the United Way Board had made this one of their priorities and invested considerable resources in the hope of developing a strong public/private partnership for a comprehensive array of proven quality early learning opportunities. They wanted to develop a system that would allow families to choose the type of opportunity that would work best for them, and believed that a coordinated plan would allow them to accurately measure their progress. SENATOR THOMAS asked whether Ms. Brown found that her business partners believed early learning was helpful to them in recruiting and retaining employees. MS. BROWN responded that they conducted workplace campaigns in many different work environments; and in their discussions they found that as people became more aware of the research into early learning and the window to make a difference, they came to see it as the key to the next generation work force. They also expressed strong interest in having this array of services because it provided better productivity in the current work force if parents were not distracted by having to struggle to find opportunities for their children. 5:40:35 PM SENATOR THOMAS moved to adopt the proposed SSSCR 19 as the working document of the committee. There being no objection, the motion carried. CHAIR DAVIS thanked Senator Wielechowski for bringing this forward and commented that it was important for them to keep this on their agenda because Alaska was no longer one of 10, but one of 3 states without early childhood education legislation in place. 5:41:53 PM SENATOR THOMAS moved to report SSSCR 19, Version \E, from committee with individual recommendations. Hearing no objections, the motion carried.
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