02/11/2009 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview(s): Department of Health and Social Services (dhss) and Mental Health Trust's "bring the Kids Home" Initiative, the Youth Recovery and Education Interface | |
| HB109 | |
| HB69 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | HB 69 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 109 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 11, 2009
8:03 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Paul Seaton, Chair
Representative Cathy Engstrom Munoz, Vice Chair
Representative Bryce Edgmon
Representative Wes Keller
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Robert L. "Bob" Buch
Representative Berta Gardner
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Representative Les Gara
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW(S): DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES(DHSS) AND
MENTAL HEALTH TRUST'S "BRING THE KIDS HOME" INITIATIVE, THE
YOUTH RECOVERY AND EDUCATION INTERFACE
- HEARD
BILL NO. 109
"An Act relating to eligibility for the Alaska supplemental
education loan program and to the interest rate for a loan made
under the Alaska family education loan program; and providing
for an effective date."
- MOVED HB 109 OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 69
"An Act establishing in the Department of Education and Early
Development a voluntary parent education home visiting program
for pre-elementary aged children; and establishing a rating
system for early childhood education."
- HEARD AND HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 109
SHORT TITLE: EDUC. LOANS: SUPPLEMENTAL & FAMILY
SPONSOR(s): EDUCATION
02/02/09 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/02/09 (H) EDC, FIN
02/09/09 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/09/09 (H) Heard & Held
02/09/09 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
02/11/09 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
BILL: HB 69
SHORT TITLE: EARLY CHILDHOOD ED: RATING & HOME VISITS
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) REPRESENTATIVE TUCK, PETERSEN,
KAWASAKI, GARA
01/20/09 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/16/09
01/20/09 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/20/09 (H) EDC, FIN
02/11/09 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
JEFF JESSEE, Chief Executive Officer
Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority ("The Trust")
Department of Revenue (DOR)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented an overview of the Bring the Kids
Home Initiative.
KELLY DONNELLY, Director
Children's Behavioral Health & Advocacy Programs
Center for Human Development
University of Alaska Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During overview of the Bring The Kids Home
Initiative, reviewed the Positive Behavioral Supports pilot
program.
LORI ROTH, Project Director
Special Education Service Agency (SESA)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During overview of the Bring The Kids Home
Initiative, reviewed the educational transition support project.
DEE FOSTER, Director
Child & Family Services
Anchorage Community Mental Health Center
Project Director
Alaska Child Trauma Center
Eagle River, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the overview of the Bring The Kids
Home Initiative, reviewed the Little Tykes program.
JULIAN STOWE
Homer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Related her experience being sent to a
residential psychiatric treatment facility.
LYNN STOWE
Homer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Related the experience of sending his
daughter to an residential psychiatric treatment facility.
DIANNE BARRANS, Executive Director
Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education (ACPE)
Department of Education and Early Development (EED);
Executive Officer
Alaska Student Loan Corporation
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During hearing of HB 109, answered
questions.
REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS TUCK
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as the one of the joint prime
sponsors of HB 69.
JOY LYON, Representative
Alaska Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of [the Parents as
Teachers program].
MELISSA PICKLE, State Coordinator
Alaska Parents as Teachers
Eagle River, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided a slide presentation of the
Parents as Teachers program.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:03:07 AM
CHAIR PAUL SEATON called the House Education Standing Committee
meeting to order at 8:03 a.m. Representatives Seaton, Keller,
Wilson, Edgmon, Wilson, and Buch were present at the call to
order. Representative Munoz arrived as the meeting was in
progress. Also in attendance was Representative Gara.
CHAIR SEATON explained to the committee that his intention is to
always hold two hearings on legislation in order to provide
constituents time to contact members and members to formulate
amendments, if desired.
^OVERVIEW(S): DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES (DHSS)
AND MENTAL HEALTH TRUST'S "BRING THE KIDS HOME" INITIATIVE, THE
YOUTH RECOVERY AND EDUCATION INTERFACE
8:04:32 AM
CHAIR SEATON announced that the first order of business would be
an overview of the Department of Health and Social Services and
Mental Health Trust's "Bring The Kids Home" Initiative.
8:05:35 AM
JEFF JESSEE, Chief Executive Officer, Alaska Mental Health Trust
Authority (the Trust), Department of Revenue (DOR), related that
during the Murkowski Administration, the Trust realized it was
facing an exponential growth in terms of the number of kids
being sent to residential psychiatric treatment facilities. The
aforementioned was because there was no plan or vision being
implemented within the state to develop the capacity to serve
these kids in the state. The difference between custody and
non-custody kids is that the state doesn't have the option of
placing children in the custody of the Division of Juvenile
Justice or the Office of Children Services on a waiting list for
services. He then relayed a scenario in which the parents of a
teenager who they say is acting weird could approach his/her
family physician or psychiatrist during which there could be
agreement to place the teen in an out-of-state residential
psychiatric treatment facility (RPTC). At the end of 30 days
[in a RPTC] the income of the parents would no longer be deemed
to the teen, and therefore the teen would become Medicaid
eligible. The teen's eligibility would be retroactive to the
date the teen arrived at the RPTC. Mr. Jessee noted that to
this point, the state isn't aware of the situation until it
receives the bill from the out-of-state RPTC. The department is
then in the position of questioning whether the teen should've
been admitted to the out-of-state RPTC and discussions ensue.
This system wasn't working to the tune of about $40 million a
year, he related.
8:09:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked if the requirement that the state
pick up the costs retroactively can be changed.
MR. JESSEE said that the federal Medicaid program is fairly
strict with regard to what services need to be provided.
However, the state can and has put in place a mechanism to
prevent the earlier-described situation.
8:09:46 AM
MR. JESSEE, in response to Representative Wilson, clarified that
the chart on slide 2 entitled "Exponential Growth in Use of Out-
of-State Residential Psychiatric Treatment Centers" illustrates
the situation in fiscal year (FY) 2005. In 2005, the Murkowski
Administration approached The Trust and expressed the need to
address the situation. Since the institution of the BRKH
Initiative, there's been a dramatic decrease in the number of
out-of-state placements.
8:10:42 AM
MR. JESSEE then explained how the decrease was achieved. First,
a work group was convened with all the stakeholders who worked
through a logic model. The work group worked through and
identified specific performance outcomes and specific strategies
were fashioned to develop alternative services within the state
to meet the need. A data-driven, outcome-oriented approach can
be very effective, as is evidenced in the decrease in the number
of out-of-state placements. The [work group] developed
residential programs, support systems, and individualized
services [that are utilized] prior to reaching the point of
sending the children out-of-state. Mr. Jessee then explained
that The Trust told the state that it doesn't need to
dramatically increase its overall spending in the area.
However, the state should reinvest the money now being spent
out-of-state on in-state services and programs. The
aforementioned isn't anything new as it was what occurred with
the closure of Harborview, the institution for the
developmentally disabled in Valdez. The Trust paid to run
Harborview on the condition that the state would reinvest the
money it had been spending on Harborview on community-based
services. The aforementioned allowed for the closure of
Harborview and the ability to provide better quality services in
the community at no significant extra cost to the state. He
directed attention to the chart on slide 4 entitled "Progress:
Projected BTKH Reinvestment." The chart relates that the out-
of-state RPTC expenditures have decreased from $38.2 million to
$26.8 million and those funds have been reinvested into
community services and in-state RPTC. The aforementioned keeps
children closer to home and also creates economic opportunities
for Alaskans.
8:13:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER commented that she has heard anecdotally
that as fewer [children] psychiatric patients sent out-of-state
for residential treatment, the number of autistic children being
sent out-of-state to residential facilities has increased. She
asked if that's truly the case.
MR. JESSEE responded that he isn't aware of any data that would
illustrate such.
8:14:35 AM
MR. JESSEE, referring to slide 5 entitled "Back to their Home
School:", highlighted that the result of [the BTKH Initiative]
is hundreds of youth with special needs in the state. Much of
the impact of the BTKH Initiative is to the education system.
For example, every year the Anchorage School District used to
have over 350 children sent to out-of-state residential
psychiatric treatment facilities. Therefore, the BTKH
Initiative meant that these children with fairly extensive needs
would remain in state and dealt with at home or in the
community. These children would still come to school. Dealing
with the education issues would be a critical part of the
sequence of events. The chart on slide 5 illustrates that often
more than half of the kids located out-of-state aren't special
education youth and thus don't have an Individual Education Plan
(IEP). These are children who are struggling to such a degree
in their home and community that they have to be sent to a
treatment facility out-of-state, but they are just fine at
school. The aforementioned is baffling, he remarked.
Therefore, there's a question as to how special needs children
are identified. Furthermore, there is quite a bit of disparity
throughout the regions of the state in regard to how many
children have been identified with special needs.
MR. JESSEE related that The Trust is reviewing how the BTKH
Initiative is impacting education and what The Trust can do to
work with [the Department of Education and Early Development
(EED)]. Although some children are born with neurological or
biological issues that will surface at some point as emotional
or psychiatric issues, a sizable number of these children are
living in challenging environments that include abuse, neglect,
mental health issues, and poverty. Those families [in
challenging environments] often don't seek help early on, and
therefore the best early warning system is probably the
education system. Mr. Jessee expressed the need to help the
education system deal with these children with special needs by
providing adequate services as well as helping the education
system identify children with special needs earlier. He
acknowledged the complaints from the education system regarding
the schools being asked to do more outside their core
competencies of educating children. The schools aren't prepared
and nor should they, he said, to be the primary avenue of
address for issues such as mental health issues, social service
issues, and homeless issues. Therefore, The Trust is trying to
link with the education system and form a partnership with the
health and social services system in order to address the
aforementioned issues. Mr. Jessee related concern that both
branches of the legislature established education committees
[separate from the health and social services committees, which
isn't conducive to] the aforementioned partnership The Trust is
trying to form. This matter is a social service issue at one
level and an education issue at another level.
8:19:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON, referring to the chart on slide 5,
pointed out that the chart illustrates that Southeast and
Southwest Alaska have more children with IEPs than the rest of
the state. However, the numbers [of students in those regions]
is smaller than other areas.
8:20:32 AM
MR. JESSEE said that's one of the questions The Trust is trying
to answer. One thought is that perhaps the school districts in
Southeast are more willing to identify children as special
needs. There is also the thought that perhaps there is a
difference in the types of children being identified and what
type of children are being seen. The aforementioned are the
matters The Trust is trying to understand in order evolve the
system.
8:21:03 AM
CHAIR SEATON pointed out that the chart uses percentages rather
than the number of children.
8:21:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER recalled that the Anchorage School
District identifies special needs children to be at the national
average. If that's the case she asked why more special needs
children aren't identified since the state leads the nation in
children with fetal alcohol syndrome, domestic violence, and
sexual abuse.
MR. JESSEE said that is a reasonable observation. He informed
the committee that over 40 percent of the children [receiving
services] out-of-state are Native Alaskans. The aforementioned
is one of the reasons The Trust is adamant about working with
its tribal partners.
8:22:42 AM
MR. JESSEE, returning to his presentation, directed the
committee's attention to slide 6 entitled "BTKH Education
Subcommittee." The Trust has been successful in having the
commissioners of both DHSS and EED co-chair the BTKH Education
Subcommittee. Mr. Jessee highlighted that one of The Trust's
goals is to truly unite DHSS and EED in order to have a unified
approach to this statewide problem. This approach would gather
data, identify best practices and appropriate funding, and
implement the keys for success. Slide 7 relates the membership
of the education subcommittee. Mr. Jessee acknowledged that
initially the performance measures were based on reducing the
number of children receiving services out-of-state. In 2006,
there were 439 children out-of-state, which was the high mark.
However, yesterday there were only 164 children out-of-state.
8:24:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked what occurs when children are
brought home from an intensive residential program outside.
8:25:01 AM
MR. JESSEE explained that many of the children who went out-of-
state for the RPTC treatment did so because there was no place
to go between their home and the out-of-state facility.
Therefore, The Trust is reviewing lower levels of care and
creating in-state residential options. To truly develop a
continuum of care for children with mental health needs, it
would start with support in the home and the communities. Only
when that support is inadequate would there be the need to move
to out-of-home care, but the care would still be provided in the
community. Only those very few children with very extreme and
complex problems would [be treated] out-of-state, he said. Mr.
Jessee said that The Trust is working in the direction of
investing in home and community-based services in order to
achieve a decrease in the number of children sent out-of-state
for treatment. He then mentioned that there would be discussion
today of a pilot program that would accomplish the
aforementioned.
8:27:23 AM
KELLY DONNELLY, Director, Children's Behavioral Health &
Advocacy Programs, Center for Human Development, University of
Alaska Anchorage, referring to slide 8, explained the Positive
Behavioral Supports pilot program focuses on creating better
partnerships between community mental health providers,
developmental disability providers, and school districts. This
program attempts to engage communities around at-risk children
and those children who are already demonstrating challenging
behaviors. She explained that the program uses a three-tier
approach toward positive behavioral interventions, including a
universal perspective that looks at establishing environments
and clearly express expectations that result in positive social
and emotional outcomes for all children. At the secondary
level, there is data that suggests those at-risk children who
don't have their needs met will progress to more serious
behaviors. At the secondary level, targeted training
interventions are considered. Referring to the pyramid on slide
8, Ms. Donnelly pointed out that 1-5 percent of typical school
populations place a tremendous drain on school resources in
terms of managing discipline, school personnel morale, and the
ability to create truly effective educational environments. She
related that [the program offers] training for providers to
create positive behavioral support plans that engage schools,
community members, and families in interventions that lead to
better outcomes for these children. This is a pilot effort
that's being implemented in four communities this year. The
hope is to expand its use in subsequent years. Mr. Donnelly
highlighted that this program builds on investments that schools
are already making within their own structures. This is a pilot
project this year, with the expectation to build and expand
across the state.
8:30:08 AM
MS. DONNELLY, in response to Chair Seaton, related that the four
communities using this program are Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, and
Dillingham. This program is a partnership with the Special
Education Service Agency, which provides training and support to
educators in those communities using the program. The Stone
Soup Group, which has been supported by EED, provides training
for educators on school-wide positive behavioral supports. Ms.
Donnelly opined that this program is really an effort to create
a safety net and collaboration between community providers and
schools in support of those challenging children.
8:30:54 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON inquired as to whether the program is
being reevaluated due to the new research that's coming out
about brain development and how domestic violence impacts
learning.
MS. DONNELLY answered that how trauma impacts brain development
and how treatment outcomes are shaped is taken into
consideration with all the children's programs at the Center for
Human Development.
8:32:27 AM
LORI ROTH, Project Director, Special Education Service Agency
(SESA), began by informing the committee that she arrived in
Alaska in 1998 as an emotional disturbance specialist. When she
visited school districts in rural Alaska, she said she saw the
need for the program because there were school children who were
returning to home and school, but no one knew they were coming.
She recalled an instance in which a student returned home on a
Friday, no one knew he was returning. The student came to
school on Monday and registered with his mother. However, there
were no educational records available for him. After searching
the school district's main office, some of the student's
information was found. Still, the teacher wasn't sure what was
going on and thus she was stressed. Ultimately, the teacher
performed academic assessments to determine his level and pieced
together books for the student. About two weeks later, the
student had a bad day and was returned to RPTC. Therefore, the
teacher's efforts were in vain. Since the teacher had no
knowledge of the student's return or academic background, the
student wasn't provided the appropriate support to be successful
in school. The teacher was left wondering whether the student
would've had a better outcome had there been notice to prepare
the appropriate program for the student. This situation
illustrates what is often forgotten: the child returning home
faces adjustments but so do the family, school, and community.
Therefore, the more information provided prior to the child's
return home, the better the outcome is likely to be in all
environments. The aforementioned has resulted in [SESA] working
with the RPTCs and the school districts so that there is advance
notice of a student's return and the student's educational
records are part of the discharge file.
8:39:10 AM
DEE FOSTER, Director, Child & Family Services, Anchorage
Community Mental Health Center,; Project Director, Alaska Child
Trauma Center, informed the committee that [the Alaska Child
Trauma Center] is one of 50 sites nationally of the Child
Traumatic Stress Network. Last year, [the Alaska Child Trauma
Center] served about 700 seriously emotionally disturbed
children of which 70 percent were age 12 and under. The program
funded by the BTKH Initiative is a preschool day treatment
program called Little Tykes that serves children age three to
five. These children arrive at Little Tykes after being kicked
out of pre-school because of behavioral and emotional
difficulties. The program seeks to guide them behaviorally in
order that the children can focus on the learning process. The
ultimate goal is to return these children back to daycare or
preschool. Many studies, including a 30-year study of 700
children, found that the successful at-risk children had some
person in their life that cared about the child and the child
was successful in school. The aforementioned is the goal of the
program.
8:41:10 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON asked if Alaska's teachers are trained to
recognize [at-risk children].
MS. FOSTER related that the aforementioned is a goal of the
Alaska Child Trauma Center. To that end, there have been 16,000
contact hours of training in the last three years and a course
on child trauma at the university. "We're trying to spread the
word about this and how if we can intervene early, we're going
to stop the trajectory of these kids ending up in special
education, in juvenile justice system, or in the psychiatric
hospitals, or the adult criminal system," she said.
8:42:17 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON asked if the aforementioned will be part
of the university's teacher training curriculum.
MS. FOSTER characterized Representative Wilson's question as an
excellent idea, which she said has stimulated her to approach
the education department.
8:42:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON asked whether the definition of mental
health has widened over the years such that it now encompasses
more behavioral patterns.
MS. FOSTER related her belief that there is the recognition that
some children are neurologically predisposed to develop
psychiatric symptoms. There is also knowledge that there is a
wide array of causes for emotional disturbance, primarily
environmental. Therefore, as knowledge of brain development and
the impact of trauma on brain development has increased, the
definition of mental health has widened.
8:44:10 AM
MR. JESSEE, referring to slide 11 entitled "Ahead in FY 2010:
Support for On-going Efforts," related that the GF/MH [general
fund/mental health] column are the reinvestment of the out-of-
state savings. He then highlighted the "Assist in the
Transition to Adulthood" category and opined that this is an
area in which the BTKH Initiative hasn't adequately addressed.
The question is how to transition these children into fully
participating members of the community as an adult. He then
introduced a family that has benefited from this program.
8:45:47 AM
JULIAN STOWE, informed the committee that she was initially a
run away prior to being diagnosed bi-polar. She explained that
she ran away from her support groups at home because they were
telling her she needed to go to a RPTC. However, that wasn't
what she needed. Ms. Stowe reported that the support of flex
high school was probably the best thing for her. She noted that
she obtained a skills trainer that could help her at school.
Ms. Stowe opined that she wouldn't be present today without her
mental health advocates and her education.
8:47:43 AM
LYNN STOWE, speaking as Julian's father, related that one of the
hardest things he has every done was to send his fifteen-year-
old daughter, Julian, to the RPTC in Texas. He characterized it
as a tough time during which typical family life was "put on
hold." The family received a call to pickup Julian because if
she stayed any longer she would relapse and become worse. The
family was told that the conditions at the RPTC weren't tailor-
made for their daughter's case. Upon arriving home, the family
worked closely with mental health professionals and a
psychiatrist who were able to get his daughter in the flex
school. The aforementioned is what saved Julian and the family
as a whole, he opined.
8:50:03 AM
CHAIR SEATON inquired as to whether children such as Julian find
alternative schools a better choice than the public schools.
MR. JESSEE responded that it depends on each child and his/her
needs. Connecting the treatment facility with the schools prior
to discharge allows for placement decisions to be made prior to
the child returning to the school district.
8:51:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH acknowledged the courage it took to provide
the aforementioned testimony, which may help others. He then
inquired as to whether Ms. Stowe has seen the impact of what's
being discussed today in her school or community.
MS. STOWE related the situation of a 15-year-old student who has
overdosed three times. This 15-year-old student was sent to
Providence after which he was returned to the public school.
This student couldn't attend the flex high school because there
isn't enough space. Furthermore, this student isn't able to
have a skills trainer because the student isn't connected with
the mental health side of things.
8:53:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH inquired as to when Ms. Stowe felt
different, realized life wasn't acceptable in her circumstance.
MS. STOWE answered that at age 12 she felt like she was losing
her mind.
8:54:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON asked if there was an avenue for her to
express herself at that time.
MS. STOWE said that at the time she had a great psychiatrist who
always made time for her. After the first return from
Providence, he set up a therapist as support.
8:54:51 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER related the following situation, which
she referred to as the poster child for BTKH. A seven-year-old
village boy who entered state custody very abused and
traumatized. The boy was unsuccessful in a series of foster
homes. The boy was sent out-of-state to an RPTC where he spent
the next seven years. During those seven years, the boy lost
his language, his father died, and he had barely been outdoors.
Upon returning to the village, the boy was so institutionalized
that he was socially inept. Representative Gardner opined that
although there was no need for that boy to have seven years of
residential treatment, there was nowhere else for him to go and
the family wasn't questioning anything. She further opined that
the aforementioned was abusive.
8:56:37 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON related her appreciation for the Stowe
family sharing their situation.
8:57:35 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 8:57 a.m. to 8:59 a.m.
HB 109-EDUC. LOANS: SUPPLEMENTAL & FAMILY
8:59:05 AM
CHAIR SEATON announced that the next order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 109, "An Act relating to eligibility for the
Alaska supplemental education loan program and to the interest
rate for a loan made under the Alaska family education loan
program; and providing for an effective date."
8:59:46 AM
CHAIR SEATON pointed out a zero fiscal note accompanies the
legislation. He highlighted the analysis of the fiscal note,
which read as follows:
This bill is intended to improve the quality of
education loans sufficiently to maintain the Alaska
Student Loan Corporation's (ASLC) capacity to issue
revenue bonds, backed by loan assets, to finance
future lending activities. Implementation of the
proposed changes is not expected to require additional
appropriations. It is feasible that these changes
will positively impact ASLC revenues through improved
collections on the loans, but it is not possible to
estimate that impact at this time due to the
complexity of factors impacting loan collections.
CHAIR SEATON explained that the problem is not being able to
issue the bonds to be able to give student loans. The change
proposed in HB 109 will rectify the aforementioned.
9:01:03 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ inquired as to how many applicants are
involved in the supplemental loan program.
9:01:18 AM
DIANNE BARRANS, Executive Director, Alaska Commission on
Postsecondary Education (ACPE), Department of Education and
Early Development (EED);, Executive Officer, Alaska Student Loan
Corporation, answered that in the 2008-2009 year, there are
approximately 5,100 borrowers. In further response to
Representative Munoz, Ms. Barrans said that she couldn't specify
the percentage of those who aren't meeting the credit standards.
She explained that currently the criteria treats no credit as
good credit and only looks for adverse events on a credit
history. A credit criterion hasn't been applied to that pool of
borrowers in order to know who would or would not require a
credit worthy co-signer. Ms. Barrans did inform the committee
that 24 percent of those 5,100 borrowers are under the age of
21, which raises the question as to whether they have sufficient
credit activity to produce a credit score. She said for the
other 75 percent who are 21 years of age or older would have
some credit criteria. She noted that she has a project underway
to sample the 5,100 borrowers, but the results haven't yet been
received.
9:02:47 AM
CHAIR SEATON, upon determining no one wished to testify, closed
public testimony.
9:03:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH pledged support for HB 109.
9:04:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ moved to report HB 109 out of committee
with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal
notes. There being no objection, it was so ordered.
9:05:05 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:05 a.m. to 9:11 a.m.
HB 69-EARLY CHILDHOOD ED: RATING & HOME VISITS
9:11:17 AM
CHAIR SEATON announced that the final order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 69, "An Act establishing in the Department of
Education and Early Development a voluntary parent education
home visiting program for pre-elementary aged children; and
establishing a rating system for early childhood education."
CHAIR SEATON noted that the committee packet includes a proposed
committee substitute (CS), Version 26-LS0281\C, Mischel, 2/9/09.
9:11:57 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS TUCK, Alaska State Legislature, speaking as
one of the joint prime sponsors of HB 69, explained that in
Version C the term "participating family" was used instead of
"participant" throughout the legislation. On page 2, lines 15-
20, the legislation was amended such that educator parent visits
are optional and allow parents to participate in more than one
meeting per month and deletes references for cost considerations
for reducing visits. On page 4, lines 9-10, the definition of
"family" was added. On page 4, lines 12-14, the definition of
"trained parent educator" was added. Representative Tuck
informed the committee that Version C no longer has the pre-K
program rating system that was included in Section 4(a)(18) of
the original legislation, and therefore the title of the
legislation was changed such that the language on page 1, line 3
of HB 69 stating "and establishing a rating system for early
childhood education" was deleted.
9:14:23 AM
CHAIR SEATON pointed out that on page 4, paragraph (18) remains.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK explained that some portions of paragraph
(18) were deleted, though not all of it.
9:15:07 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER asked if paragraph (18) of the original
legislation was removed because it refers to public and private
pre-elementary programs.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK replied yes, adding his intention to
introduce the subject of paragraph (18) as separate legislation.
The desire, he explained, with Version C is to focus on the
parents as teachers (PAT) program and not develop a system to
oversee all types of pre-K education.
9:15:52 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON moved to adopt CSHB 69, Version 26-
LS0281\C, Mischel, 2/9/09, as the working document. There being
no objection, Version C was before the committee.
The committee took a brief at-ease from 9:15 a.m. to 9:17 a.m.
9:17:28 AM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK reviewed his involvement in the education
system, which ultimately led to his seat on the Anchorage School
Board. One of the matters the Anchorage School Board has tried
to address is in regard to how to introduce pre-K education
without it being a large cost to the public and without having
to provide more classrooms and the associated capital expenses.
This legislation provides, through Department of Education and
Early Development (EED), parents with voluntary support for
teaching their pre-K children in ways to develop learning skills
for success. He opined that early education by parents will
save Alaskans money, develop a strong workforce, and make the
neighborhoods safer. Representative Tuck explained that HB 69
allows local agencies to apply for grants administered by EED to
prepare children under the age of five for school. The plan
includes personalized meetings once a month as well as local
group meetings once a month. He pointed out that having health
and developmental screenings earlier on are helpful to
identify/forecast any developmental learning problems.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK highlighted the short title of HB 69 and
emphasized that the ultimate responsibility of educating
children lies with the parent. This legislation merely attempts
to provide services to the parents in order to empower them such
that they are better prepared and more effective. The visits
aren't necessarily home visits and thus the language on page 2,
line 15, reflects that the visits can be at a mutually agreed
upon location. Early education, he opined, is one of the best
investments that can be made in the state. In fact, studies
show that pre-K education increases school readiness, earning
power as adults, high school graduation rates, and college
enrollment. He then related that early education saves the
state money, makes neighborhoods safer, reduces the likelihood
of later criminal behavior, and instances of abuse. Therefore,
the benefits of early education are lower criminal justice
system costs, reduced welfare costs, savings for crime victims,
and savings on school remedial services. In fact, every dollar
spent on pre-K education saves the state approximately $7.
Furthermore, preschool programs for at-risk children save much
more than the program costs by reducing future crimes. Early
screening for disabilities or developmental delays and their
resolution also result in cost savings due to fewer children
being placed in special education or remedial classes or being
retained in their grade. "Research has clearly shown that the
early years are critical in a child's development and lay the
foundations for success in school and in life. So, to invest in
our future we need to give parents the education and support
they need to promote their young children's health and
development," he related. He then noted that PAT has been
utilized in 47 communities in Alaska, serving about 3,000
children statewide. Although it's a private-public partnership,
the program is funded mainly through federal grants. This
legislation would make the program available statewide to any
child or parent interested.
9:24:04 AM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK, in response to Representative Gardner,
reiterated that about 3,000 students are served statewide in 47
communities through federal funds. In further response to
Representative Gardner, Representative Tuck confirmed that the
committee packet should include a map specifying which
communities utilize the program.
9:24:43 AM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK told the committee that these programs have
been in the state for 14 years.
9:25:03 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ inquired as to the eligibility
requirements. She also inquired as to the details of training.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK specified that any parent with a child under
the age of 5 qualifies. The specifics of how the agencies
receive the grants are stipulated on page 3, lines 6-28. To
instruct children up to age 3 requires 37 hours of training. An
additional 15 hours of training is required for those who want
to instruct children age 3-5. The aforementioned hours of
training are for the existing PAT program. This legislation
will allow EED to determine the [training requirements].
9:26:35 AM
CHAIR SEATON, referring to page 2, line 9, of Version C, asked
how the implementation plan to be submitted by a local agency
will work in a community.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK said that the local agency could be a Native
Corporation or a school district. The local agency will
announce when and where parent [training] meetings will be held,
the number of children that can be served, who the staff will
be, and how they will be trained. The local agency will then
enter into an agreement with EED and after the grants have been
awarded, the entity will enter into a collaborative agreement
with EED. In further response to Chair Seaton, Representative
Tuck clarified that the term trained parent educators refers to
the individual who is training the parents. He then confirmed
that the training to which he referred earlier is the training
for those who are training the parents.
9:28:59 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON inquired as to the meaning of the term
"indentified" on page 2, line 18.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK related his belief that the term should be
"identified," although the term "indentified" didn't come up as
a misspelled term.
9:30:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ inquired then as to what the parent
receives during the once a month visit.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK explained that the visits begin by educating
the parent regarding how the brain functions and learns as well
as the developmental stages of children. After the education of
the parent, the parent chooses the curriculum for his or her
child. He informed the committee that studies have shown that
children who are introduced to another language early on are
able to grasp the language.
9:31:31 AM
CHAIR SEATON related his understanding that this legislation
specifies that any child under 5 is qualified for the program
proposed in HB 69.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK replied yes, adding that there are pre-
screenings and the parent educators can recommend further
developmental tests if a possible learning disability is
identified. In such a case, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) comes
into play as there is a requirement for children to receive
other services.
9:32:46 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER, referring to the PAT Alaska newsletter,
pointed out that it seems the data being used is from Missouri
to relate what the program does in general. She then inquired
as to the percentage of parents who participate in the program.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK expressed the need to review the communities
in which PAT is being implemented such that there is knowledge
as to how many children are between which age groups and the
percentage being served. The aforementioned hasn't been done
yet.
9:34:48 AM
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON directed attention to EED's indeterminate
fiscal note that specifies there is no way to estimate the
number of additional children that might be referred as a result
of passage of HB 69. He then asked if there is a way to
estimate the number of children.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK replied no, adding that this program will
have to be a line item in the budget that EED will have to
introduce. The program will serve the children it can based on
the budget. As reports come in from the agencies, the budget
for the next year can be adjusted to ensure the needs are met.
This program, he opined, really needs seed money in order to get
started.
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON related his understanding that part of the
difficulty identifying prospective participants is related to
the fact that it's a voluntary program.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK replied yes.
9:36:52 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH opined that the fiscal note should also
include mention of interagency cooperation, such as public-
private partnerships and other available mechanisms to reduce
the costs.
9:37:29 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked if all of the existing sites
implementing PAT use the same definitions or program
specifications or have they developed their own versions.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK answered that the sites are all using the
national PAT program and curriculum.
9:38:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER inquired as to what the $7 in savings for
every $1 spent is based upon.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK responded that those statistics are from
Head Start surveys. In further response to Representative
Keller, Representative Tuck informed the committee that the
legislation doesn't include daycare. He highlighted that this
program utilizes agencies within communities to provide the
services, which dovetails with the philosophy that it takes a
community to raise a child.
9:40:27 AM
JOY LYON, Representative, Alaska Association for the Education
of Young Children (AEYC), said she would first address why the
PAT program would improve high school graduation rates and how
it will fit into the state's early education system. [This
program] will lead to every child being more prepared for
success in school, which leads to success in life. Ms. Lyon
th
informed the committee that there is a correlation between 4
grade reading scores and high school dropout rates and that same
correlation exists with the kindergarten readiness program.
When a student begins behind, they don't tend to catch up. She
further informed the committee that some children arrive at
school with minimal literacy experiences, perhaps 20 hours of
reading versus the average of 600 hours of reading. The
aforementioned information is based on research from Dr.
Reisling (ph) and Hart (ph). When the gap is so vast, say 600
hours, it's difficult to catch up because the kindergarten year
alone is 600 hours of reading. Furthermore, such a gap makes it
difficult to communicate with peers, which leads to social
problems. Moreover, such a gap means that the child doesn't
have the vocabulary to be able to understand the teacher or the
books to which she refers. The gap in vocabulary is really
significant at age 3. Based on research some children are
hearing 10 million words by age three, whereas others are
hearing 40 million words by age three. Therefore, by slightly
increasing the numbers of conversations the parents are having
with their children and the number of books they are reading, it
tends to strengthen the family as more nurturing time is
occurring. Having additional conversations means the children
are hearing more than directives in their early years. The PAT
program is the gold standard for curriculum to strengthen
families and work on literacy and social emotional development.
She noted that the PAT program has been heavily evaluated and is
a really strong program.
9:44:15 AM
MS. LYON directed the committee's attention to a handout
entitled "Investing in Alaska's Young Children," dated January
2009, which underscores that the PAT program works with many
programs, such as Head Start and quality child care.
Furthermore, the PAT program works for children whose parents
are working and for children whose parents are at home. Ms.
Lyon then highlighted the need to identify children with special
needs early on, which occur for those children in childcare.
The PAT program could be one of the referrals for those children
identified as having special needs. Ms. Lyon reiterated that
the PAT program fits in the various settings in which children
are served with early care and education. She noted her support
[for the PAT program] as well as the support of the Alaska Child
Care Resource and Referral Network, Best Beginnings, Alaska
Association for the Education of Young Children, Alaska Head
Start Association, Alaska Infant Learning Program Association,
and Alaska AEYC.
9:45:59 AM
CHAIR SEATON inquired as to which parents are taking advantage
of the PAT program, specifically are the parents of at-risk
children taking advantage of the program.
MS. LYON explained that the intent is to target those children
who are at most risk; the PAT program can be adapted to achieve
the aforementioned. She noted that the PAT program is delivered
through Head Start programs and other early intervention
programs. She suggested that Ms. Pickle could provide further
information.
9:47:09 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON asked if the PAT program is the same as
the existing eight programs in the state or is it different.
She questioned whether it would be better to provide more
support to the eight existing programs rather than create a new
program.
MS. LYON clarified that all the programs are working together to
achieve the vision of early care and education. No matter where
the funds come from, all the programs are working together. In
fact, all eight programs are working more closely than ever
before.
9:48:52 AM
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON observed that HB 69 is placing definitions
in statute for important terms such as "family," "local agency,"
and "trained parent educator."
MS. LYON answered that she believes that's correct. [Placing
these definitions in statute] create more consistency throughout
the state such that the same standards, evaluations, and needs
assessments are used.
9:50:02 AM
MELISSA PICKLE, State Coordinator, Alaska Parents as Teachers,
clarified that she is not a state employee as her position is
funded by the Alaska Parent Information and Resource Center,
which is funded through a federal grant. Furthermore, the
position is located within the Child Development Division of the
Rural Alaska Community Action Program (RuralCAP). She explained
that her role is to work with all of the programs in Alaska that
utilize the PAT model. The PAT program is a voluntary personal
visiting program for families with prenatal to kindergarten-
entry age children. The vision of the program, as specified on
the first slide says, "All children will learn, grow and develop
to realize their full potential." The second slide illustrates
that the PAT program is an international program that operates
in all 50 states as well as China, Australia, and Great Britain.
She characterized the program as a well established and very
culturally sensitive and appropriate program. The PAT program
has been in Alaska for nearly 15 years. Those parents who
choose to enroll in the PAT program work with certified parent
educators or family visitors who have been trained and certified
in the PAT's Born to Learn curriculum. She noted that there are
two national trainers in the state who can provide the training.
9:53:58 AM
MS. PICKLE, continuing with slide 4, reviewed the four
components of the program: personal visits, parent group
meetings, screenings, and resource referrals. The personal
visits are offered at least monthly, although some programs
choose to meet more frequently. The visits occur wherever the
family chooses and the focus of the meeting is to support
parents, to learn about child development, and to help parents
engage in activities that promote the child's learning. The
parent group meetings occur at least once a month to provide
parents the opportunity to network with other parents and for
children to gain social skills through interactions with peers.
Again, these are voluntary meetings and thus no parent is denied
access to these services if the parent doesn't want to attend
these groups. The program also offers screenings for health,
hearing, vision, and developmental delays, which ensures the
child's development is on track. If there are concerns
regarding the child's development, the program can assist
families. Therefore, the PAT staff works closely with school
districts and infant learning programs. In fact, PAT staff are
often members of the individual family service plan or the
individual education plan (IEP) team because PAT's parent
educators live in the communities in which the families reside
and actually see families on a regular basis, perhaps even more
often than an itinerate therapist. Ms. Pickle then turned to
the resource referrals, which allows the family to connect with
other services, as appropriate. The PAT program is there to
help parents know what other resources are available.
9:56:02 AM
MS. PICKLE directed the committee's attention to slide 5, which
relates the mission of PAT as the following: "To provide the
information, support and encouragement parents need to help
their children develop optimally during the crucial early years
of life." The aforementioned is often heard, particularly now
that the most recent brain research specifies that the first
three years of a child's life is critical in terms of
development. Slide 6 entitled "Development of the Human
Cerebral Cortex" illustrates the importance of the first few
years of life. The number of connections formed in the cerebral
cortex during the first two years of life never occurs again.
Therefore, it's important that the first three years of life go
well and [the PAT program] can help provide families with the
ability to reach their full potential. The next slide entitled
"Parents as Teachers Program Goals" relates the following goals:
1. Increase parent knowledge of early childhood
development and improve parenting practices.
2. Provide early detection of developmental delays
and health issues.
3. Prevent child abuse and neglect.
4. Increase children's school readiness and school
success.
MS. PICKLE said that the PAT program is really dedicated to
meeting the aforementioned goals and research has shown that the
program is meeting all those goals. She then mentioned that the
committee packet should contain a document entitled "Parents as
Teachers in Evidenced-Based Home Visiting Programs," which
illustrates how effective the program is.
9:57:45 AM
MS. PICKLE then directed attention to the slide entitled "Proven
Outcomes for Parents," which highlights a few of the proven
results of the PAT program for parents. The reason there is
interest in the impact of an early childhood program on parents
is because parents spend more time with their children and are
the first and most influential teacher. The PAT program is
there to support families in the aforementioned role, if the
parents choose that support. As the slide relates, parents who
receive services from PAT have been shown to have an increased
knowledge of child development and child rearing practices,
engage in more language and literacy promoting activities with
their children, increased involvement in children's schooling,
and have fewer documented cases of child abuse and neglect.
Therefore, PAT helps parents prepare their children for their
next educational setting, whatever that may be. The PAT
program, as related on slide 9, has positive outcomes for
children. Those children who receive PAT services exhibit
higher levels of kindergarten readiness with these gains
rd
maintained through the 3 grade and fewer special education and
rd
remedial education placements in Kindergarten through 3 grade.
The aforementioned saves schools money. Those children
receiving PAT services are also more likely to display positive
social and self-help behaviors and be four to five months ahead
in language development at age 3. Ms. Pickle characterized the
PAT program as providing children a good start in life.
10:00:11 AM
MS. PICKLE, referring to the slide entitled "Alaska's Children,"
informed the committee that there are approximately 65,000
children 0 to 5 years of age in Alaska. She further informed
the committee of the following:
Nearly half of Alaskan children entering school are
unprepared to read or learn;
Among the highest rates of child abuse and neglect,
with approximately 50 percent of reports of harm are
for children 0 to 5 years of age;
Highest high school drop out rates in the country.
MS. PICKLE opined that the aforementioned is unacceptable. The
next slide entitled "A Call to Action" highlights three major
movements in the state that have made recommendations regarding
young children and their families. The Ready to Read Task
Force, which is now Best Beginnings, recommended in-home support
in order to increase the engagement of parents in their child's
learning. The Governor's Summit on Early Learning recommended
that all parents have access to home-based education and
support. The Alaska Education Plan recommended preschool
programs and an increase in parent involvement. The PAT program
can help meet the aforementioned recommendations for an annual
average cost of $3,000 per family. Furthermore, this investment
can save many thousands of dollars in the future.
10:01:42 AM
MS. PICKLE noted that the committee packet should include the
"Parents as Teachers Alaska 2008 Fact Sheet." The
aforementioned document relates that 31 communities, 809
families, and 963 children were served. These numbers include
children who will enter the public school system as well as
children who will be home schooled. Nearly 80 percent of the
children served by the PAT program in 2007-2008 were in programs
run by nonprofits. About 19 percent of the programs were run by
school districts and 1.5 percent were run by military programs.
Ms. Pickle reminded the committee that all of the PAT programs
in Alaska are funded through federal grants, which come and go.
Therefore, every year there are PAT programs in the state that
aren't funded. She related that she receives phone calls from
other early education programs that want to refer children to
the PAT program. However, the PAT program may not be in the
area or there is a wait list. The PAT program is extremely
popular and one loved by families. Therefore, the program needs
the legislature's help in establishing a stable funding stream
to allow access services that build a better future. Ms. Pickle
said that the question isn't whether the state can afford to
implement the PAT program but rather can it afford not to
implement it.
10:04:33 AM
CHAIR SEATON announced that HB 69 would be held over with public
testimony open. The discussion will continue at Friday's
[February 13, 2009] meeting.
10:06:06 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 10:06 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| AK PAT 09 Legislature.ppt |
HEDC 2/11/2009 8:00:00 AM HEDC 2/13/2009 8:00:00 AM |
|
| BTKH EDUC Leg Presentation FINAL 0209.ppt |
HEDC 2/11/2009 8:00:00 AM |
|
| hb 109 MATERIALS.pdf |
HEDC 2/9/2009 8:00:00 AM HEDC 2/11/2009 8:00:00 AM |
HB 109 |
| HB 69 Materials I.pdf |
HEDC 2/11/2009 8:00:00 AM HEDC 2/13/2009 8:00:00 AM |
HB 69 |
| HB 69 Materials II.pdf |
HEDC 2/11/2009 8:00:00 AM HEDC 2/13/2009 8:00:00 AM |
HB 69 |
| Workdraft CS HB 69.pdf |
HEDC 2/11/2009 8:00:00 AM HEDC 2/13/2009 8:00:00 AM |
HB 69 |