Hawaii's Good Beginnings Initiative

Description

In Hawaii, collaboration is the key ingredient for improving the lives of young children. By bringing together programs, policymakers, and parents, the Good Beginnings Alliance is improving the education and care of Hawaii's youngest children. The initiative has four essential components:

• Good Beginnings Councils (GBCs)
• Non-profit Good Beginnings Alliance (GBA) for administrative support and intergovernmental facilitation
• Interdepartmental Council (IDC) for cross-agency collaboration
• Service Integration Committee (SIC) of front-line workers in the early childhood community

Each of the four components involves a different set of partners, but together these include:

• county government
• child care service providers
• parents
• businesses
• non-profit agencies
• the faith community
• philanthropy
• State Departments of:
  • Human Services
  • Health
  • Education
  • Business and Economic Development
  • Labor

The roots of Good Beginnings run long and deep. The seeds of the initiative were planted over 20 years ago when the work of Dr. Calvin Sia on "medical homes," or comprehensive health services for children, shed light on the critical interconnection between the physical, social, and emotional health of children. This understanding eventually led public- and private-sector leaders to embrace the concept of a comprehensive early childhood education and care system for young children in Hawaii. In the 1990s, early childhood efforts that had long and parallel histories converged and evolved into a statewide early childhood initiative.

In the late 1980s, the Hawaii Business Round Table recommended a state-subsidized child care system, and the Governor's Office of Children and Youth (GOCY) published an assessment of the child care needs of working families. With renewed interest from community and business leaders in the early 1990s, the Governor established an Early Childhood Education and Care Coordinating Committee to involve state and local government, business, and community leaders in the expansion of early childhood care and education. This Committee developed the Good Beginnings Master Plan in 1996.

Now, a nine-member Good Beginnings Board of Directors determines statewide policy and program priorities for the non-profit Good Beginnings Alliance (GBA), which serves as the communication link between four local Good Beginnings Councils (GBC) and state government. The Board of Directors includes representatives from each of the four county Good Beginnings Councils, local philanthropy, parents, the Interdepartmental Council of state agencies, the early care and education community, and the business community. Each local GBC has developed a five-year master plan that assesses local strengths and needs, identifies goals and barriers, and generates resources for community programs and services for families with young children.

Good Beginnings incorporates a wide range of activities that involves parents, legislators, providers, and the general public. Activities include:

• Organized playgroups and parent education classes that connect families with health, nutrition, education, and mental health support services. Community leaders known as Keiki (Hawaiian for "child") Contacts organize these activities. Parents and caregivers may volunteer to participate in leadership training and instruction on child development and community resources, enabling them to take a leadership role in their communities.
• Supporting the Hawaii Early Childhood Career Development Coalition, a group of public and private organizations working to develop a comprehensive, statewide career development system for early care and education professionals.
• Serving as the lead partner in Hawaii's Boost for Kids initiative and working closely with the early childhood community to understand and overcome the obstacles they face in accessing federal food programs such as the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
• Educating the state leadership on early childhood issues. For example, two local Councils organized a field trip for state legislators to child care centers, which led to the formation of the Hawaii Early Childhood Career Development Coalition between state legislators and the local early childhood community.
• Reaching out to communities to discuss the importance of early care and education, and the need to coordinate existing services. Strategies include publishing local newsletters, placing ads in local business newsletters, stuffing notices in paychecks, and conducting media campaigns through posters, radio spots, and print ads.
• Assisting state and local entities in compiling information on families with young children, and building data sources when they do not exist.
• Holding an annual awards ceremony at the Governor's residence to honor outstanding early childhood professionals.

In its four years of operation, GBA has generated almost $3 million in resources for its activities, with approximately half of the revenue coming from national and local foundations. Public funds come from the state's Departments of Human Services, Health, and Education. The Department of Human Services contributes the majority of public funds from the quality set-aside of the federal Child Care and Development Fund to support the work of the local GBC coordinators. In-kind contributions total more than $130,000 in donated space and staff time from supportive organizations. Several local foundations provide an important leadership role in the development and expansion of the state and local Councils. Local foundations have also provided critical match support to national foundation grants.

Through a collaborative process involving a broad spectrum of community partners, the state legislature adopted a Good Beginnings primary goal that all of Hawaii's children will be safe, healthy, and ready to succeed in school. Success is measured by a set of core indicators that include:

• rate of unintentional injuries to children for which emergency room treatment is received;
• rate of child abuse and neglect (reported and confirmed);
• percentage of children covered by health insurance;
• percentage of properly immunized 2-year olds;
• percentage of children in group care who receive a nutritious breakfast;
• child poverty rate;
• teen birth rate; and
• school readiness as assessed by kindergarten teachers.

GBA is now working to mobilize state and local actions around these outcomes and indicators. Evaluation activities are under way, but results are not yet available. The Interdepartmental Council will share the indicator results when they become available.

To sustain itself, GBA is working to develop a long-term financial strategy that involves reaching out to the private sector and encouraging inter-professional collaboration. GBA and its partners are identifying additional federal and state funding streams that are applicable to its goal. The GBA has also established a Quality Enhancement Fund for private-sector contributions, with hopes of additional funds to match these contributions.

GBA is also encouraging companies to provide employees with information on child development and parenting resources; to adopt family-friendly policies; and to become partners in addressing the need for increased access to high-quality child care. In collaboration with the Hawaii Medical Association, GBA is working to teach medical students the value of collaboration with families, communities, and professionals working together to improve early childhood services.

Engage as many people as possible. Make every effort to reach out to partners not traditionally involved in child care at the state and local level. Often, it is the least likely candidates who will make a difference for an initiative of this scope.

Build a communications network. Use that network to keep all partners informed. Communication is particularly important when working at so many different levels, and when the geographic boundaries are so wide. Ensure that those who are in a position to communicate the work of the initiative to the public understand the larger goal of the effort, not only what they gain personally from it.

Respect local diversity. Communities come together for different reasons, and different forces hold them together. While it is important to uphold standards for quality and to ensure that the groups are all held together by a common vision, it is equally important to resist the temptation to create cookie-cutter models at the local level.

Build face-to-face relationships. In today's electronic culture, it is increasingly important to provide space for people who do not ordinarily have contact with one another to talk, share their perspectives, and learn from each other.

Find local champions. Successful change requires strong leadership from local champions who are able to communicate the issues, galvanize the public, and maintain a strong commitment in the face of adversity.

Elisabeth Chun
Good Beginnings Alliance
828 Fort Street Mall, Suite 203
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 531-5502
Fax: (808) 531-5570
www.goodbeginnings.org