MEDIA RELEASE

Honolulu – Moving forward on his plan to invest in young children, Governor Neil Abercrombie today announced Terry Lock as the Governor’s Early Childhood Coordinator. This is a new position in the Administration that includes the following responsibilities:

• planning a state structure that supports an early childhood system that improves outcomes for children prenatal to 5
• leading coordination among state agencies to improve services and outcomes for children and families
• developing public and private partnerships; and
• advocating for public policy to achieve better outcomes for Hawai’i’s keiki.

“We are responsible for shaping the future of our keiki. Young children cannot be an afterthought,” said Governor Abercrombie. “The lack of adequately investing in our young children is a failure to recognize widely understood research and a failure to live by our notions of common sense and core values. Terry Lock understands this and brings her decades of experience to lead the charge in a new direction.”

Ms. Lock will be instrumental in establishing an early childhood action plan for the state, which will be shared by the Early Learning Council and state agencies. Ms. Lock’s appointment is the first step in planning for a department for early childhood which was articulated in Governor Abercrombie’s New Day plan. Ms. Lock will start in the Governor’s office in mid-July.

Governor Abercrombie’s Early Childhood Coordinator is funded in part through a $300,000 private grant by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation over the next two years. The grant will also support Governor Abercrombie’s Education Adviser, Tammi Chun, who oversees education policies. The Governor’s Office will continue to seek opportunities for permanent funding for these coordinators.

Governor Abercrombie also announced today that the Department of Health (DOH) will continue the Healthy Start program, which identifies the most at-risk families in Hawai’i and proactively supports them at the earliest possible time.

In 2008, funding for Healthy Start totaled $15.6 million, $11 million of which from state general funds. Over the last few years, funding for Healthy Start has declined significantly to $1.5 million in the current fiscal year. In this last legislative session, the State Legislature did not appropriate funds to continue Healthy Start. DOH believed Healthy Start was a priority and reallocated $3 million annually for the next two fiscal years from the Tobacco Settlement Special Fund to maintain the current program. This commitment supports families and also enables Hawai’i to receive federal funds for home visiting services.

“Our administration has made early childhood a priority, as outlined in our New Day plan,” Governor Abercrombie said. “We will find ways to invest in the right services, like Healthy Start, and ensure that all children get the chance to reach their full potential.”

The state’s funding for Healthy Start qualifies the state for additional federal money for the program, which is recognized nationally and supported by the Obama Administration. A total of 4,130 families, which includes 4,411 children, benefit from Healthy Start statewide.