2016 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT

PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

Hawaii

Preschool Development Grants AUGUST 2017
ED 524B Page 1 of 44

State: Hawaii Zip: 96813

U.S. Department of Education

PDG Grant Performance Report Cover Sheet

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 06/30/2017

Check only one box per Program Office instructions. ✔ Annual Performance Report Final Performance Report

General Information

1. PR/Award #: S419A150005 2. Grantee Federal Information Processing Code: 621644850

3. Project Title: 84.419A Preschool Development Grants - Development

4. Grantee Name: Hawai'i State Public Charter School Commission

5. Grantee Address:1111 Bishop Street, Suite 516

City: Honolulu

6. Project Director Name: Sione Thompson

Title: Executive Director

Phone #: (808) 586-3775 Ext.: Fax #:

Email Address: sione.thompson@spcsc.hawaii.gov

Reporting Period Information

7. Reporting Period: From: 01/01/2016 To: 12/31/2016

8. Budget Expenditures (To be completed by your Business Office. See instructions.)

Budget Period Federal Grant Funds Non-Federal Funds (Match/Cost Share)

a. Previous Budget Period $2,074,059.00 $3,903,068.00

b. Current Budget Period $2,243,282.00

c. Entire Project Period

(For Final Performance Reports only)

9. Indirect Cost Information (To be completed by your Business Office. See Instructions.)

a. Are you claiming indirect costs under this grant? Yes No

b. If yes, do you have an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by the Federal Government? Yes No

c. If yes, provide the following information:

Period Covered by the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: From: To:

Approving Federal agency: ED Other Specify other:

Type of Rate: (Final Performance Reports only) Provisional Final Other Specify other:

d. For Restricted Rate Programs (check one) -- Are you using a restricted indirect cost rate that:

✔ Is included in your approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

✔ Complies with 34 CFR 76.564(c)(2)?

10. Performance Measures Status

a. Are complete data on performance measures for the current budget period included in the

Project Status Chart?

b. If no, when will the data be available and submitted to the Department?

Yes No
ED 524B Page 2 of 44

U.S. Department of Education

PDG Annual Performance Report

Executive Summary

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 06/30/2017

Grantee State: HI PR/Award #: S419A150005

You are required to submit an Executive Summary of up to 3000 words with your Annual Performance

Report. This summary should relate to your approved application and summarize the goals and

objectives that have been achieved under your grant, what you learned, and any evaluation results.

Describe any unanticipated outcomes or benefits from your project and any barriers that you may have

encountered. If there have been any changes to the project from the approved application, those

should be explained as well.

Overview of Progress:

The Hawai'i State Public Charter School Commission (“SPCSC”) has experienced significant success in

its second implementation year of the Preschool Development Grant (“PDG”). Hawai'i is unique in

that it is the only Preschool Development Grant grantee that solely targets charter schools to

implement new prekindergarten programs. Hawai'i is also unique in that all of its charter schools

implement varying degrees of Hawaiian language and culture education. Hawai'i has two official

languages: English and Native Hawaiian. Of the six schools implementing the Preschool Development

Grant, two are Hawaiian language immersion schools.

The following video captures the significance of sustaining this program beyond the Preschool

Development Grant. It may be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=t4GFMMwlApU&feature=em-subs_digest

In 2016, this grant has enabled 193 four-year-old children to enter a high-quality preschool classroom

and receive high-quality services, as defined by this grant. Of these children, approximately 61% of

are brand-new enrollees to Hawai'i's early childhood system. Thus, it is highly likely that these

children, who live in at-risk communities and have limited access to preschool programs, would enter

kindergarten without any prior preschool experience without the support of the Preschool

Development Grant. This impact has inspired our administrators and teachers, who have shared

many success stories.

A teacher shared that the school year started off with students not having socialization skills to

understand how to participate in a group setting and interact with peers. The new pre-K students did

not have the skills to follow instructions or demonstrate beginning literacy skills. The teacher reported

that by October, the students were well-adjusted, eager to come to school, able to follow instructions,

and be a part of a group. They were developing early literacy skills such as letter 

recognition and letter-sound knowledge.

Another teacher stated that she had a child who came to school crying, hitting, kicking, and trying to

run out the door. After building a positive relationship with this child and his parents, and helping

him to adjust to the school routine, he was able to interact with adults and his peers in positive and

appropriate ways.

There are numerous accomplishments. Six prekindergarten classrooms are in operation, each led by

a teacher with at least a bachelor's degree. This year, Hawai'i exceeded this requirement by having

four of the six teachers holding master's degrees. All PDG classes have teachers whose salaries are

commensurate and aligned with public school teachers, a teacher-child ratio of at least 10:1, and

maximum class size of 20 students. Each class follows the kindergarten schedule of six hours per day

and ten months per year with a designated curriculum, and a formative assessment system.
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Teachers, educational assistants and school administrators were provided with a strong professional

development component, including a coaching and mentoring system available for all teaching

teams.

Professional Development Opportunities. The PDG program is guided by the strong belief that

ongoing professional development results in high-quality teachers. “The general consensus from

research reviews and summaries is that teachers' implementation of new skills occurs primarily when

specific training is combined with on-the-job coaching. Use of consultants/coaches for feedback on

observed performance, supervision of systematic plan development and implementation, and support

for ongoing challenges and decision-making appears necessary for changes in teachers'

performance.” (Sheridan, Edwards, Marvin, & Knoche, 2009)

SPCSC has recognized that the most impactful method of creating high-quality teachers is through a

systematic, ongoing professional development system. The SPCSC plan includes coordinated and

targeted professional development workshops for the participating school principals, teachers and

educational assistants. These topics were selected based on baseline foundational knowledge,

assessment results, and teacher interest.

SPCSC provided the last three of ten workshops held in the 2015-2016 school year, to the teachers

and educational assistants of the four Year One participating schools. During January through April

2016, three workshops were held in Hilo and covered the following topics: supporting social

emotional development, family engagement focusing on transitioning into kindergarten, and school

readiness.

In the 2016-2017 school year, ten days of training have been planned for the teachers and

educational assistants of the six schools implementing programs this year. School administrators

were also invited to attend these trainings to increase their knowledge of early childhood education

and developmentally appropriate practices. As of December 2016, seven training events were

provided.

Coaching and Mentoring. The Practice Based Coaching (PBC) model was used to support teachers in

effecting positive outcomes for children within their teaching practices (National Center on Quality,

Teaching, and Learning, 2014).

To work towards high-quality programs, the pre-K specialist and pre-K coach communicates with

schools through weekly on-site classroom visits, phone calls, emails, text messages, and video

conferencing. These contacts were individualized to support the school administrators and teaching

teams and addressed areas of need such as classroom set-up, data collection and assessments,

curriculum, and teacher efficacy. A Partnership Agreement form for coaching was introduced and

signed to solidify the trusting relationship and responsibilities of both parties that is necessary for

successful outcomes.

Using Data to Improve Outcomes. The use of teacher and environmental assessment data proved

invaluable in improving the quality of the classroom environments at the participating schools and the

efficacy of the participating teachers. Both the professional development and coaching provided by

PDG staff relied on data from three key assessment sources: the Early Childhood Environment Rating

Scale-Revised (ECERS-R), the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and student assessment

data.

PDG staff review the assessment results both to model the process for school administrators and

preschool teachers and to identify areas of strength and targeted areas for support.
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Leadership. SPCSC is committed to building a strong early learning leadership community that is

knowledgeable about the current issues and trends affecting Hawai'i's youngest citizens. The initial

Early Learning Leadership Symposium was held in November 2015 inviting all 18 charter schools

implementing a pre-K program funded through the PDG. The goals of the symposium was to gain and

deepen the understanding of the critical periods of child development, particularly brain

development prior to age five, to understand national and state early childhood perspectives, the

prenatal to grade three (P-3) framework and to plan strategic family engagement activities using the

logic model approach.

A follow-up meeting was held in April 2016 in Honolulu to provide another opportunity for the

school teams to build cross-sector connections.

Topics included A Child Case Study: Identifying Community Support and School Resources, Nā

Hopena A`o (HĀ), building on community partnerships to enhance schools' family engagement

logic model. These logic models are used to plan strategically and intentionally to plan family

engagement events using PDG funds to address student and family needs and interests.

The second annual Early Learning Leadership Symposium was held in December 2016 in Honolulu.

PDG staff planned the symposium to strategically build upon the previous two leadership events.

The five key objectives of the symposium were:

1. To build a deeper understanding of how to support keiki [children] to become successful

learners;

2. To bring the local community partners together to share successes, challenges, ideas and

solutions for achieving excellence and equity for all keiki [children];

3. To develop a collective understanding of effective practices in order to sustain access to highquality early learning programs;

4. To facilitate discussion with all stakeholders to support and to sustain early learning efforts;

and

5. To foster peer networking to build community leadership.

The symposium created opportunities to leverage the expertise of the attendees and to build

momentum for the early learning community to advance early childhood initiatives. This is reflected

in the words of some of the participants:

“I was very happy to be a part of the conference. I am enthusiastic to more forward as part of a

wider movement to educate our families and young babies.”

“I liked learning about the opportunities for early childhood education. The passion in the room

was inspiring.”

Through the PDG program, SPCSC also strives to develop student leaders -- by ensuring that PDG

students are well-prepared for kindergarten, PDG graduates become strong role models for their fellow

kindergarteners. When asked to reflect on their first year of participation in the grant, two schools

shared how their PDG programs led to successful transitions from preschool into kindergarten for PDG

participants and helped to develop student leaders:

“The Pre-K class and teacher visited the K classroom several times, we had the K class join the Pre-K

class for a field trip, and we partnered for a school performance. Pre-K students were quite familiar

with the teacher, and her expectations by the end of the school year.” -Administrator,

Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School

“All Pre-K keiki [children] are familiar with kindergarten routines from visits throughout the school

year. This year Pre-K students were split between two different kindergarten classes. The intent

was for them to be leaders of their classes.” -Administrator, Ka Umeke Ka'eo Public Charter
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School

Sustainability. Throughout Hawai'i, there is still a huge unmet need for high quality preschool for all

of our children. Sustaining this pre-K program for Hawai'i's keiki, beyond federal funding, is vital to

communities, particularly those in remote and rural areas which have limited access to high quality

preschools. SPCSC has visited members of the Hawai'i State Legislature targeting those with PDG

classrooms in their district as well as those with membership in key committees including those

belonging to the education, finance committees. Two one-page flyers were developed to advocate

for the continued funding of the pre-K programs in charter schools. A third document, developed by

Child Care Aware of America provides the information about the cost of child care in Hawai'i using

2016 data. These documents may be found at: http://www.chartercommission.hawaii.gov/spcscpreschool-development-grant

Family Engagement. SPCSC strongly supports and has invested in family engagement activities to

support the development of family-school partnerships that will positively impact student success.

Examples include providing opportunities for families to build protective factors and to support their

children's learning and development, and to engage families as decision-makers in their children's

education.

SPCSC supports PDG schools with planning and implementing family engagement activities that are

reflective of their community needs by providing training on logic model development and use.

Schools initiated their logic model work during the November 2015 symposium; then, from January

through April 2016, a PDG-funded family engagement specialist met with each school administrator to

assist in refining their logic model. During these meetings, the specialist discussed family engagement

activities that were already implemented and used the logic model to help expand ideas for

improvement and extension, as well as future possibilities. Thereafter, the SPCSC PDG staff has

continued these supportive roles by continuing to meet with schools to further refine and share

progress of their logic model plan to implement high quality family engagement activities.

In April 2016, SPCSC convened a follow-up meeting for the school teams to continue to strategize how

to increase family and community engagement. The guest speakers shared about early intervention

processes and the Native Hawaiian strength-based approach adopted by DOE, Nā Hopena A`o (HĀ) to

familiarize participants with strategies for proactively working with children and families.

Here is a unique example of how the PDG schools have utilized the grant's support to connect with

and involve their families in the education of their children:

A teacher shared that through this grant, she was able to meet with each family and develop a

positive relationship built on mutual trust and respect prior to the start of school. This intentional

family engagement meeting with each family, resulted in the pre-K attendance rate of 90.7 percent in

the first semester of school year 2016-2017, the highest attendance rate in the entire school!

Ongoing Monitoring. SPCSC recognizes the importance of PDG grant compliance and has taken sound

measures to ensure that the PDG criteria are met. SPCSC invested in quality time with each school to

review and explain the detailed components of the MOA contract. Thereafter SPCSC has conducted

monthly visits to ensure that the processes are followed. This provides opportunities for subgrantees

to be monitored for grant compliance as well as to identify training and technical assistance needs.

SPCSC also carefully reviews and approves all expenditures before reimbursement is made to ensure

that all PDG funds are allowable and justified. Thereafter, a budget tracking spreadsheet is reviewed

on a monthly basis to reconcile all expenses to ensure that both the schools and SPCSC mutually agree

on the accuracy of the PDG classroom budget. In the spring of 2016, the Pre-K Grant Manager in

conjunction with the SPCSC Organizational Performance Team has conducted pre-visit interviews and

in-depth on site monitoring visits with each PDG school.
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Enrollment. Through PDG funds, 80 slots were available in the first year of grant implementation,

school year 2015-2016, 78 children had the opportunity to enroll in a Preschool Development Grant

pre-K program. During school year 2016-17, year two, an added 120 slots in six charter schools were

made available. As of December 2016, 115 children have the opportunity to participate in a high

quality prekindergarten program.

In the two school years combined, as of December 2016, there were 193 eligible children enrolled in

the Preschool Development Grant funded pre-K program in Hawai'i. Of that 28 children have since

left the program. Combined, this represents 96% of Hawai'i's implementation enrollment capacity.

PDG provided an increase of 1% eligible children served in Hawai'i in preschool programs.

Inclusion. As of December 2016, in combined school years, there were 193 children enrolled. Nine of

these students have Individualized Education Plans (IEP) and receive(d) services in inclusive settings.

Additional children currently enrolled in the program are in the process of evaluation for special needs

or other comprehensive services. SPCSC will continue to recruit and enroll other eligible 

students were in the process of being evaluated for special needs services. SPCSC has communication

with the Hawai'i Department of Education 619 Educational Specialist on an ongoing basis to ensure

that enrollment in the PDG pre-K classrooms are considered as Free and Appropriate Public Education

(FAPE) for children with disabilities. Formative assessment data will be continuously reviewed to

inform the school teams if further evaluation is warranted or needed.

Comprehensive Services. SPCSC recognizes that programs such as Head Start provides an exemplar

example of comprehensive programs. The charter schools, in partnership with the Hawaii 

Department of Education (HIDOE), does provide comprehensive early intervention services which

includes comprehensive evaluation and support services. The challenge in many of our PDG school

communities is the limited access to services or limited providers, particularly in rural areas across the

state where these services are few and far between or non-existent. Thus, although many of the PDG

charter schools provide referralsfor these types of service, most schools lack financial resources to

provide these direct comprehensive services. The Early Learning Leadership Symposia held each fall

provides opportunities for schools to brainstorm with other community partners to build an alliance

with other programs on how comprehensive services can be provided. SPCSC will continue to work

with these schools and HIDOE to identify and build on these partnerships to bring increased

awareness to the larger community regarding children and family needs. The PDG charter schools will

be encouraged to collaborate with their HIDOE complex area offices and community partners to

creatively strategize ways in which these comprehensive services may be provided.

Alignment within a Birth through Third Grade Continuum. Currently, a kindergarten entry

assessment (KEA) is not mandatory in Hawai'i; however, SPCSC recognizesthe value of KEA data and

how it can be used to inform both preschool and kindergarten teachers and administrators, as well as

early childhood and K-12 education stakeholders, on children's academic progress and development

and readiness for kindergarten.

In the summer of 2016, SPCSC met with the directors of the PDG Year One schools to propose a KEA

pilot for the PDG program. All of the schools agreed on both the value of assessing the kindergarten

readiness of their incoming kindergarten students and the importance of comparing the readiness

levels of PDG graduates and other kindergarteners(both those with other preschool experience and

those with no preschool experience) to assess the efficacy of their PDG programs. Thus, the PDG

contracts of all four Year One schools were amended to add kindergarten assessments to the list of

deliverables. Two out of the four schools agreed to use Teaching Strategies GOLD as their KEA; the

other two schools, both of which are Hawaiian language immersion schools, agreed to share highlevel data from their own kindergarten assessment tools.
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In preparation for the new kindergarten assessment activities, in Fall 2016, SPCSC provided

professional development to the two Year One schools' kindergarten teachers at Na Wai Ola and

Laupahoehoe on Teaching Strategies GOLD, including an overview of the tool and an evidence and

data workshop. Once the Fall 2016 kindergarten assessments were completed, SPCSC reviewed the

data with the teachers and administrators to share information about kindergarteners' learning and

to help inform teacher practice.

SPSCS plans to continue its KEA pilot and expand the number of participating kindergarten classes in

Year 3.
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U.S. Department of Education

PDG Annual Performance Report

Grant Status Form 

Explanation of Progress (524B Section A)

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 06/30/2017

Grantee State: HI PR/Award #: S419A150005

Section A: Performance Objectives Information and Related Performance Measures Data

(narrative)

1. Project Objective

1(a) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of Eligible Children served in

High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant. Describe the State's progress in meeting

this Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) measure based on enrollment of Eligible

Children in High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant as of December 1, 2016.

Hawai'i has strategically targeted schools located in rural and remote areas which have limited access

to preschool programs. To offer high quality prekindergarten programs in these areas was an

enormous additional benefit to these communities. According to the U.S. Census Data, as of

December 2015 there is a total of 17,451 four-year-old children in Hawai'i.

During school year 2015-2016, SPCSC began the implementation of the Preschool Development

Grant focusing on Hawai'i Island. This was strategically planned since more than 25% of children in

Hawai'i County is below the federal poverty line according to 2015 Kids Count Data.

In the first year of grant implementation, 78 children had the opportunity to enroll in a Preschool

Development Grant pre-K program.

During school year 2016-17, the second year of implementation of the Preschool Development

Grant, an added 120 slots in six charter schools were made available. As of December 2016, 115

children have the opportunity to participate in a high quality prekindergarten program.

In the two school years combined, as of December 2016, there were 193 eligible children enrolled in

the Preschool Development Grant funded pre-K program in Hawai'i. Of that 28 children have since

left the program. Combined, this represents 96% of Hawai'i's implementation enrollment capacity.

PDG provided an increase of 1% eligible children served in Hawai'i in preschool programs.

At the state level, SPCSC has used the Hawai'i Action Strategy meetings and Early Learning Advisory

Board meetings to disseminate information about the PDG classrooms opening in Year One.

Recruitment efforts have conducted at various levels:

SPCSC has provided a media campaign with the major newspaper for the state, Honolulu Star

Advertiser, as well as the Hawai'i Tribune Herald. The news media was also contacted to inform the

public of the new pre-K slots provided by the PDG and additional information was provided on the

SPCSC website.

Schools have also contacted community providers at the local level as additional recruitment efforts.

SPCSC has collaborated with the groups or agencies listed below to recruit eligible children:

• Early Learning Advisory Board

• Executive Office on Early Learning

• Hawai'i Early Childhood Action Strategy
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• UH Hawai'i P-20 Partnerships in Education

• Hawai'i P-3 Initiative

• University of Hawai'i Hilo Hawaiian Language School

• Hawai'i Department of Human Services

• Hawai'i Department of Health

• Hawai'i Department of Education

• Kamehameha Schools

• Hawai'i Children's Alliance Network (HICAN)

• Head Start Association of Hawai'i

• PACT Head Start

• Hilopa'a Family to Family Health Information Center

• 'Aha Punana Leo Preschool

• University of Hawai'i College of Education Early Childhood Education

• Honolulu Community College Early Childhood Department

• Kapiolani Community College Early Childhood Program

• University of Hawai'i Center on the Family

• Department of Health Public Health Nurses on Hawai'i Island

• Keiki o ka Aina

• Kindergarten Children's Aid Association (KCAA)

• People Attentive to Children (PATCH)

• Partnersin Development

Please describe, as required in Program Requirement (k)(2) in the Notice Inviting Applicants (NIA),

how the State established policies and procedures that ensure that the percentage of Eligible Children

with disabilities served by the High-Quality Preschool Programs is not less than either the percentage

of four-year-old children served statewide through part B, section 619 of IDEA (20 U.S.C. 1400 et

seq.), or the current national average, whichever is greater.

Note: The current national percentage of four year-old-children receiving services through part B, section 619 of

IDEA is 6.4%. Source: 2012 IDEA Part B Child Count (www.ideadata.org). States should include detailed

information on ALL structural elements.

Since being awarded with the Preschool Development Grant, the State Public Charter School

Commission has been working closely with the Hawai'i Department of Education ("HIDOE")

educational specialist who oversees all IDEA services in all charter schools, particularly encouraging

inclusion opportunities for preschool-aged children in the PDG pre-K classrooms.

As of December 2016, in combined school years, there were 193 children enrolled. Nine of these

students have Individualized Education Plans (IEP) and receive(d) services in inclusive settings.

Additional children currently enrolled in the program are in the process of evaluation for special needs

and/or other comprehensive services. SPCSC will continue to recruit and enroll other eligible 

students were in the process of being evaluated for special needs services. SPCSC has ongoing

communication with the Hawai'i Department of Education 619 educational specialist and coordinators

to ensure that enrollment in the PDG pre-K classrooms are considered as Free and Appropriate Public
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Education (FAPE) classroom placement sites for children with disabilities.

The schools are continuously evaluating their children's needs and since then has enrolled more

students and provided an inclusive setting for additional students with IEPs. Charter schools will

continue to evaluate their students and provide instructional intervention strategies based upon

formative assessment data and will seek a comprehensive evaluation for any student that may need

additional services.

When families are hesitant to seek a comprehensive evaluation for fear of the labeling effect, schools

may consider using the medical home to perhaps address the child's needs. SPCSC will work with

the school, DOE Educational Specialist overseeing preschool special education services to

collaboratively address issues that arise.
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Describe the State's progress in increasing the number and percentage of Eligible Children served in

High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant.

Over the past few years, Hawai'i has made significant milestones in creating an early childhood

system. The Preschool Development Grant allows Hawai'i to continue on this momentum to continue

to serve as models in targeted communities for expanding preschool to all four-year-olds from lowand moderately low-income families. The continued funding of the Preschool Development Grant will

allow more families to participate in the early childhood system by expanding access to high-quality

preschool programs. The public charter schools identified in the grant application were ready to serve

the most at-risk children and those who are in need of preschool opportunities.

Act 178 (2012) established the Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL), which is charged with

creating a comprehensive early childhood development and learning system for Hawai'i's children,

prenatal to age five. Only 56% of Hawai'i's four-year-olds attend a program that will prepare them

for kindergarten. Families with lower income levels, who have the greatest need, are less likely to

participate. Particularly in the last few years, Hawai'i has made great strides in early childhood

education. During the 2014 state legislative session, $3,000,000 in general funds were allocated to

create Hawai'i's first state-funded prekindergarten program. However, public charter schools were

not included in this first round of state funding. The Preschool Development Grant has allowed

charter schools to increase the number and percentage of eligible preschool children served,

particularly in rural areas with limited access to high quality early learning programs.

In subsequent years, Hawai'i's legislature has continued to support a comprehensive early childhood

development and learning system for Hawai'i's children. In 2015 and 2016 legislative sessions,

$114,108 and $276,400, respectively, was appropriated to support the Hawai'i Executive Office on

Early Learning. In the same years, Hawai'i's legislature also appropriated $2,764,000 and $2,805,000

respectively, to sustain pre-K programs in DOE public schools. A significant win for Hawai'i's children

was the eleven million dollar funding of the Preschool Open Doors program that subsidizes the

tuition of four-year-old children in licensed child care programs. Unfortunately, in the rural remote

areas of our neighboring islands, this excludes many of Hawai'i's children due to the lack of licensed

child care providers.

In school year 2016-2017, the Preschool Development Grant has supported the creation of six new

preschool classrooms on charter school campuses on the island of Hawai'i: Na Wai Ola Public Charter

School in Mountain View, Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School in Laupahoehoe, Ka

`Umeke Kā`eo Public Charter School in Keaukaha and Ke Kula `o Nāwahīokalani`ōpu`u Iki Laboratory

Public Charter School in Kea`au. In the second year of the grant, Hawai'i was able to expand this

program by two schools on two additional islands. The new schools are Kualapu`u School on Molokaʻi

and Kamaile Academy in Waianae, Oʻahu.

In grant year 2016, the Preschool Development Grant has provided 200 additional slots for four-yearold children to enter a high quality classroom and receive high quality services as defined by this grant. 

As of December 1, 2016, 193 eligible students were enrolled. Though a meager 2% of the total

Hawai'i's four-year olds, this year approximately 70% are brand new enrollees to Hawai'i's early

childhood system meaning that these children had no prior preschool experience prior to the

Preschool Development Grant. Children living in high risk communities with families living in severe

poverty, some homeless without access to basic needs including running water, electricity and

plumbing, without the support of this grant opportunity, would enter kindergarten without any prior

preschool experience and the opportunity to make lifelong changes. This focus has inspired

administrators and our teachers who have shared many success stories.

“A large majority of kindergarteners enter school without the basic mathematical, literacy,

language, cognitive and social-emotional skills needed to be successful in kindergarten. These
ED 524B Page 12 of 44

skills are the focus of any high quality Pre-K... We need to prepare our children so they will be

ready to face the kindergarten challenges that lie ahead. Likewise, if we want to see our

nation's youth fully prepared to take on the challenges of tomorrow; we must invest in the

early learners of today. Please help us help our children succeed, for the sake of our

communities, our nation, and our world.” -Early Education Teacher since 1994, Kamaile

Academy Public Charter School

“The preschool development grant, and Pre-K programs that are offered to our communities

through it, have provided for our families a means to connect, learn and grow in numerous

domains. We are able to contribute to building our community as well assist in “caring” for our

keiki as a whole village. The grant ensures we are able to continue this community service as

well provide all best possible options for the growth and education of our children.” -Pre-K

Teacher at Nā WaiOla Pubic Charter School

1(b) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of children served overall in the

State Preschool Program. Please describe any increases or decreases in this GPRA measure

based on fall enrollment in the State Preschool Program for the 2016-17 school year.

Based upon the the enrollment in school year 2016-2017 there was an increase in the number and

percentage of children served overall in Hawai'i's Preschool Development Girrant program.

According to the U.S. Census Data, as of December 2015 there is a total of 17,451 four-year-old

children in Hawai'i.

During school year 2015-2016, SPCSC began the implementation of the Preschool Development

Grant focusing on Hawai'i Island. This was strategically planned since more than 25% of children in

Hawai'i County is below the federal poverty line according to 2015 Kids Count Data.

In the first year of grant implementation in school year 2015-2016, 78 children had the opportunity to

enroll in a Preschool Development Grant pre-K program.

During school year 2016-17, the second year of implementation of the Preschool Development

Grant, an added 120 slots in six charter schools were made available. As of December 2016, 115

children are participating in this high quality prekindergarten program.

In the two school years combined, as of December 2016, there were 193 eligible children enrolled in

the Preschool Development Grant funded pre-K program in Hawai'i. Combined, this represents 96%

of Hawai'i's implementation enrollment capacity. PDG provided an increase of 1% eligible children

served in Hawai'i in preschool programs.

At the state level, SPCSC has used the Hawai'i Action Strategy meetings and Early Learning Advisory

Board meetings to disseminate information about the PDG classrooms opening in Years One and

Two.

Recruitment efforts have been conducted at various levels:

SPCSC has provided a media campaign with the major newspaper for the state, Honolulu Star
ED 524B Page 13 of 44

Advertiser, the Hawai'i Tribune Herald and the Molokai Dispatch. The news media was also contacted

to inform the public of the new pre-K slots provided by the PDG and additional information was

provided on the SPCSC website.

Schools have also contacted community providers at the local level as additional recruitment efforts.

SPCSC has collaborated with the groups or agencies listed below to recruit eligible children:

• Early Learning Advisory Board

• Executive Office on Early Learning

• Hawai'i Early Childhood Action Strategy

• UH Hawai'i P-20 Partnerships in Education

• Hawai'i P-3 Initiative

• University of Hawai'i Hilo Hawaiian Language School

• Hawai'i Department of Human Services

• Hawai'i Department of Health

• Hawai'i Department of Education

• Kamehameha Schools

• Hawai'i Children's Alliance Network (HICAN)

• Head Start Association of Hawai'i

• PACT Head Start

• Hilopa'a Family to Family Health Information Center

• 'Aha Punana Leo Preschool

• University of Hawai'i College of Education Early Childhood Education

• Honolulu Community College Early Childhood Department

• Kapiolani Community College Early Childhood Program

• University of Hawai'i Center on the Family

• Department of Health Public Health Nurses on Hawai'i Island

• Keiki o ka Aina

• Kindergarten Children's Aid Association (KCAA)

• People Attentive to Children (PATCH)

• Partnersin Development
ED 524B Page 14 of 44

1(c) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of children in the High-Need

Communities served by the grant that are ready for kindergarten as determined by the State's

Kindergarten Entry Assessment or, if the State does not yet have a Kindergarten Entry Assessment,

other valid and reliable means of determining school readiness.

In the Year 2 APR, grantees will provide disaggregated data on the school readiness of the children served

by the grant. This may include information collected about the children served by the grant at the end of their

2015-16 preschool year or in their 2016-17 kindergarten year. States may provide data from a sample of

children (e.g., a sample being used for any evaluation).

In the Year 2 APR, grantees must describe their progress towards identifying the measures, methods,

and data on the school readiness of children served by the Preschool Development Grant. In the

narrative below provide the following information:

• The name of the assessment tool(s) and the Essential Domains of School Readiness

measured;

• When the assessment tool(s) is/are given (e.g., in preschool and/or kindergarten);

• Whether the assessment is mandated by the State, and for which children;

• How long the State has been using the assessment tool(s);

• Whether the assessment tool(s) is/are implemented throughout the High-Need Community

and/or Statewide;

• Whether the State provides or will provide training for local staff administering the assessment.

If so, describe the requirements including processes to ensure continued reliability in the

administration of the measure;

• If school readiness data is reported to the State, describe when and how data are reported.

Also, please describe, if applicable:

• The State's definition of "school readiness;"

• Disaggregated information about children's school readiness on individual domains or

subsets of the measure;

• School readiness data for children disaggregated by subgroup (e.g., students who are

American Indian or Alaskan Native; Asian, not Pacific Islander; Native Hawaiian/other

Pacific Islander; Black or African American; Hispanic/Latino; White, not Hispanic; two or

more races; with disabilities; English learners; and from any other subgroups the state

determines appropriate; and

• How the State will continue to make progress in meeting this GPRA measure.

SPCSC's primary goal is that children who enter kindergarten will be prepared, have successful

learning experiences resulting from positive interactions and developmentally appropriate school

practices, while being supported by their family and community.

Assessment Tool/Mandated Level by State:

SPCSC saw the need for a comprehensive valid and reliable tool which is aligned with the HELDS and

selected TS Gold. Since 2009, Hawai'i has been piloting Teaching Strategies GOLD (TS GOLD) in 11

early childhood programs and 49 elementary schools statewide.

TS Gold has been aligned with the state Hawai'i Early Learning Developmental Standards (HELDS) and

incorporates six domains of development and learning - social emotional, physical, language,

cognitive, literacy and mathematics. TS Gold is being used in targeted high-need communities for

preschool and kindergarten programs and continues to be used as a formative tool in the charter

school preschool classrooms, some kindergarten and all special education preschool classrooms. TS
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Gold however is not mandated by Hawai'i's DOE.

Extensive training and technical assistance has been provided to the PDG schools by way of

workshops, one-to-one training and technical assistance. Additional support has been provided to the

teaching teams and administrators through the mentor coaching program. Ongoing training will be

provided to continue to build on the formative assessment skills. All teachers using TS Gold have

participated in training and have achieved interrater reliability certification using TS Gold reliability

administration measures. Efforts to ensure in interrater reliability measures will continue to ensure in

the accuracy and reliability of assessing children.

Assessment Tool Implementation:

The formative assessment tool, Teaching Strategies Gold (TS Gold), is another way that SPCSC uses

data to improve outcomes for children. As described in the TS Gold touring guide, this observational

system for children from birth through kindergarten “helps teachers to observe children in the

context of everyday experiences, which is an effective way to learn what they know and can do.” The

tool consists of 38 objectives that fall within six areas of learning and development:

1. Social-Emotional

2. Physical

3. Language

4. Cognitive

5. Literacy

6. Mathematics

The three TS Gold schools administered the assessment twice during the 2015-2016 school year: once

during Winter 2016 and again in Spring 2016. Having data from these two points in time enabled PDG

staff to track students' progress over the course of the second semester and assess the impact of the

PDG coaching, professional development, and other grant supports on students' learning. Although 

55 PDG students total were assessed at the TS Gold schools during Winter/Spring, only 50 of those

students participated in both the Winter and Spring administrations. From Winter to Spring, of the TS

Gold items on which these 50 students were assessed, between 55% and 100% of PDG students either

held steady at their previous rating level (i.e., below, meeting or exceeding) or demonstrated progress

by moving up one to two levels, and the median was 74%.

Disaggregated Data Information:

When the program-wide data were disaggregated by school, the assessment results for two of the TS

Gold schools proved very similar: at one, 94% to 100% of students held steady or demonstrated

progress on all assessed items, while at the other 93% to 100% performed at the same level or higher

on all but one assessed item (for the remaining item, the rate was 79%), and for both schools the

median was 100%. The results for the third school, however, varied greatly -- anywhere from 0% to

95% of students stayed at the same level or showed growth on the assessed items, and the median

was 47%.

The results for the third school and the low rates of progress are likely a result of turmoil going on at

the school with administration and the pre-K teacher during that time which unfortunately impacted

Spring 2016 assessment. It is encouraging, however, that those of the Spring 2016 PDG students who

remained enrolled at the school during the following year demonstrated a higher rate of readiness for

kindergarten. Of the school's 19 PDG students, 10 stayed on for kindergarten in school year

2016-2017. That fall, the kindergarten faculty administered TS Gold to all of their students, which

allowed PDG staff to compare the results of PDG graduates for the 31 items assessed with those of

their 19 non-PDG kindergarten classmates.
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The percentage of the school's PDG graduates meeting or exceeding expectationsin kindergarten

ranged from 30% to 100%, but the rate was 90% or more for 26 of the 31 items, which is reflected in

the median of 90%. The range for non-PDG kindergarteners was similarly broad, with 22% to 94% of

students meeting or exceeding the expectationsfor the assessed items; however, 90% or more of the

non-PDG group only met or exceeded expectations for three of the 31 assessed items and the median

was 67%. These Fall 2016 TS Gold data indicate that, in spite of the fact that there was a downward

trend for the PDG students at this school from Winter 2016 to Spring 2016, the school's PDG

graduates appear ready for kindergarten in many areas, and had a higher rate of readiness than their

non-PDG peers.

PDG staff review the assessment results both to model the process for school administrators and

preschool teachers and to identify areas of strength and targeted areas for support. After the Fall

2016 data results were available, the PDG staff met with each school's PDG administrative team

(school administrator and preschool teacher) to review the data. The teaching teams were able to use

these data to address classroom needs as well as individual child needs. The pre-K coach also uses

these data to support the teaching teams with the development of curriculum to address the targeted

areas.

The data was also used as a systems approach to problem remediation. Teachers were asked to

identify coaching needs to implement the targeted areas. These instructional needs may include

modeling, professional development, sample lesson plan or lesson plan development, access to other

resources and workshops.

Teachers were asked to identify family engagement strategies to support student success.

Teachers were also asked to identify ways in which their school system may support them, and their

students and families in addressing their plans of action. This may include involving their student

services coordinator, counselor, principal, and/or parent community network coordinator.

Further system analysis included identifying the community system that is supporting/may support

students and families in addressing the plans of action. These community providers may include, and

is not limited to public health nurses, health clinics, home visiting programs, homeless shelters, and

parenting support programs.

Recognizing that Hawai'i has two official languages - Native Hawaiian and English, SPCSC continues to

be mindful as to how children are assessed. All charter school incorporate varying degrees of Native

Hawaiian culture and language into their curriculum. While SPCSC respects Native Hawaiian values

and perspectives, it also recognize that grant requirements needs to be met.

Three of the four PDG pre-K programs are implementing TS Gold as the formative assessment tool. 

The fourth school, Ke Kula `o Nāwahīokalani`ōpu`u Iki, Laboratory Public Charter School ("Nāwahī") is

a Native Hawaiian medium school providing an in-depth holistic cultural and language program.

Nāwahī currently uses the tool used in the `Aha Punana Leo preschool programs, Curriculum-based

Measurement ("CBM"). This tool is a researched-based, valid and reliable and has been used for

many years at Aha Punana Leo early childhood program. Aha Punana Leo was developed by a group

of devoted individuals making a lifelong commitment to perpetuating Native Hawaiian medium

instruction.

Nāwahī is strongly linked with `Aha Punana Leo providing a P-20 learning model. Punana Leo was the

first early childhood program to receive the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education consortium

(WINHEC) accreditation. Hawai'i's Punana Leo is setting the bar for early childhood education in

endangered indigenous languages around the world.

This process of understanding did not come easy. It took months of discussions, extensive review of

literature and research, understanding and relationship-building. SPCSC held the position throughout

the process indicating the desire to learn, yet maintain grant requirements, and held many meetings

with Nāwahī to reach a point of understanding, sharing and consensus. SPCSC looks forward to

building this understanding with the potential to impact other areas of education.
ED 524B Page 17 of 44

Hawai'i's Definition of School Readiness:

The state legislature has adopted the following definition of school readiness: “Young children are

ready to have successful learning experiences in school when there is a positive interaction among the

child's developmental characteristics, school practices, and family and community support” (Act 13,

Session Laws of Hawai`i 2002).

StatewideData Reporting:

All of Hawai'i's charter schools participate in the Data eXchange Partnership (DXP) statewide

longitudinal data system. Hawai'i is in the process of establishing a statewide formal early childhood

data governance structure and membership. One of the tasks of this Early Learning Coordinating

Council is to conduct data mapping across the data sharing partners and determine what and when

data will be shared. This group is in the process of establishing data governance policies and

procedures to achieve key goals towards data sharing, collection, analysis and reporting in order to

better understand student achievement and success in kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12).

Continued Progress Towards School Readiness

As teacher instructional skills are built upon, it is anticipated that student progress will result. With

high quality coaching and mentoring and targeted professional development opportunities including

data analysis, teacher workshops, reflective practices and as administrative support is strengthened to

support high quality early childhood instruction, the level of school readiness of the children served by

the PDG grant will also improve.
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For Preschool Development Grants - Development Grants States ONLY:

1(d) GPRA Performance Measure: The number of States that collect and analyze data on State

Preschool Program quality, including the structural elements of quality specified in the

definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs.

Recognizing that Hawai'i has two official languages, Native Hawaiian and English, SPCSC continues to

be mindful as to how children are assessed. All charter schools incorporate varying degrees of Native

Hawaiian culture and language into their curriculum. SPCSC respects Native Hawaiian values and

perspectives and also recognize that grant requirements need to be met.

Five of the six PDG pre-K programs are implementing TS Gold as the formative assessment tool. The

sixth school, Ke Kula `o Nāwahīokalani`ōpu`u Iki, Laboratory Public Charter School ("Nāwahī") is a

Native Hawaiian medium school whose curriculum instruction is through a holistic cultural and is

language approach. Nāwahī assessment tool used in the preschool program is the Curriculum-based

Measurement ("CBM") tool. This tool is a researched-based, valid and reliable and has been

developed by researchers at the University of Hawai`i Hilo and used for many years in the `Aha

Punana Leo early childhood programs.

Nāwahī is strongly linked with `Aha Punana Leo providing a P-20 learning model. Punana Leo was the

first early childhood program to receive the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education consortium

(WINHEC) accreditation. Hawai'i's Punana Leo is setting the bar for early childhood education in

endangered indigenous languages around the world.

This process of understanding did not come easy. It took months of discussions, extensive review of

literature and research, understanding and relationship-building. SPCSC held the position throughout

the process indicating the desire to learn, yet maintain grant requirements, and held many meetings

with Nāwahī to reach a point of understanding, sharing and consensus. SPCSC looks forward to

building this understanding with the potential to impact other areas of education.

Hawai'i's Definition of School Readiness:

The state legislature has adopted the following definition of school readiness: “Young children are

ready to have successful learning experiences in school when there is a positive interaction among the

child's developmental characteristics, school practices, and family and community support” (Act 13,

Session Laws of Hawai`i 2002).

StatewideData Reporting:

All of Hawai'i's charter schools participate in the Data eXchange Partnership (DXP) statewide

longitudinal data system. Hawai'i is in the process of establishing a statewide formal early childhood

data governance structure and membership. One of the tasks of this Early Learning Coordinating

Council is to conduct data mapping across the data sharing partners and determine what and when

data will be shared. This group is in the process of establishing data governance policies and

procedures to achieve key goals towards data sharing, collection, analysis and reporting in order to

better understand student achievement and success in kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12).

While the statewide system is in process, SPCSC is working with the schools to analyze student

assessment data to inform instruction and develop strategic action plans for students needing

additional intervention. This analysis involves school administrators and PDG teachers who identify

areas of strength and targeted areas needing additional support. Based upon data analysis, teachers

develop instructional intervention methods to address target areas and to build on student strengths.

This data analysis processes allows teachers to identify coaching, mentoring and professional

development needs.
ED 524B Page 19 of 44

This analysis also includes system-building strategies to address students' and families' needs.

Teachers identify those involved in the school system that are part of the strategic next steps. These

may include the school services coordinator, counselor, 619 coordinator, and/or behavioral health

specialist, to provide input and consideration of a comprehensive student evaluation or to consider

other options. This process may also include connecting with other community organizations who

may have the expertise to address specific student or family needs e.g. medical/dental homes,

agencies that address homelessness, the Department of Human Services to access medical, social

services, nutrition and financial support services. This comprehensive approach also incorporates

strategically planning family engagement activities based upon student data.

Using Data to Improve Outcomes. The use of teacher and environmental assessment data proved

invaluable in improving the quality of the pre-K classrooms at the participating schools and the

efficacy of the participating teachers. Both the professional development and coaching provided by

PDG staff relied on data from three key assessment sources: the Early Childhood Environment Rating

Scale-Revised (ECERS-R), the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and student assessment

data.

ECERS-R is one of four early childhood environmental rating scales developed by the University of

North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As described on its website (http://ers.fpg.unc.edu/), the scales are

designed to assess “the various interactions that go on in a classroom between staff and children,

staff, parents, and other adults, among the children themselves, and the interactions children have

with the many materials and activities in the environment, as well as those features, such as space,

schedule and materials that support these interactions.” These tools “define environment in a broad

sense and guide the observer to assess the arrangement of space both indoors and outdoors, the

materials and activities offered to the children, the supervision and interactions (including language)

that occur in the classroom, and the schedule of the day, including routines and activities.”

ECERS-R consists of 43 items, which fall within seven categories, or “subscales”:

1. Space and Furnishings

2. Personal Care Routines

3. Language-Reasoning

4. Activities

5. Interactions

6. ProgramStructure

7. Parents and Staff

Each item is scored on a seven-point scale, with the following ratings: Excellent (7), Good (5), Minimal

(3), and Inadequate (1). As described in the ECERS-R guide, “[a] higher average score will reflect the

high quality of the program, which provides lots of stimulating activities and warm staff interactions

with children and parents. Classrooms can get a high average score even if there are some limitations

in the facility that cannot be changed, if the program is providing high quality experiences in other

areas” (Cryer, Harms & Riley, 2003).

PDG staff administered the ECERS-R in five of the PDG classrooms during Fall 2016. On average, the

classrooms earned five points or more (ratings of “Good” to “Excellent”) on 44% of the items

assessed, with individual classrooms earning five points or more on anywhere from 27% to 68% of the

assessed items.

The use of the ECERS-R tool was a good starting point for teachers to work on enhancing the quality of

their learning environments. Using the results of the ECERS-R, the teachers reflected on their

classroom environment and began the process of setting goals to work toward environmental

improvements. The pre-K coach provided support during this process by providing resources and
ED 524B Page 20 of 44

ideas about how to develop a classroom with well-defined centers. PDG staff also provided teachers

with opportunities to visit other high-quality preschool classrooms in their school community. This

resulted in a shift in attitude and practice, creating a classroom environment that is developmentally

appropriate. There was more child-initiated activities and the classroom setting that incorporates

centerinterest areas.

CLASS was developed by researchers at the University of Virginia and, according to its website (http://

teachstone.com/classroom-assessment-scoring-system-class/), has been used to improve teaching

quality in over 7,400 programs in all 50 U.S. states and in 30 different countries. As described in the

CLASS Pre-K manual, CLASS differs from ECERS-R in that it is “based solely on interactions between

teachers and students in classrooms; this system does not evaluate the presence of materials, the

physical environment or safety, or the adoption of a specific curriculum.” Instead, the tool “focuses

on interactions between teachers and students and what teachers do with the materials that they

have” (Pianta, La Paro & Hamre, 2008).

CLASS consists of 42 items that are grouped into 10 dimensions, each of which falls within one of

three domains:

Emotional Support

1. Positive Climate

2. Negative Climate

3. Teacher Sensitivity

4. Regard for Student Perspectives

Classroom Organization

5. Behavior Management

6. Productivity

7. Instructional Learning Formats

Instructional Support

8. Concept Development

9. Quality of Feedback

10. Language Modeling

Like ECERS-R, each CLASS item is scored on a seven-point scale, but with slightly different ratings: High

(6-7); Middle (3-5); and Low (1-2). Ratings are based primarily on the frequency and consistency of

interactions and evidence, with high scores representing pervasive and ongoing activities, low scores

representing rare or brief actions, and middle scores representing a mix of the two.

PDG staff administered CLASS in five of the PDG classrooms in Fall 2016. Four of the five classrooms

were assessed on all 10 dimensions; the one remaining classroom, however, was not assessed on the

three dimensions under the domain of “Instructional Support” -- instruction in this classroom is

delivered in Native Hawaiian and PDG staff, who do not speak Native Hawaiian, did not have the

necessary language skills to be able to assess these dimensions. PDG staff will seek a CLASS assessor

who is fluent in the Native Hawaiian language for future CLASS assessments.

Using the available data for the five classrooms, PDG staff calculated program-wide averages for each

dimension. To provide a frame of reference, these data have also been compared with the most

recent CLASS results for the national Head Start program, which are from the 2014-15 program year

(https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/data/class-reports/class-data-2015.html); these data have been

translated into performance ratings according to the key above and are presented below. The

national Head Start data were identified as a good point of comparison for the PDG data because the

Head Start program has extensive experience administering the tool and has done so in hundreds of

preschool classrooms nationwide since 2011.
ED 524B Page 21 of 44

Emotional Support PDG, Fall 2016 Head Start, 2014-15

1. Positive Climate High High

2. Negative Climate Low Low

3. Teacher Sensitivity High High

4. Regard for Student Perspectives High Middle High Middle

Classroom Organization

5. Behavior Management High High

6. Productivity High High

7. Instructional Learning Formats High Middle High Middle

Instructional Support

8. Concept Development Low Low

9. Quality of Feedback Low Middle Low Middle

10. Language Modeling Middle Low Middle

As illustrated by these data, the results for the PDG program in Fall 2016 are very consistent with

those of the national Head Start program for 2014-15; the results only differ for the dimension of

“Language Modeling” -- in this case, the results for the PDG program were slightly higher than those

of the national Head Start program (“Middle” vs. “Low Middle”).

The CLASS data also helped teachers to reflect on and improve their teacher-child interactions. The

pre-K coach, together with the teaching teams (pre-K teacher and educational assistant) were able to

analyze the CLASS data and address areas in need of support. This was used in the coaching cycle to

capture powerful interactions and to address areas of improvement. PDG staff also used these data to

inform topics for subsequent professional development.

The formative assessment tool, Teaching Strategies Gold (TS Gold), is another way that SPCSC uses

data to improve outcomes for children. As described in the TS Gold Touring Guide, this observational

system for children from birth through kindergarten “helps teachers to observe children in the

context of everyday experiences, which is an effective way to learn what they know and can do.” The

tool consists of 38 objectives that fall within 10 areas of learning and development:

1. Social-Emotional

2. Physical

3. Language

4. Cognitive

5. Literacy

6. Mathematics

7. Science and Technology

8. Social Studies

9. The Arts

10. English Language Acquisition

PDG staff review the student assessment data results to model the process for school administrators

and preschool teachers and to identify areas of strength and targeted areas for support. After the Fall

2016 data results were available, the PDG staff met with each school's PDG administrative team

(school administrator and preschool teacher) to review the data. The teaching teams were able to use

these data to address classroom needs as well as individual child needs. The pre-K coach also uses this

data to support the teaching teams with the development of curriculum to address the targeted areas

to inform instruction. The coach assists teaching teams to use the formative assessment data to

develop lesson plans that address the needs of their students by identifying differentiated learning

strategies.

This data is also analyzed to determine if trends exist systemically, across multiple charter pre-K

classrooms. If there are common trends, professional development teacher workshops are planned
ED 524B Page 22 of 44

to address these common challenges. The PDG staff has used this analytical and reflective approach

to plan professional development trainings that are reflective of assessment data.

Continued Progress Towards School Readiness

As teacher instructional skills are built upon, it is anticipated that student progress will result. With

high quality coaching and mentoring and targeted professional development opportunities including

data analysis, teacher workshops, reflective practices and as administrative support is strengthened to

support high quality early childhood instruction, the level of school readiness of the children served by

the PDG grant will also improve.
ED 524B Page 23 of 44

Section A: Part B - Selection Criteria

In this section of the APR, States will report on their progress addressing the Preschool Development Grant's

selection criteria. The State should read the questions carefully and report in the narrative fields directly below the

questions. Please include any data, data notes or formulas to help the readers understand the State's narrative

responses.

1. Ensuring Quality in Preschool Programs (Selection Criteria “C” of the application)

Describe the State's use of funds received over the grant period for State Preschool Program

infrastructure and quality improvements, including the State's efforts to implement a system of

monitoring and support at the State level toward activities such as those described in Section (C)(1)(ak) of the NIA.

Note: States will report amounts and percentage of funds for State Preschool Program infrastructure

and High-Quality Preschool Programs in the Competitive Preference Priority 3 Chart.

The funds requested through the Preschool Development Grant have been used to create an

administrative infrastructure to support the public charter schools in implementing high-quality

preschool programs. In order to ensure that all of the classrooms are implementing these, a quality

monitoring system is in place to ensure all grant requirements and standards are met.

As the lead grantee and Lead Educational Agency (“LEA”) for the Preschool Development Grant the

SPCSC, holds primary responsibility for the oversight of implementation of PDG activities provided

through contracts to the subgrantees including charter schools and Hawai'i P-20. SPCSC also serves as

the authorizer responsible for executing the essential powers and duties not limited to the

monitoring, accordance with charter contract terms, the performance and legal compliance of public

charter schools (HRS§302-5). Due to the large percentage of funding being subcontracted by SPCSC to

the charter schools, SPCSC continues to pay careful attention to the monitoring in both fiscal and

programmatic review. SPCSC, as the grantee, performs the following major responsibilitiesfor the

federal awardsit makes:

• Financial Reporting: SPCSC ensures that financial reporting for charter schools and Hawai'i P-20 are

accurate, current, and provides complete disclosure of all financially assisted PDG transactions in

accordance with the financial requirements of the grant. All expenses related to the Preschool

Development Grant are approved by SPCSC to ensure that all purchases are allowable. A budget

tracking spreadsheet is also used by SPCSC and each charter school to cross-check all PDG

expenditures. This budget sheet is reconciled on a monthly basis to ensure that both parties of aware of

the current financial status of PDG funds.

• Accounting Records: SPCSC ensures that charter schools and Hawai'i P-20 maintain accounting

records which adequately identifies the source and application of funds for financially-assisted activities.

This budget tracking spreadsheet contains current information pertaining to grant awards and

authorizations, obligations, unobligated balances, assets, liabilities, outlays or expenditures, and income.

It is reconciled by SPCSC and each charter school on a monthly basis to ensure in its accuracy.

• Internal Control: SPCSC ensures that charter schools and Hawai'i P-20 have effective internal controls

and accountability and has been maintained for all subgrantee funds. Charter schools adequately

safeguard all such property and assures that it is used solely for authorized purposes. SPCSC has

reviewed each and every expenditure to ensure that all purchases are allowable and follow the PDG

requirements. SPCSC has conduct on site monitoring visits at each spring to ensure that all items

purchased are visible, accountable and in compliance for use in the PDG program.

• Budget Control: All costs related to PDG are be done on a pre-approved or reimbursement process.
ED 524B Page 24 of 44

SPCSC ensures that charter schools and Hawai'i P-20 maintain budget control over actual expenditures

and are compared with budgeted amounts for each grant. Financial information related to performance

or productivity data, including the development of unit cost information whenever appropriate or

specifically required in the grant. If unit cost data are required, estimates based upon available

documentation is accepted whenever possible. A Budget Tracking spreadsheet is also used by SPCSC

and each charter school. This budget sheet is reconciled on a monthly basis to ensure that both parties

of aware of the current financial status of PDG funds. No funds will be released to the subgrantees

without prior review by SPCSC.

Allowable Cost: SPCSC ensures that charter schools and Hawai'i P-20 follow the applicable OMB cost

principles, agency program regulations, and the terms of the grant agreement in determining if the

request is reasonable, allowable, and cost allocable (i.e., OMB Circular A-87, OMB Circular A-122,

OMB Circular A-21, 48 CFR Part 31). All expenses related to the Preschool Development Grant is

approved by SPCSC to ensure that all purchases are allowable.

• Source Documentation and Record Keeping: SPCSC ensures that charter schools and Hawai'i P-20

maintain accounting records which are adequately supported by such source documentation as

canceled checks, paid receipts or invoices, payrolls, time and attendance records, and contract

documents. All expenses related to the Preschool Development Grant are approved by SPCSC to

ensure that all purchases are allowable.

• The subgrantee charter schools and Hawai'i P-20 maintain record-keeping, files and other data as

required by the state and as specified in a MOA contract in such detail that properly substantiate claims

for payment under a contract, for a minimum retention period of seven years beginning on the first day

after the final payment under a contract, or such longer period as is necessary for the resolution of any

litigation, claim, negotiation, audit or other inquiry involving a contract. Each subgrantee maintains

adequate written policies and procedures for financial and operational practices, including but not limited

to conflict of interest and nepotism policies. SPCSC has access to charter school files as identified under

HRS §302D-17-18.

• Cash Management: SPCSC ensures that charter schools and Hawai'i P-20 maintain procedures for the

reporting of cash balances and cash disbursements in a timely manner.

• Non-Federal Audit: SPCSC ensures that charter schools and Hawai'i P-20 obtain an annual audit in

compliance with OMB Circular A-133 if they meet the $750,000 threshold or OMB Circular A-110 , if

applicable. Also, audit services determines whether the subgrantee spent federal assistance funds

provided in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. This may be accomplished by reviewing an

audit of the subgrantee made in accordance with OMB Circular A-133, or through other means (e.g.,

program reviews) if the subgrantee has not had such an audit. Further, the audit services ensures that

appropriate corrective action has been taken within six months after receipt of the audit report in

instance of noncompliance with Federal laws and regulations.

• Monitoring of Subgrantees: SPCSC monitors charter school activities to assure compliance with

applicable Federal requirements and that performance goals has been achieved through the fiscal

requisition process whereby SPCSC approves of expenditures prior to actual purchases to the extent

possible. Purchases made prior to SPCSC approval does not guarantee reimbursement. Hawai'i P-20

financial expenditures is monitored through the review of the reporting of reimbursement of allowable

costs and invoices. The monitoring of charter schools and Hawai'i P-20 covers each program, function,

or activity. Any subcontract entered into by the subgrantee for the purposes of fulfilling the obligations

under the PDG, has also been monitored. SPCSC provides ongoing communication through emails,

phone calls and also conducts informal on-site visits to periodically monitor and provide training and

technical assistance to assist schools in meeting grant compliance.

• Indirect Cost Rate: SPCSC has ensured that Hawai'i P-20 maintains accounting records that

adequately document their indirect cost rate computations or proposals, cost allocation plans, and any

similar accounting computations for the rate at which a particular group of costs is chargeable (such as
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computer usage, chargeback rates of composite fringe benefit rates, etc.).

• After the Grant Requirements: SPCSC has ensured that all reports on subgrantee monitoring has

been submitted to SPCSC so that SPCSC can report to the Federal awarding agency within 90 days of

the expiration or termination of the grant.

Monitoring Oversight and Staff Resources

The execution and completion of all fiscal monitoring activities is conducted and reviewed through the annual

audit and financial review as authorized by SPCSC. Each charter school annually completes an independent

financial audit that complies with the requirements of its authorizer and the department; provided that the

SPCSC, as the charter school authorizer, has the discretion to allow a financial review in lieu of an independent

financial audit. (HRS§302-32).

On-Site Monitoring Review

On-site monitoring reviews were conducted collaboratively by a SPCSC team consisting of the SPCSC

organizational performance team and pre-K grant manager. Each school was notified at least one

month prior to the on-site visit along with all monitoring tools including the School Site-Visit Protocol

Tool, SCPSC Student Privacy Notification Checklist, Attachment B (Preschool Development) Grant

Fiscal Monitoring Tool, Attachment D1 (Preschool Development Grant) Charter School Monitoring

Tool.

The pre-K grant manager works closely with SPCSC to ensure in overall compliance in areas mutually

common to operating a public charter school in Hawai'i and the Preschool Development Grant. This

method of monitoring provides a comprehensive approach to overall compliance in participating

charterschools.

Since SPCSC conducts ongoing fiscal monitoring, including the requisition reimbursement process,

there were no fiscal findings. In all, schools were in general compliance of all areas of the Preschool

Development Grant.

The on-site monitoring also provides data on an areas to build upon. This includes the areas of

comprehensive system addressing student and family needs and developing a birth to grade three

continuum. It is through the early learning leadership symposium and follow-up meetings with

schools, that SPCSC continues to build on these efforts. This includes identifying and developing

effective practices that are individualized to meet the specific population that schools serve using the

resources that are available specific to each community. This was consistent with the federal on-site

monitoring review conducted by the federal project managers in September 2016.

Improvement of State's System

An amendment was requested to better address the foundational needs of Hawai'i's early childhood

education system as it relates to the Hawai'i State Public Charter School Commission (“SPCSC”) and

the University of Hawai'i, Hawai'i P-20 Partnerships in Education (”Hawai'i P-20). Both parties have

agreed that Hawai'i P-20 should serve in a consultative role, instead of having a direct-service role to

the Preschool Development Grant.

Hawai'i P-20 will continue to work on the early childhood data governance portion of the grant for the

state to include the Hawai'i State Public Charter School prekindergarten program into the state

longitudinal data system.

The remaining areas of responsibility that were formerly the charge of Hawai'i P-20 will become the

responsibility of SPCSC. SPCSC supports the statewide development and implementation of high

quality prekindergarten classrooms in the 18 charter school classrooms by providing training and

technical assistance to build teacher and leadership capacity. The training and technical assistance
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activities include the Early Learning Leadership Symposium, follow-up meetings and trainings with

school administrators, individualized teacher coaching and professional development opportunities

related to safe, nurturing and developmentally appropriate learning environments and curriculum, a

valid and reliable formative assessment system, effective teacher-child interactions, successful family

engagement and strengthening communities of practice for children from birth to third grade.

By having the SPCSC take on the above responsibilities, this change will provide opportunities to

enhance effective communication between schools, contractors and other related parties with SPCSC

by addressing questions or concerns on a timely manner through direct communication. The ability

for the SPCSC to engage both with the administrative as well as the supportive responsibilities of the

grant will also enable the SPCSC to analyze the data to improve the support that will be needed

throughout the life of the grant. This expanded analysis approach will allow SPCSC to support the

continuum of learning by potentially aligning strategies, plans and targeted approaches with other

groups funded through other means including Title I, II and III and state funds.

To fulfill these added responsibilities, SPCSC hired additional staff with the understanding that this

must be done while staying within the budgeted amount identified in the grant application. The

additional staff includes:

• A pre-K specialist to oversee professional development and assessment component of the

grant which includes providing training and technical assistance to the pre-K coaches and preK consultants (1.O FTE);

• Pre-K coaches to provide classroom assessments, individualized coaching and mentoring and

to assist with professional development workshops for teaching staff and school

administrators (1.0 FTE in 2016 and two 1.0 FTE in 2017 and 2018);

• An administrative support/federal grant assistant to provide direct administrative support and

fiscal oversight of the PDG pre-K grant while supporting the pre-K grant manager(.5 FTE)

• A data analyst to provide direct services to analyze CLASS assessments, ECERS-3, ASQ-3

screening and child outcomes data with the grades K through grade three data (.5 FTE); and

• A communication specialist to assist with direct services related to effective communication

strategies to promote public awareness with regard to pre-K recruitment, grant impact in

relation to child outcomes, family engagement, community engagement, early learning

leadership training to support pre-K efforts, legislative tracking for pre-K sustainability and

expansion (.5 FTE).

This amendment was approved by the project managers and has yielded successful results as

projected.

2. Expanding High-Quality Preschool Programs in Each High-Need Community (Selection

Criteria D of application)

Describe the progress the State has made during the reporting year to implement and sustain

voluntary high quality preschool programs for eligible children in two or more High-Need Communities

(Selection Criteria D(4) of the application) that include ALL structural elements listed below that are

included in the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs. States should include detailed

information on ALL structural elements.
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High staff qualifications, including a teacher with a bachelor's degree in early childhood

education or a bachelor's degree in any field with a State-approved alternative pathway, ✔ which may include coursework, clinical practice, and evidence of knowledge of content and

pedagogy relating to early childhood, and teaching assistants with appropriate credentials;

✔ High-quality professional development for all staff;

✔ A child-to-instructional staff ratio of no more than 10 to 1;

✔ A class size of no more than 20 with, at a minimum, one teacher with high staff qualifications;

✔ A Full-Day program;

Inclusion of children with disabilities to ensure access to and full participation in all

✔

opportunities;

Developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction and evidence-

✔ based curricula, and learning environments that are aligned with the State Early Learning and

Development Standards, for at least the year prior to kindergarten entry;

Individualized accommodations and supports so that all children can access and participate

✔

fully in learning activities;

✔ Instructional staff salaries that are comparable to the salaries of local K-12 instructional staff;

✔ Program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement;

On-site or accessible Comprehensive Services for children and community partnerships that

✔ promote families access to services that support their children's learning and development;

and

✔ Evidence-based health and safety standards.
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Please describe the progress the State has made in establishing High-Quality Preschool Programs

that include ALL structural elements listed above that are evidence-based and nationally recognized

as important for ensuring program quality.

The charter schools were selected based on several criteria, including voluntary participation and

administrative interest, appropriateness of the facility, community need, and several other factors

outlined in the application. Each of these 18 charter schools are responsible for implementing a highquality preschool program. Each charter school has been required to do the following:

Staff Qualifications Requirements

All teachers in the six charter school pre-K program have met the baccalaureate qualification

requirement. Four schools have exceeded this criteria with teachers having masters degrees.

High Quality Professional Development for All Staff SPCSC has recognized that the most impactful method of creating high-quality teachers is through a systematic, ongoing professional development system. The SPCSC plan includes coordinated and

targeted professional development workshops for the participating school principals, teachers and

educational assistants. These topics were selected based on baseline foundational knowledge,

assessment results from CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) which measures the

quality of teacher-child interaction, ECERS-R (Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale, Revised)

which assesses the quality of the early childhood learning environment, student assessment results,

and teacher interest.

The topics selected for the pre-service training for teachers and educational assistants provided

foundational early childhood knowledge. These topics included the importance of play, movement

and brain development, executive functioning, cultural Integration and STEAM (science, technology,

engineering, arts and mathematics), Department of Human Services child care licensing requirements,

assessment CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) which measuresthe quality of teacherchild interaction, ECERS-R (Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale, Revised) and Hawaiian culture

and pedagogy.

Hawai'i has invested in high-quality professional development by funding substitutes for teachers and

educational assistants to allow them to participate in the required workshops. School administrators

are also invited to attend all teacher trainings to increase their understanding of high quality early

childhood educational practices.

Teacher to Child Ratio

SPCSC provides oversight of all children enrolled to ensure that the 10:1 ratio is not exceeded.

To ensure that each and every child is eligible as defined by PDG, SPCSC has taken on the

responsibility to determine each applicant's eligibility status based on age and income. This is done

by verifying family income status for all children to determine if they are at or below 200% below the

federal poverty level. SPCSC and charter school will maintain all eligibility information in a safe and

secure location.

The results of the eligibility process are shared via a secured “List of Applicants” spreadsheet.

Thereafter charter schools will only enroll children into the program that are found eligible.

Each school's enrollment will be monitored using the Infinite Campus system to collect, manage and

report student information, including all children enrolled in each school's PDG pre-K program.

It is through this process that SPCSC ensure that a ratio of 10:1 is not exceeded.

Class Size
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Through the process mentioned above, SPCSC has direct oversight to ensure that no more than 20

children are enrolled in each PDG pre-K classroom.

Each charter school is responsible for entering all students into the Infinite Campus student

information data base. SPCSC reviews the Infinite Campus reports on a monthly basis and also

conducts monthly site visits to ensure that no more than 20 students are enrolled in the PDG pre-K

classroom. It is through this process that SPCSC can provide oversight to maintain class size

requirements.

Full Day Program

A full-day program is defined by the HIDOE and each charter school. The PDG pre-K classrooms all

follow the kindergarten schedule which is five to six hours per day, generally 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Inclusion Opportunities for Children with Disabilities

SPCSC along with the PDG charter schools looks at all opportunities to enroll children who have been

identified with disabilities and ensure access to and full participation in all learning opportunities.

SPCSC maintains on going communication with each school and HIDOE educational specialist

overseeing all charter schools. It is through this ongoing communication that determines if there are

students with IEPs who may be potentially enrolled into the PDG classrooms.

SPCSC, along with each school, tracks the progress of the applications to ensure that the enroll

process is completed.

As of December 2016, SPCSC was able to enroll nine students with IEPs. Additional children were in

the process of evaluation for special needs services. Teaching staff are in the process of

implementing individualized instructional intervention strategies designed to progress student learning

and skill development. SPCSC has communicated with the Hawai'i Department of Education 619

Educational Specialist on an ongoing basis to ensure that enrollment in the PDG pre-K classrooms are

considered as Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for children with disabilities. Formative

assessment data will be continuously reviewed to inform the school teams if further evaluation is

warranted or needed.

Individualized Accommodations and Supports for All Children

All children are provided with individualized accommodations and supports allowing full participation in

all activities to encourage continued progression of skill development. Both SPCSC along with the

HIDOE educational specialist overseeing special education services are available in the event that a

child may require specialized equipment.

Instructional Salaries

All charter schools follow the HIDOE salary scale. All teachers belong to the Hawai'i State Teachers

Association (“HSTA”) therefore all PDG teachers have salaries which are commensurate with their

DOE counterparts. All educational assistant salaries are also commensurate with their DOE

counterparts.

Program Evaluation

Program evaluations are conducted annually using family surveys. Additionally, teaching staff and

principals have the opportunity to provide ongoing evaluation and feedback after each workshop or

symposium. An end of the year evaluation will also be implemented to evaluate the progress of PDG

implementation to inform continuous improvement for charter schools and SPCSC. SPCSC also

maintains open communication allowing all participants the opportunity to voice their opinions

throughout the year.

At the completion of the 2015-2016 school year, teachers and administrators were surveyed to reflect

on the first year of grant implementation. 100% of the respondent agreed that the professional

development that was provided were relevant, that coaching supported practice and that family

engagement activities were successful. One teacher shared, "The coaches visiting the classroom

regularly made a positive impact on me by boosting my confidence level. Their timely visits helped

keep forefront everything we discussed during our training sessions, they always patiently and

thoroughly answered questions, and gave excellent suggestions for improvement." A school
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administrator shared, "The family engagement funds enable our school to provide much needed

Hawaiian language courses to families that was geared towards helping students be more

academically successful."

SPCSC will continue to work with school administrators to build upon their understanding of high

quality early childhood programs and practices. A school administrator shared that the early learning

leadership symposia increased the understanding of high-quality early childhood programs. Another

shared that "[N]eed to be more clear on what constitutes a high quality prek program and what are the

measures? SPCSC will continue to conduct annual symposium while addressing comments or

suggestions. Each school has also formed a data team whereby assessment data will be reviewed to

better understand the components of a high quality program. These school-level data teams will

develop action plans to address next steps to address student and family needs and high quality

practices.

"This grant has had an astounding effect on our community. The parents are so grateful to have

guidance in raising their children. The way their faces brighten when I mention we are partners for

their children, is invaluable. Many are poor, and uneducated. Some are recent (legal) immigrants from

Micronesia and the Philippines, and it is good to help guide them through the American public school

system. All of them want the best for their children, and this grant is providing it for them. Last year's

(PDG) class began K (kindergarten) this year with all the skills they need to have a very successful

year.

Accessible Comprehensive Services

Each school provides comprehensive services that fulfills IEP goals. If additional service are needed

the HIDOE educational specialist is available to ensure that these services are met.

Additionally, the Early Learning Leadership Symposium provides a venue to build on and bridge

additional community resources that staff and families can access to support children's learning and

development. Schools hold quarterly Early Learning Leadership meetings to continuously build on this

resource partnership.

The charter schools, in partnership with the Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE), does provide

comprehensive early intervention services which includes comprehensive evaluation and support

services. The challenge in many of our PDG school communities is the limited access to services or

limited providers, particularly in rural areas across the state where these services are few and far

between or non-existent. Thus, although many of the PDG charter schools provide referrals for these

types of service, most schools lack financial resources to provide these direct comprehensive services.

The Early Learning Leadership Symposia held each fall provides opportunities for schools to

brainstorm with other community partners to build an alliance with other programs on how

comprehensive services can be provided.

Kamaile Academy on Oahu is an exemplar example. Kamaile has created an on-campus NavTech

center that offers comprehensive services to their children and families. These services include

student access to hearing, vision and dental screenings, food distribution, referrals to homeless

referral services and other support services. Kamaile also has an on-campus mobile health clinic in

partnership with the Waianae Comprehensive Health Center. This allows students to easily obtain

required physical exams and tuberculosis screenings for entry into any school setting.

SPCSC will continue to work with all schools to work towards centers similar to Kamaile Academy.

This will be developed by identifying and building on these partnerships to bring increased awareness

to the larger community regarding children and family needs. The PDG charter schools will be

encouraged to collaborate with their HIDOE complex area offices and community partners to

creatively strategize ways in which these comprehensive services may be provided.
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Evidence-based Health and Safety Standards

Each charter school operating a PDG pre-K program is following the Hawai'i Department of Human

Services Group Child Care licensing requirements which is evidence- and researched-based. This

ensures that all PDG sites are found safe, healthy and developmentally appropriate for the keiki they

are serving, in compliance with state and county guidelines.

Promoting Family Engagement

Charter schools developed their Family Engagement Logic Model Plans ("FELMP') at the initial early

learning symposium and are in the process of revisiting their logic models to ensure that it reflects the

needs and interests of their children, families and community. The six charter schools implementing

pre-K programs were provided $50,000 per school through the Preschool Development Grant to

annually support the family engagement activities as identified in the FELMP. Schools are in the

process of implementing these activities throughout the remainder of this school year.

At Kamaile Academy, this family engagement fund allowed the school to hold family-night workshops

included learning stations that included hands-on science, language & literacy, health & wellness in

relation to attendance, and free art and expression.

At Na Wai Ola, families were surveyed to identify their interests and talents. Based upon that data, Na

Wai Ola used their family engagement funds to allow the school to develop an aquaponics garden

where dads assisted in building the system. Families and the students were engaged in growing

various vegetables. Subsequent workshops focused on health and nutrition with cooking

demonstrations which provided healthy recipes.

At Ke Kula `o Nāwahīokalani`ōpu`u, the family engagement funds has provided Hawaiian language kits

called Niuolahiki. This allows families to learn Hawaiian alongside their keiki (child) at home

strengthening Hawaiian language learning. These funds also allowed Ke Kula `o Nāwahīokalani`ōpu`u

to enrich their ohana (family) night activities allowing families to learn about Native Hawaiian language and

cultural practices with their children through Hawaiian-medium instructional experiences.

Laupahoehoe has used their family engagement funds to focus on supporting literacy by building

home libraries and family reading time. Additional activities including supplemental literacy activities

link reading with extension activities.

Ka Umeke Ke has used their family engagement funds to support Hawaiian language learning

amongst families. This allows both the child and family to support Hawaiian-language learning

extended to the home. "The family engagement funds enable our school to provided much needed

Hawaiian language courses to families that was geared towards helping students be more

academically successful."

Kualapu`u School has focused their attention on health and wellness to improve chronic absenteeism

rates

Selection Criteria (D)(4) from NIA

Describe the number and percent of Eligible Children served and the cost per slot.

Based upon the the enrollment in school year 2016-2017 there was an increase in the number and

percentage of children served overall in Hawai'i's Preschool Development Grant program.

According to the U.S. Census Data, as of December 2015 there is a total of 17,451 four-year-old

children in Hawai'i.

During school year 2015-2016, SPCSC began the implementation of the Preschool Development

Grant focusing on Hawai'i Island. This was strategically planned since more than 25% of children in
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Hawai'i County are below the federal poverty line according to 2015 Kids Count Data.

In the first year of grant implementation in school year 2015-2016, 78 children had the opportunity to

enroll in a Preschool Development Grant pre-K program.

Of the 78 students, 7% were white, 62% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 2% Asian and 3% Hispanic/

Latino. By the close of school year 2015-2016, five of these students had IEPs. All children were from

families with incomes at 200% or below of the federal poverty level. Three of these families identified

themselves as being homeless.

During school year 2016-17, the second year of implementation of the Preschool Development

Grant, an added 120 slots in six charter schools were made available. As of December 2016, 115

children are participating in this high quality prekindergarten program.

Of the 115 children enrolled, 1% is white, 50% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander,7% Asian, 5%

Hispanic, others were of mixed ethnicities.

In the two school years combined, as of December 2016, there were 193 eligible children enrolled in

the Preschool Development Grant funded pre-K program in Hawai'i. Combined, this represents 96%

of Hawai'i's implementation enrollment capacity. PDG provided an increase of 1% eligible children

served in Hawai'i in preschool programs.

Cumulatively, based on costs for school year 2015-2016 and 2016-2017, the per pupil expenditure is

$2410.11. The per pupil cost for school year 2015-2016 is $1266.18. The per pupil costs for school

year 2016-2017, as of December 2016 is $2925.12. The school year ends in May 2016.

To account for the low per pupil costs of school year 2015-2016, schools were revising their family

engagement logic model plans to strategically implement measurable activities that addresses the

interest and needs of their students an families. Schools were also building on their relationship with

community partners to plan collaborative events.

Schools are currently in the process of expending their family engagement funds to implement

strategic family activities and making informed purchases based on classroom assessment data.
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3. Collaborating with Each Subgrantee and Ensuring Strong Partnerships (Selection Criteria E

of the application)

Describe the extent to which the State has collaborated with each Subgrantee to ensure that each

Subgrantee is effectively implementing High-Quality Preschool Programs (Selection Criteria E

(1-9) of the application) and how the State ensures strong partnerships between each Subgrantee

and LEAs or other Early Learning Providers, as appropriate.

SPCSC is the grantee and liaison between the State of Hawai'i and the U.S. Department of Education

(USDOE). SPCSC works directly with charter schools and Hawai'i P-20 to maintain PDG grant

compliance by developing a collaborative relationship through ongoing communication and feedback,

monitoring and oversight, distribution of grant funding. SPCSC also assists in gathering data to drive

and inform the implementation of the program and to fulfill reporting requirements. SPCSC has

provided webinars, teleconference calls and one-to-one training and technical assistance, as needed,

to each school to ensure that PDG grant compliance is met.

Though SPCSC implemented an aggressive campaign to begin the operation of the PDG pre-K at the

start of the 2015-2016 school year, this did present some challenges. A trusting relationship needed

to be developed. SPCSC embarked on a mission to build this relationship by making itself readily

available for discussion, questions, feedback and clarification. Though this was somewhat of a

challenge since SPCSC is located in Honolulu and all PDG implementing schools are on Hawai'i

Island, this was a priority and continues to be a priority. Communication was carried out through onsite visits, phone calls, emails, text messages, webinars, many, many face-to-face meetings and most

importantly patience and time.

At the start of the PDG grant implementation, the idea of using western developed assessment tools

was rather contentious between some of the Native Hawaiian schools. The process of understanding

did not come easy. It took months of discussions, extensive review of literature and research by

SPCSC to better understand this perspective and build a trusting relationship. SPCSC held the

position throughout the process communicating the desire to learn, yet held that position regarding the

importance of maintaining grant requirements. SPCSC held many meetings with schools to reach a

point of understanding, sharing and consensus. SPCSC looks forward to continuing to build on this

understanding and to share this understanding beyond PDG with the possibility to impact other areas

of education.

This ongoing communication allowed SPCSC to develop a collaborative and open, trusting

relationship. The position of SPCSC was to support schools in meeting grant compliance rather act as

a supervisory role, to the extent possible. On-site visits serve as opportunities for SPCSC to informally

visually check for grant compliance and ongoing record-keeping. SPCSC did assist schools to ensure

that all parties are tracking their PDG budgets accurately and aware of their unobligated funds and

allowable uses for these funds. Visits also allowed SPCSC to visually check on an ongoing basis that

items purchased through PDG funds were used to support the PDG students, that the charter schools

were providing full-day school hours as defined in the PDG grant application.

These on-site visits also allowed SPCSC to periodically physically check that that each PDG

classroom maintain a teacher child ratio of no more than ten to one, that the PDG class did not exceed

20 students. These visits allowed SPCSC the opportunity to ensure that the staff funded by PDG were

present (and whose salary is commensurate with DOE salaries) and that these teaching staff provided

high quality, developmentally appropriate instructional practices that were culturally and linguistically

appropriate in line with HELDS. It also ensured that individual student accommodations were

implemented to individualize learning strategies. Visits by SPCSC also ensured that health and safety

practices were being followed on an ongoing basis. SPCSC also met with teaching staff to touch 

basis to have open discussions. This provided opportunities for SPCSC, PDG pre-K teachers and

administrators to work towards collaborative continued improvement.

On site visits allowed SPCSC to also speak with the teaching staff and families who may have been
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present during the visits. This provide opportunities for SPCSC to gather direct feedback from various

parties regarding the implementation of the PDG program. This feedback is also contributes to

schools' opportunity to work towards continued improvement.

SPCSC continues to collaborate and develop strong partnerships with each charter school and

Hawai'i P-20 to ensure that high-quality preschool programs are being implemented. SPCSC has

made itself available through on-site visits, meetings, phone calls and emails to ensure that a trusting

relationship can be developed. This resulted in open communication and sharing of information and

resources. This has resulted in a better understanding of the various school philosophies and

cultural perspectives. SPCSC has always held the position of being open to learning and

understanding.

4. Alignment Within a Birth Through Third Grade Continuum (Section F of the application)

Describe progress the State has made for alignment within a birth through third grade continuum in

activities for birth through age five programs ((F)(1)(a-b) in the NIA) and kindergarten through third

grade ((F)(2)(a-d) in the NIA).

Early Learning Leadership Symposia. SPCSC is committed to building strong early learning leadership

communities that are knowledgeable about the current issues and trends affecting Hawai'i's youngest

citizens. This unified approach will have the potential to strengthen and align Hawai'i's birth to third

grade continuum.

To support this, the first Early Learning Leadership Symposium was held in November 2015. All 18

charter schools implementing a pre-K program funded through the PDG were invited. The goals of

the symposium were to gain and deepen the understanding of the critical periods of child

development, particularly brain development prior to age five, to understand national and state

early childhood perspectives, the prenatal to grade three (P-3) framework and strategic family

engagement.

A follow-up meeting was in April 2016 in Honolulu to provide another opportunity for the school

teams to build cross-sector connections.

Topics included A Child Case Study: Identifying Community Support and School Resources, Nā

Hopena A`o (HĀ), building on community partnerships to enhance schools' family engagement

logic model. These logic models are used to plan strategically and intentionally to plan family

engagement events using PDG funds to address student and family needs and interests.

The second annual Early Learning Leadership Symposium was held in December 2016 in Honolulu.

PDG staff planned the symposium to strategically build upon the previous two leadership events.

The five key objectives of the symposium were:

1. To build a deeper understanding of how to support keiki [children] to become successful

learners.

2. To bring the local community partners together to share successes, challenges, ideas and

solutions for achieving excellence and equity for all keiki [children].

3. To develop a collective understanding of effective practices in order to sustain access to highquality early learning programs.

4. To facilitate discussion with all stakeholders to support and to sustain early learning efforts.

5. To foster peer networking to build community leadership.

Inviteesincluded charterschool pre-K teams, stakeholders, policy makers, community programs,

school districts and other preschool providers. The charter school pre-K teams consisted of four to

five members. Suggested attendees included the principal/director, governing board member,

community preschool provider, community partnering agency, teaching staff and family members. A
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total of 109 individuals attended the symposium.

This broad range of early childhood stakeholders in the event served multiple purposes: it provided

an opportunity to build upon the collective capacity of the local early learning community to

understand effective practices for sustaining high-quality early learning programs; it also allowed the

stakeholders and future PDG-participating charter schools that were not currently implementing 

PDG preschool programs to build upon their knowledge and support base and to gain a deeper

understanding of methods to support children to become successful learners.

Invitees included members from the Early Learning Advisory Board, HIDOE, private preschools, Head

Start and Early Head Start providers, before- and after-care providers, those from home-visiting

programs, faculty from the higher education early childhood community, health providers,

legislators, congressional representatives, and many more.

A little over half of the attendees (57 out of 109 individuals) responded to the symposium evaluation

form. Feedback regarding the event was positive: 89 percent of respondents felt that the

information provided during the symposium was useful/applicable to their work, and respondent

agreement on whether the event achieved each of its five objectives ranged from 86 to 95 percent.

Seventy-nine to 100 percent of respondents agreed that the featured speakers, family engagement

panel and other symposium activities shared information that was relevant to and aligned with the

objectives.

Dr. Patricia Kuhl, the symposium's keynote speaker, is the Bezos Family Foundation Endowed Chair

for Early Childhood Learning, Co-Director of the University of Washington Institute for Learning &

Brain Sciences, Director of the National Science Foundation-funded Science of Learning Center, and

Professor of Speech and Hearing Sciences. Dr. Kuhl was intentionally selected because of her

research on the relationship between multilingualism and brain development. This topic is

particularly relevant for a large percentage of our charter schools whose mission is to perpetuate the

Native Hawaiian language and culture.

Dr. Kuhl presented her research on critical periods of brain development and learning and the impact

of multilingual education on language acquisition, reading readiness, creativity and problem solving.

This was demonstrated in children as young as infants. While Dr. Kuhl's presentation was eyeopening for many, Dr. Kuhl also commented about the great work occurring in Hawaiʻi's schools to

promote multilingualism, which she hopes to learn more about.

When participants were asked what they liked best about the symposium, Dr. Kuhl and her research

were mentioned more frequently than any other topic. Of the 40 attendees who responded to the

open-ended evaluation questions, 17 individuals (roughly 43% of respondents) identified Dr. Kuhl

and the information that she shared about brain development and the benefits of multilingual

education as the highlight of the event, and an additional nine respondents felt that the symposium

speakers in general were the best part.

Another featured speaker was Mr. Earl Kawaʻa. He is highly sought after in both the local academic

arena and the Native Hawaiian community as a teacher, community organizer and mediator due to

his ability to combine western and Native Hawaiian modalities. Mr. Kawaʻa shared the Native

Hawaiian perspective on the importance of education through storytelling, which is a traditional

Native Hawaiian educational method. He connected teaching practices with student success as he

related to the symposium's attendees. Mr. Kawaʻa was also frequently mentioned as a high point of

the symposium, with 10 of the 40 respondents to the open-ended evaluation questions identifying

him and the information that he shared about Native Hawaiian culture and values as what they liked

best about the event.

Other guest speakers included State Representative Takashi Ohno, Hawai'i State Public Charter

School Commission Chairperson Catherine Payne, and Executive Office on Early Learning Director
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Lauren Moriguchi. Each addressed the audience with a common message which acknowledged and

thanked the attendees for their high quality programs and investment in our children. This led to

discussions with stakeholders to brainstorm ways to support and sustain high-quality early learning

efforts. The speakers encouraged the early learning community and partnering programs to continue

this great collaboration.

A family engagement panel was also assembled with the intent to share the unique outreach

activities of the PDG schools. The five panelists, who represented five of the six Year Two PDG

schools. The panel discussion included a teacher, a school administrator, a parent, a new school

director (principal), and a veteran school director. Each panelist spoke about their school's efforts to

engage with families and how it has made positive changes to their school. The teacher talked about

how she met with parents and students before the start of the year and how has it contributed to

high attendance rates and helped to build trust with families. The school administrator described

how the school's Native Hawaiian language program for families enabled the school to not only

connect with parents and improve their Hawaiian language skills, but involve them in their children's

learning. The parent shared his perspective on the value of his daughter's experience in a PDG highquality preschool and the school's most effective family outreach efforts. The new school director

spoke about increasing the involvement of fathers, an often under-represented group in family

engagement activities, by surveying them about their interests and developing activities with their

input. Lastly, the veteran school director shared about the Native Hawaiian concept of family, or

`ohana, and the role and responsibilities of parents and family members in children's education,

which is one of the most important principles of the school's family engagement framework.

Consistent with the event objectives, the symposium was designed to foster peer networking and to

build a strong community of early learning leaders. PDG staff intentionally and strategically assigned

seating so that attendees would have an opportunity to meet others involved in early learning in

their communities or areas of interest, to build new relationships, and to discuss their community

and early childhood challenges and successes in depth. The symposium evaluation responses

affirmed the value of including a wide variety of participants from multiple sectors, with 95 percent

of respondents confirming that it was beneficial to bring together people from many different fields

who work with early learners, not just educators. Eighty-eight percent indicated that they made a

new connection with someone from within the early childhood education community, and 65

percent indicated that they made a new connection with a non-educator. As one participant

commented, “I liked the variety of participants and opportunity to network and finding [out] about

the needs of the communities.” Others shared that they “[e]njoyed being separated into groups with

people I did not know” and “...enjoyed interacting with others and learning about the Native

Hawaiian charters in particular.”

Most importantly, the symposium created opportunities to leverage the expertise of the attendees

and to build momentum for the early learning community to advance early childhood initiatives.

This is reflected in the words of some of the participants:

“I was very happy to be a part of the conference. I am enthusiastic to more forward as part of

a wider movement to educate our families and young babies.”

“I liked learning about the opportunities for early childhood education. The passion in the

room was inspiring.”

Through the PDG program, SPCSC also strives to develop student leaders -- by ensuring that PDG

students are well-prepared for kindergarten, PDG graduates become strong role models for their

fellow kindergarteners. When asked to reflect on their first year of participation in the grant, two

schools shared how their PDG programs led to successful transitions from preschool into

kindergarten for PDG participants and helped to develop student leaders:

“The Pre-K class and teacher visited the K classroom several times, we had the K class join the
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PreK class for a field trip, and we partnered for a school performance. PreK students were

quite familiar with the teacher, and her expectations by the end of the school year.”

“All Prek keiki [children] are familiar with kindergarten routines from visits throughout the

school year. This year Pre-K students were split between two different kindergarten classes.

The intent was for them to be leaders of their classes.”

Kindergarten Entry Assessment Pilot Project. Currently, a kindergarten entry assessment (KEA) is not

mandatory in Hawai'i; however, SPCSC recognizes the value of KEA data and how it can be used to

inform both preschool and kindergarten teachers and administrators, as well as early childhood and

K-12 education stakeholders, on children's academic progress and development and readiness for

kindergarten.

In the summer of 2016, SPCSC met with the directors of the PDG Year One schools to propose a KEA

pilot for the PDG program. All of the schools agreed on both the value of assessing the kindergarten

readiness of their incoming kindergarten students and the importance of comparing the readiness

levels of PDG graduates and other kindergarteners(both those with other preschool experience and

those with no preschool experience) to assess the efficacy of their PDG programs. Thus, the PDG

contracts of all four Year One schools were amended to add kindergarten assessments to the list of

deliverables. Two out of the four schools agreed to use Teaching Strategies GOLD as their KEA; the

other two schools, both of which are Hawaiian language immersion schools, agreed to share highlevel data from their own kindergarten assessment tools.

In preparation for the new kindergarten assessment activities, in Fall 2016, SPCSC provided

individualized professional development to the two Year One schools' kindergarten teachers at Na

Wai Ola and Laupahoehoe on Teaching Strategies GOLD, including an overview of the tool and an

evidence and data workshop. Once the Fall 2016 kindergarten assessments were completed, SPCSC

reviewed the data with the teachers and administrators to share information about kindergarteners'

learning and to help inform teacher practice.

SPSCS plans to continue its KEA pilot and expand the number of participating kindergarten classes in

Year Three.
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Section A: Part C - Competitive Preference Priorities

Competitive Preference Priority 1: Contributing Matching Funds (if included in the State's

approved application.

Describe the progress the State has made on its credible plan for obtaining and using non-Federal

matching funds to support the implementation of its ambitious and achievable plan during the grant

period. For progress not made in this area, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that

measurable progress will be made by the end of the grant period. Please describe any changes made

to the data reported in Table 7(a); explain if your Year 2 Target differs from the Year 2 Actual.

Competitive Preference Priority 2: Supporting the Continuum of Early Learning and

Development (if included in the State's approved application).

Describe progress made in creating a more seamless progression of supports and interventions from

birth through third grade, such as high-quality infant and toddler care, home visitation, full-day

kindergarten, and before and after care services for, at a minimum, a defined cohort of eligible children

and their families within each high need community served by each Subgrantee. For progress not

made in these areas, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that measurable progress will be

made by the end of the grant period.

SPCSC recognizes that each community across the state of Hawai'i has varying needs and resources.

To support the continuum of early learning and development, SPCSC planned targeted events.

Beginning with the Early Learning Symposium held in October 2015 and a subsequent symposium

held in December 2016, schools were asked to convene an early learning leadership team and to also

include members of local community organizations. The objective of these annual symposia are to

strengthen the collaboration between schools, community programs and agencies to better address

the complex needs of their children and families.

After the roll-out of the first symposium, one of the lesson learned is that schools have not necessarily

be aware of all local organizations and resources available to their children and families. To build on

this collaborative community system, in addition to schools inviting community team members, SPCSC

also invited other organizations to build on this continuum of early learning and potential

partnerships.

The second annual symposium was designed to foster peer networking and to build a strong

community of early learning leaders. PDG staff intentionally and strategically assigned seating so

that attendees would have an opportunity to meet others involved in early learning in their

The targeted matching funds for Year Two was projected to be $2,692,500. To date, $9,930,242.48

additional funds have been secured for 2016 reflecting a strong statewide investment in early

childhood development programs from public (state) and private contributions, which is above the

projected year two target. The matching fund breakdown is as follows:

• The Executive Office on Early Learning received state legislative funding of $2,927,072 for the

development and continued support of Hawai'i's state funded pre-K programs.

• The state Department of Human Services received state funding of $7,000,000 for Preschool

Open Doors, a child care subsidy program.

•Hawai'i P-20 contributed $3,170.48 of private funds to support the collaborative work with

SPCSC to strengthen the education pipeline beginning in early childhood.
ED 524B Page 39 of 44

communities or areas of interest, to build new relationships, and to discuss their community and

early childhood challenges and successes in depth. The symposium evaluation responses affirmed

the value of including a wide variety of participants from multiple sectors, with 95 percent of

respondents confirming that it was beneficial to bring together people from many different fields

who work with early learners, not just educators. Eighty-eight percent indicated that they made a

new connection with someone from within the early childhood education community, and 65

percent indicated that they made a new connection with a non-educator. As one participant

commented, “I liked the variety of participants and opportunity to network and finding [out] about

the needs of the communities.” Others shared that they “[e]njoyed being separated into groups

with people I did not know” and “...enjoyed interacting with others and learning about the Native

Hawaiian charters in particular.”

Most importantly, the symposium created opportunities to leverage the expertise of the attendees

and to build momentum for the early learning community to advance early childhood initiatives.

This is reflected in the words of some of the participants:

“I was very happy to be a part of the conference. I am enthusiastic to more forward as part of

a wider movement to educate our families and young babies.”

“I liked learning about the opportunities for early childhood education. The passion in the

room was inspiring.”

When children's and family's needs are met, they are better able to learn and succeed in school. The

schools have displayed varying degrees of collaboration with their community providers and SPCSC is

committed to provide opportunities to build on these efforts to bridge relationships across programs.

Future symposia and shared trainings will be developed to continue to build on this collaboration to

bridging the understanding of community programs and services. The goal is to develop a seamless

plan for each school community for our youngest learners.

Competitive Preference Priority 3: Creating New High Quality State Preschool Slots (if included

in the State's approved application).

Describe progress made in using at least 50% of the State's federal grant award to create new State

Preschool Program slots that will increase the overall number of new slots in State Preschool

Programs that meet the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs. For progress not made in this

area, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that measurable progress will be made by the

end of the grant period.

69% of the funds obtained from the Preschool Development Grant are to used to create new preschool

classrooms on charter school campuses. Prior to the grant, there were no state-funded preschools operating in

Hawai'i charter schools. Due to the limited availability of preschool slots in the communities identified, the

potential number of children served per school is the maximum 20 per class. In school year 2015-2016, grant

year one, four charter schools implemented pre-K programs for a potential total of 80 new high-quality state

preschool slots, which is .1% of four-year-olds statewide.

SPCSC has continued to build on the number of slots. In school year 2016-2017, grant year two, two additional

schools were added for a total of six charter schools. This added a total of 120 new high-quality state preschool

slots. This represents 1.1% of four-year-olds served by the state preschool program.

By grant year three, school year 2017-2018, the PDG grant will be fully implemented. This will represent a total

number of 360 slots which has the potential to serve 2% of four-year-olds statewide.

Though this may seem quite meager, when one looks at the children's faces that this program services and the

families that have been impacted by this grant, each new slot is an opportunity to make a difference in the life of

a child who otherwise may not have had this opportunity.
pur communities are grateful for this opportunity. Hawai'i is grateful.

ED 5248 Page 40 of 44
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Section B: Budget Information

Budget and Sustainability (Section G in the application)

1. Please provide a brief explanation of any discrepancies between the State's approved budget and

its total expenditures for the reporting year. Explain carry-over funds that have not been expended or

obligated from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016.

Budget. A total of $2,243,282 was budgeted for grant year two. As of December 31, 2016,

$1,094,211 has been expended.

SPCSC expended 79% of its budget. The remaining budget will be used to support SCPSC in the

administration of this grant including its support to the subgrantee charter schools.

Charter schools developed their Family Engagement Logic Model Plans ("FELMP') at the initial early

learning symposium and are in the process of revisiting their logic models to ensure that it reflects the

needs and interests of their children, families and community. The six charter schools implementing

pre-K programs were provided $50,000 through the Preschool Development Grant to annually support

the family engagement activities as identified in the FELMP and are in the process of implementing

these activities throughout the remainder of this school year.

The remaining subgrantees budgets will be used to make strategic purchases. Teachers, together with

the assistance of their coach, are using the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS)

classroom and student assessment data to make informed classroom supplies or materials purchases.

Due to PDG grant challenges it was mutually agreed by both SPCSC and Hawai'i P-20, that Hawai'i

P-20 serve in a consultative role, instead of having a direct service role to the Preschool Development

Grant. Therefore as of July 31, 2016, only 28% of PDG grant funds allocated to Hawai'i P-20 were

spent. Hawai'i P-20 used the time and expertise from their existing staff to provide the PDG services

in the 2015-2016 school year.

Based on the lessons learned from this past year, SPCSC is changing up the delivery method to better

assist our schools in meeting them where they are. SPCSC was approved to amend the application to

better address the foundational needs of Hawai'i's early childhood education system as it relates to

both SPCSC and Hawai'i P-20. In school year 2015-2016, SPCSC has taken an active role in the

delivery of high quality support and professional development services as delineated in the grant.

2. Please describe any substantive changes that you anticipate to the State's Preschool Development

Grant budget in the upcoming fiscal year (January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017).

There are no anticipated substantive changes.
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3. Describe the State's progress on its plan for sustainability at the end of the grant period to ensure

that the number and percentage of Eligible Children with access to High-Quality Preschool Programs

in the State will be maintained or expanded, including to additional High-Need Communities.

As of 2016, Hawai'i was approved for three years of Preschool Development Grant funding to school

year 2017-2018.

SPCSC is part of the Early Learning Advisory Board (ELAB) sustainability sub-committee. The purpose

of this committee is to collaborate with public and private organizations to look at financing options

to sustain and grow the current level of funding for early childhood and to increase funding to build a

comprehensive high quality early childhood system throughout the state.

The members of the sustainability sub-committee are board members and volunteers from the

general public appointed by the board chair with the advice and consent of the board in accordance

with the by-laws and members. Stakeholders from the following constituencies are invited to serve

on the sustainability sub-committee including but not limited to policy makers, community members,

advocacy organizations, early childhood programs.

The goal of this sustainability sub-committee is to ensure there is sufficient funding to maintain and

support growth for early childhood programs such as the charter school pre-K program currently

funded by the Preschool Development Grant and to consider future funding opportunities that will

need maintenance of effort and public and private financing.

The responsibilities of sustainability sub-committee are to:

1. Update and identify the inventory of current funding for early childhood programs and its

source of funding (federal, state, and private funding);

2. Research other states' sustainability financing strategies and determine what is relevant to

Hawai'i given the differing economic, political and historic context;

3. Research opportunities for funding including but not limited to blending, braiding and

leveraging federal and state funding streams; seeking state funding through legislative

advocacy; approaching philanthropy and private sources for donations; and seeking

opportunities through rainy day funding and other taxes;

4. Develop criteria to identify programs that should be sustained; and

5. Identify methods to communicate and educate policy makers on the progress of Preschool

Development Grant and EOEL prekindergarten program such as via talking points or one-page

informational sheets.

After visiting with Hawaiʽi's congressional members and Preschool Development Grant administrators

and project members in Washington D.C., it became evident that the fourth year of funding was

uncertain. All agreed that grantees should execute sustainability plans as soon as possible.

The SPCSC team has developed several products to address sustainability. The first is a short video

showcasing children and families conveying the need to sustain prekindergarten programs in charter

schools, particularly since many of the schools are located in rural, remote areas with limited access

to other preschools. Without the PDG pre-K programs, it is highly likely that these children would not

have an opportunity to attend preschool. This video can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=t4GFMMwlApU

SPCSC has also developed two one-pagers to communicate the high quality pre-K programs in charter

schools. The first is Hawaiʽi's PDG grant information with 2015 and 2016 implementation information.
ED 524B Page 43 of 44

The second document is titled, “Investing in Hawai'i's Keiki”. It is a fact sheet on research-based

information on why the public should support early childhood education. SPCSC has also been using

the 2016 Cost of Quality, State Fact Sheet for Hawai'i developed by Child Care Aware of America.

These resources can be found at: http://www.chartercommission.hawaii.gov/spcsc-preschooldevelopment-grant

SPCSC has been sharing these documents with stakeholders to further promote high quality early

childhood education.

The SPCSC team has been strategically visiting legislators beginning in December 2016 and beyond to

prepare for the upcoming 2017 Legislative Session. SPCSC has also been meeting with key legislators

who are members of the education and finance committees in both chambers to discuss the plight of

the pre-K programs. SPCSC has also been tracking and attending the public hearings to provide

testimony to bills reflecting high quality early childhood education and development and bills related

to charter schools.

In the 2017 Legislative Session, House Bill 500 was introduced to address the sustainability of public

prekindergarten programs in charter schools. You may find information on this bill at: http://

www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=500&year=2017

Upon the request of several legislators to speak with our pre-K teachers, one of the professional

development events will focus on public policy. Teachers from the six classrooms will be brought to

Honolulu to learn about the legislative process and meet with legislators to discuss the importance of

sustaining these high quality pre-K programs in their community. These teachers have also developed

one-pagers reflecting their own programs and will be sharing these at the upcoming meetings.

4. Please provide a brief explanation of any discrepancies, if any, between the Subrecipients'

approved budgets and their total expenditures for the reporting year. Explain carry-over funds that

have not been expended or obligated from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016.

There were no discrepancies between the subrecipients' approved budgets and total expenditures for the

reporting year.

Hawai'i is currently mid-year in year two implementation plan for school year 2016-2017 and

unobligated funds are needed to fund the remainder of the school year.

Schools are in the process of gathering and sending required financial expenditure documents for PDG

reimbursement. Carryover funds are needed to fulfil the financial requests by schools related to PDG.

Subgrantee, UH Hawai'i P-20, recently submitted all expenditures to close out their responsibilities

allowing SPCSC to have up-to-date unobligated financial information. Subgrantee UH Hawai'i P-20 did

not fill the positions funded through this grant.
ED 524B Page 44 of 44

SPCSC, through an amendment request, is now assuming all responsibilities previously identified to be

the responsibility of UH Hawai'i P-20. SPCSC filled those positions by June 1, 2016. SPCSC also added

positions requested in the amendment to further support grant efforts. Carryover funds are needed

to continue to support SPCSC's PDG efforts as we support schools in implementing high quality pre-K

programs.

The following activities are planned for implementation in the upcoming months remaining in the

current school year. This includes the continued implementation of high-quality pre-K programs to

June 2017 and at least three additional professional development trainings for teachers, and assistant

teachers. The subject areas include public policy, building effective instructional support skills that

fosters concept development, quality of feedback, and language modeling. Additionally, professional

development training with kindergarten teachers is planned to review the formative assessment data

and to continuously work on implementing their transition plan for their pre-K students and families.
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