HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
91 |
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015 |
|
|
STATE OF HAWAII |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
HOUSE RESOLUTION
requesting hawaii early head start to raise ITS annual household income eligibility guidelines.
WHEREAS, early childhood education helps lay a solid foundation to prepare children for educational achievement and success later in life by fostering social competence and school readiness; and
WHEREAS, the expense of early childhood education is not low and can be cost-prohibitive for many families in Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, Early Head Start is a federally funded initiative that provides early childhood education and related comprehensive services for low-income parents and children as well as children with special needs; and
WHEREAS, Early Head Start provides services at designated centers and in individual homes to prenatal parents and parents with infants and toddlers and is designed to nurture and support parents and children by building on families' strengths; and
WHEREAS, for a variety of reasons, the cost of living in Hawaii is notoriously high; and
WHEREAS, USA Today estimated in September 2014 that an annual income of $122,000 would be needed to live comfortably in Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, according to the 2007-2011 American Community Survey, the median annual household income for Hawaii was estimated at $67,116; and
WHEREAS, the most recent income eligibility guidelines for Hawaii Early Head Start are as follows:
Household Size |
Maximum Annual Income Level |
1 |
$13,550 |
2 |
$18,330 |
3 |
$23,110 |
4 |
$27,890 |
5 |
$32,670 |
6 |
$37,450 |
7 |
$42,230 |
8 |
$47,010, and |
for households with more than eight members, $4,780 for each additional person can be added; and
WHEREAS, many working families in Hawaii fall into the "gap group", in which they earn too much to qualify for federal or state assistance yet do not earn enough to pay for private, market-priced services and programs; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, that Hawaii Early Head Start is requested to raise its annual household income eligibility guidelines so that more families in the State can gain access to the benefits of early childhood education; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, Governor, Director of Human Services, and Superintendent of Education.
|
OFFERED BY: |
_____________________________ |
|
|
Hawaii Early Head Start; Annual Household Income Eligibility Guidelines