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Keiki Caucus & Childhood Obesity Task Force 2005
Meeting Notes: January 14, 2005
The The meeting was convened by Sen. Chun-Oakland at 10:30 am on Friday, January 14th in room 407 at the Capitol. Members of the Keiki Caucus were in attendance.
The Keiki Caucus Package includes 19 bills and 9 resolutions. They are the result of the research sessions conducted over the past months and were selected by voting on priorities at the Keiki Caucus Summit in October. Six categories are considered: Economy, Education, Environment, Health, Housing and Safety.
Although all the measures relate in one way or another to the needs of children and youths, we have to choose a limited number of bills and resolutions to follow. The bill we are following now relates to Early Childhood Education. This area was a priority concern of the Keiki Caucus Summit. Many children come to kindergarten unprepared cognitively, socially and emotionally to succeed at this level. Quality preschools have been shown to increase the number of five year olds who are "ready to learn". However preschools are beyond the means of many families. The bill would assist families in lower economic levels to send their children to preschool.
The Chapter and the AAP support quality preschool education and care. However our perspective is also focused on the zero to three children and the identification of children with special health care needs. We emphasize this age because research has shown that "Well designed, timely early intervention can improve the outcome and the quality of life of young children at risk of developing cognitive, social, or emotional impairment".(1) The brain is especially responsive at this early age.
As the Keiki Caucus bill is currently written, the funds can be expended for children from zero to five. It would be possible to amend the bill so that a sum of money goes to meet the unmet needs of the zero to three population. In order to do this we will have to demonstrate a continuum of services from birth (pregnancy) to five years of age. We have recommended that this be done. We will follow this bill as it develops.
The bills developed by the Obesity Task Force have not yet been finalized and will be forthcoming.
Resolutions which we are following are:
1. Requesting the development of a State wide strategic plan to promote obesity prevention and healthy lifestyles.
2. Encouraging the support of the new physical education programs in public elementary schools to promote lifelong education in physical fitness and healthy lifestyles.
3. Expressing support for the development of coordinated school health by the Department of Education, Department of Health and the University of Hawaii.
4. Requesting the Department of Education, Board of Education, and Hawaii Association of Independent Schools to consider policies that permit edible school gardens and that integrate them into school curriculums.
Bills Not Coming From Keiki Caucus
1. Graduated Drivers Licensing. This bill developed by MADD and the HPD will be introduced by the Transportation Committees. We will support it as we did last year.
2. Tort Reform. Developed by ACOG, the Ob/Gyn Society. We will support it.
3. Booster Seats.
Numbering and Following of Bills and Resolutions
Numbering will not be completed until January 25th. When this is done we will get a complete list of bills and resolutions in the Keiki Caucus Package with their numbers. At this time we will also get the numbers of bills not in Keiki Caucus which we are following. These lists will be circulated to members by email.
With the numbers, members can go to the State Legislature website, www.capitol.hawaii.gov. Click on Bill Status & Docs. Enter your bill number. You can see the bill, download it and also track its passage through the session. Our website has information on how to submit testimony (15 KB: PDF file) by way of the Vice-Chairperson of the relevant committee.
(1) Role of the Pediatrician in Family-Centered Early Intervention Services, AAP Committee on Children With Disabilities, Pediatrics, pp 1155:1157, Vol. 107 No. 5 May 2001.
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