Aloha United Way
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT Aloha United Way’s goal is that every child in Hawaii will enter kindergarten ready to learn.
Why are we concerned about this issue? Because 40% of Hawaii’s keiki (that’s about 6,800 children every year) are so far behind their peers when they start kindergarten, their chance of succeeding in school is very low.
OUR STRATEGY There are many strategies that could improve a child’s readiness for kindergarten. Our council of Early Childhood Development experts have selected building literacy skills and screening for developmental problems as the focus for Aloha United Way’s work in this Impact Area. Aloha United Way is funding community-based developmental screenings for 3 and 4 year-old children. By screening children at an early age, we hope to identify those with problems and provide them with the care that will prepare them to enter school ready to learn. We are also providing our community with free literacy enhancing parenting materials.
THE CHALLENGE ♦
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The lack of developmental screening is a major gap in our current school preparation effort. ♦ Approximately 19% of our children (3,200 children each year) have a hearing, vision or social/emotional development problem. ♦ As many as 10% (1,700 children each year) have these problems and remain undiagnosed through 3rd grade. Of the six factors evaluated in the annual School Readiness Assessment, literacy skills is consistently rated the lowest. In 2010, only 20% of entering kindergartners were assessed to have adequate literacy skills.
2010 RESULTS ♦
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2,147 children have been screened and 399 have been identified with a hearing, vision or developmental problem. 180 of the 399 have completed treatment and have been re-tested with improved results. Final planning for a Kalihi/Palama screening project was completed and the project commenced July 2010.
ALOHA UNITED WAY’S ACTIONS (For 2011 results click on one of the links below.) ♦
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Established community-based developmental screening programs in the Waianae/Nanakuli and Kalihi/Palama areas. Made Born Learning parenting materials readily available to the community.
Aloha United Way 200 N. Vineyard Blvd., Suite 700 Honolulu, HI 96817-3938 808-536-1951 www.auw.org