Commit to Keiki - June 2023 Newsletter

KAUA`I CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Governor Josh Green, Tia Hartsock, Erin Henderson Lacerdo, and Kerrie Urosevich

Thanks to Alice Luck, Commit to Keiki steering committee member and coordinator of Keiki to Career, on June 8, Commit to Keiki had the honor of attending Ola Pono O Kaua‘i, a mental health and wellness conference, at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall. The conference took place over two days and featured insightful presentations by Governor Josh Green and other mental health industry experts, including Tia Hartsock, Hawai‘i’s first director of the newly formed Office of Wellness and Resilience, and Erin Henderson Lacerdo, executive director of the Association for Infant Mental Health. Topics of discussion included the state’s efforts to address wellness and resilience, and the importance of early childhood mental health.

According to Governor Green, Hawai‘i is on track to become a “trauma-informed state” to better serve families and improve community health and wellness outcomes. During the conference, he highlighted his two areas of focus, which include harm reduction in the health space and housing as a public health solution.

“My focus is to deal with those who are most struggling. The goal is to decrease their costs, make their suffering go down to harm reduction, and increase our investment in all the other things that we need. That’s how the situation gets better,” said Governor Green. And Commit to Keiki agrees.

Ola Pono O Kaua‘i was presented by the Kaua‘i Rural Health Association in partnership with the County of Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i State Department of Health, Kaua‘i Planning and Action Alliance, Kaua‘i Resilience Project, and Keiki to Career. A special mahalo to Alice Luck for organizing this event and inviting us to be a part of it!

COUNTY SPOTLIGHT:

HAWAI‘I COUNTY

All four counties have made significant progress in dedicating funding, creating programs and staffing positions that support early childhood development. This month, we’d like to highlight some of the efforts in place in Hawaiʻi County. Under the leadership of Mayor Mitch Roth, Hawai‘i became the first county in the state to hire an early childhood resource coordinator, Angela Thomas, and an associate to support and implement initiatives that strengthen and sustain the system of early childhood in Hawaiʻi County.

“Fostering lifelong learners is a key component to creating a sustainable future for our island that will allow families to thrive and succeed here for generations to come,” said Mayor Roth. “Our administration is committed to solving the many issues plaguing our keiki and their parents and will continue to invest in programs that build child care capacity, bolster workforce development in the child care industry, and support the health and wellbeing of our local families.”

Investment in Child Care

When it comes to investing in child care, Hawai‘i County has set aside $14 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to rebuild, as well as increase the capacity of child care spaces across the island. Among the many initiatives currently in place, Hawai‘i County is currently developing recruiting techniques to increase early childhood staff, piloting early literacy strategies for research and data collection, as well as researching development of employer-sponsored child care situations through businesses.

Investment in Early Literacy

Significant investments have also been made that support early literacy. Reach Out and Read (ROR) is an evidence-based national pediatric literacy program through which medical providers are trained to offer guidance to parents about the importance of reading aloud to their child. They also distribute an age-appropriate book to the child at each well-child visit from 6 months to 5 years of age. Through the Early Childhood Resource team, Hawai‘i County is now providing pediatric clinics across the island with books for distribution. This initiative has been prioritized because of the declining third grade reading scores and the fact that many children do not have access to books in their homes.

The Early Childhood Resource team is also working closely with the Pahoa Promise Partnership to help support families with young children in Pahoa and Keonepoko Elementary Schools, by creating working groups on health, safety, early childhood, and family engagement.

Mahalo to Mayor Roth for your ongoing commitment to Hawai‘i’s keiki and families!

Mayor Roth of Hawaii County - June County Spotlight

IN THE NEWS

Kerrie Urosevich, Commit to Keiki Co-Chair and Lead for Network Design and Innovation at Early Childhood Action Strategy, was recently featured on KHON’s Living808 to discuss the end of the 2023 legislative sessions and the big wins for early childhood development.

Bill Signing by Governor Josh Green - June 2023

Legislative Corner

On June 14, 2023, Governor Josh Green signed several bills relating to domestic violence, wellness and child welfare:

Relating to Temporary Restraining Orders (SB 933) – Authorizes the family courts to allow petitioners to attend TRO hearings remotely upon request. Requires the courts to consider certain factors. Requires the courts to allow petitioners who allege domestic abuse to attend TRO hearings remotely.

Relating to Protective Orders (SB 1267) – Expands the jurisdiction for where petitions for domestic abuse protective orders and temporary restraining orders may be filed.

Relating to Child Visitation (SB 406) – Allows the court to award reasonable visitation rights to a petitioning grandparent of a minor child when the child’s parent is unable to exercise parental visitation due to death or incarceration and denial of reasonable grandparent visitation rights would cause significant harm to the child. Requires the court to follow best interest of the child procedures, considerations, and standards when granting grandparent visitation rights. Specifies that any person who violates the terms and conditions of a court order granting reasonable grandparent visitation rights are subject to sanctions.

Relating to the Office of Wellness and Resilience (SB 894) – Transfers the Office of Wellness and Resilience from the Office of the Governor to the Department of Human Services by July 1, 2025, and establishes the Trauma-Informed Care Task Force as a permanent advisory board to the Office of Wellness and Resilience by 2024.

Relating to Child Welfare Services (SB 295) – Establishes within the Office of Wellness and Resilience the Mālama ʻOhana Working Group to seek, design, and recommend transformative changes to the State’s existing child welfare system.

Relating to Child Abuse Reporting (HB 350) – Establishes that the exemption from mandatory reporting by members of the clergy does not apply when the clergy member believes that there exists a substantial risk that child abuse or neglect that is especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, manifesting exceptional depravity, may occur in the reasonably foreseeable future.

Relating to Child and Adolescent Mental Health (HB 948) – Establishes a two-year child and adolescent crisis mobile outreach team pilot program on ʻOahu and one neighbor island site to expand existing crisis response services.

To view Governor Green’s news release and the full list of bills signed on June 14, click here.