H 5195 Resolution, By Govan, Askins, Bailey, Bowers, Breeland, G. Brown, 
J. Brown, T. Brown, A.W. Byrd, Canty, Carnell, Cave, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, 
Emory, Gourdine, Harris, J. Hines, M. Hines, Howard, Inabinett, Kennedy, 
Klauber, Lee, Limehouse, Lloyd, Mack, Maddox, Martin, McGee, W. McLeod, 
McMahand, Miller, Moody-Lawrence, Neilson, Pinckney, Rhoad, Scott, Spearman, 
Stille, E.C. Stoddard, Stuart, Whipper and W.J. Young
 A HOUSE RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO STUDY EARLY CHILDHOOD
 DEVELOPMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON SCHOOL READINESS AND SCHOOL SUCCESS AND TO
 REPORT ITS FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

   05/27/98  House  Introduced HJ-73
   05/27/98  House  Referred to Committee on Education and Public
                     Works HJ-74

A HOUSE RESOLUTION

ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO STUDY EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON SCHOOL READINESS AND SCHOOL SUCCESS AND TO REPORT ITS FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Whereas, twenty-six percent of children in South Carolina live in poverty; and

Whereas, more than seventy-one percent of preschool children have working mothers; and

Whereas, families in poverty spend eighteen percent of their income on child care; and

Whereas, over twenty-four percent of children in South Carolina were not ready for first grade in the 1996-1997 school year and over six thousand five hundred children failed grades 1-3; and

Whereas, the formative years of a child's life, between birth and five years of age, are critical to a child's development and the success of his future; and

Whereas, it is in the best interests of the State and the citizens of the State to take an active role in helping to improve the early childhood development of all children, to prepare these children to the greatest extent possible to enter first grade, and to assist in developing a strong foundation for continued success in school. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That there is established a task force to study early childhood development and its impact on school readiness and success in school. The task force shall consist of:

(1) three members of the House Judiciary Committee;

(2) three members of the House Education and Public Works Committee;

(3) three members of the House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee;

(4) three members of the House Ways and Means Committee;

(5) one parent, whose child is in daycare, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House;

(6) the commissioner of the Department of Health and Environmental Control or a designee;

(7) the executive director of the Health and Human Services Finance Commission or a designee;

(8) the executive director of the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education or his designee;

(9) the commissioner of the South Carolina Department of Social Services or his designee;

(10) a member of Success by Six to be appointed by the president of that association;

(11) a member of the Early Childhood Education Association to be appointed by the president of that association;

(12) the State Superintendent of Education or a designee;

(13) a member of the South Carolina Hospital Association to be appointed by the president of that association;

(14) a member of the South Carolina Medical Association to be appointed by the president of that association;

(15) two persons from the private sector to be appointed by the chairperson of the task force;

(16) a member of the Urban League to be appointed by the president of the Urban League;

(17) a member of the South Carolina Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union to be appointed by the chapter president;

(18) a member of a local ministerial outreach organization in South Carolina to be appointed by the chairperson of the task force;

(19) a member of the United Way of South Carolina to be appointed by the president of the United Way of South Carolina;

(20) a member of the Alliance for South Carolina's Children to be appointed by the president of the Alliance for South Carolina's Children; and

(21) such other members as the chairperson and task force members consider necessary to carry out the responsibilities and duties of the task force.

Only members of the task force designated in items (1) through (4) are voting members; the remainder are nonvoting members.

Staff to assist the task force shall be provided by the House Judiciary Committee, House Education and Public Works Committee, and the House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee, as assigned by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The task force shall meet as often and in such locations in the State as the chairperson or a majority of the voting members of the task force shall designate. At the direction of the chairperson, the task force may be divided into subcommittees for the purposes of meeting and carrying out the responsibilities of the task force.

The task force shall study all aspects of early childhood development and its impact on school readiness and success in school including:

(1) quality prenatal care and nutrition;

(2) health screenings;

(3) quality day care; and

(4) parent involvement and education.

The task force shall submit a written report to the House of Representatives containing its findings and recommendations for improving and enhancing early childhood development. Upon submitting the report, the task force is abolished.