President Barack Obama’s proposal to increase federal funding for state preschool programs would both provide an additional 853 low-income children in Hawaii with access to high-quality early education and prevent 4,700 local kids from becoming addicted smokers, according to a report released today by a consortium of nine early education or public health advocacy groups. 

The president’s proposal would increase the federal cigarette tax by 94 cents and use the revenue to subsidize state preschool programs, expanding access to early learning opportunities for kids from low- and moderate-income families. The plan, according to the consortium, would address two major challenges facing the country’s children: too few have the resources to enroll in high-quality preschools, while too many still smoke cigarettes. 

The “Raising Smart, Healthy Kids in Every State” report breaks down how Obama’s plan would benefit each state. 

It highlights Hawaii as being one of just a handful of states without a statewide preschool program. And according to the study, just 14 percent of Hawaii’s 4-year-olds — and 8 percent of 3-year-olds — are enrolled in publicly funded preschools such as Head Start.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie through his Executive Office on Early Learning is spearheading an effort to establish a state-funded network of preschools. 

The federal “Preschool for All” initiative would provide Hawaii with an additional $7 million to serve needy children in the hopes of closing the achievement gap. Nearly 38,000 — or 38 percent of — Hawaii children six years old and younger live in households with incomes below 200 percent the poverty level. 

Meanwhile, 5,600 Hawaii youth try smoking for the first time each year. Advocates say the cigarette tax increase would significantly decrease that number and, in the long-term, save the state $163.91 million in healthcare costs, among other public health benefits. 

Read the full report here. 

Photo: Obama promotes his ‘Preschool for All’ initiative. (Courtesy of the US Department of Health and Human Services)

— Alia Wong