Can there be any person more vulnerable — and yet more full of promise — than a young child?

Surely not. Protecting and nurturing Hawai'i's youngest citizens, so they emerge as healthy, productive adults, deserves to be a top priority of public policy. It's a wise investment in human capital that's both in our moral and economic best interest.

That's why even in these difficult economic times, it's troubling that the state proposes to eliminate Healthy Start, its voluntary enrollment program that provides help for families of at-risk children from birth to about age 3.

The program's social-service workers screen about 70 percent of new mothers in Hawai'i hospitals, looking for risk factors such as stress, inadequate mother-child bonding and depression.

All families receive parenting information and referrals for health insurance and financial-aid programs.

But those who show the highest risk of child abuse or neglect are offered significantly more help for the first three years: home visits from certified workers, who are invaluable guides through the maze of responsibilities every parent must navigate when caring for a young child: immunizations, pediatric care, education, a healthy diet and more.

Healthy Start providers and researchers say evidence shows their efforts have a positive effect on reducing maltreatment and neglect among so-called "anxious mothers."

And the importance of healthy early childhood development is well documented. Studies show that toxic stresses on a young child's developing brain can lead to lifelong problems with learning, behavior and physical and mental health.

The long-term cost to society to cope with these problems is no doubt far higher than the estimated $3,000 per year the state spends on each of the 4,000 families enrolled in Healthy Start.

So it's understandable that Healthy Start has staunch defenders. Early-childhood advocacy groups who don't have Healthy Start contracts, such as Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii and the Good Beginnings Alliance, have rallied to its cause.

Of course, with money being so tight, it's expected that the state would take a hard look at the program's costs — about $12 million this year — especially since it plans to maintain a similar state program, Enhanced Healthy Start.

But unlike the regular Healthy Start, the enhanced program serves about 325 families, and is mandatory for new mothers already in trouble because of risky behavior.

Healthy Start, sensibly, aims to prevent trouble, such as child abuse, before it happens. And in these economic times, the pressure on low-income families will be worse than ever, the risks higher and more widespread. In that light, the expansive reach of Healthy Start remains a smart investment.

There's no doubt the state and its Healthy Start providers need to come to terms on how to keep the program alive.

Providers have proposed cutting the allotment to $9.4 million annually; in turn they would be forced to serve fewer families. Nonetheless, that's a more prudent position than eliminating the program altogether.

Our youngest citizens need — and deserve — better.