Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker continued his Smart Start Illinois education tour Wednesday morning at Skip-A-Long Child Development Services, 1609 4th St., Rock Island.
These visits highlight his multi-year Smart Start Illinois plan, which aim to eliminate early childhood deserts for 3-and-4-year-olds by 2027.
Beginning with a $250-million investment in programs and $100 million in facilities, Smart Start Illinois makes proven investments backed by years of research that has demonstrated real returns for families and taxpayers, according to the governor’s release. In the next school year alone, the program will add an additional 5,000 preschool spots across Illinois and soon after, every 3-and-4-year-old in the state will have the opportunity to enroll in a preschool program.
“Smart Start Illinois is all about quality childcare and early education giving children the best care possible start,” Gov. Pritzker said in a recent release. “This program will be the beginning of the end of early childhood deserts in Illinois providing working families with more options for their children’s care and education.
“I’m also proud to launch the nation’s first Early Childhood Workforce Compensation Contract program, bringing stability to the field by increasing wages for a workforce that is primarily women and people of color, so we can attract and retain more professionals into the early childhood space,” he said.
The multi-year Smart Start Illinois plan will provide every child with access to preschool, increase funding to childcare providers to raise wages and quality, invest in new expanded early childhood facilities, and reach more vulnerable families with early support. Smart Start Illinois demonstrates the state’s ongoing commitment to children, families, teachers, and childcare providers. The $250 million investment in FY24 includes:
- $75 million additional for the Early Childhood Block Grant to put Illinois on a path to creating more than 20,000 new Pre-K spots for every child who wants one
- $130 million for nation-leading Childcare Workforce Compensation Contracts that will stabilize providers and give childcare workers a raise
- An additional $40 million for Early Intervention programs to enhance services for families and give providers a raise
- $5 million to expand the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Home Visiting Program so more families who want it can receive this early support
In addition to Smart Start investments, other investments being made in the early childhood education include:
- $100 million in capital dollars for early childhood providers to expand existing facilities and build new facilities
- $70 million for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)
- $12 million in new funding for scholarships and apprenticeships to expand the childcare workforce
- $1.6 million to launch the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a statewide literacy initiative to send free books to children from birth-through age five
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