Advance Illinois Applauds the Governor’s Decision to Launch a New Single Agency for Illinois’ Early Childhood and Care
With Governor Pritzker’s announcement today to bring governance of the state’s various and diverse early childhood programs under one agency, Illinois is taking a tremendous step forward in ensuring its youngest children and families have equitable access to high-quality programs and services. In addition, the announcement that Ann Whalen, longtime Policy Director for Advance Illinois, an independent education policy and advocacy non-profit, will lead the transition suggests this important work will be in good hands.
“The Governor’s decision to appoint Ann Whalen to spearhead this critical project speaks volumes about how seriously he takes the responsibility to give early childhood the footing it needs to give every child a strong start,” said Robin Steans, President of Advance Illinois. “We believe Ann will be a strong champion to lead this work.”
As the Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care (“the Commission”) outlined in its important 2021 report Ready Illinois: Simpler, Fairer, Better, how Illinois funds and allocates limited early childhood education and care dollars has resulted in a patchwork quilt of programming and supports across the state. The way in which Illinois administers early childhood programs is part of the problem. Families and providers have to navigate as many as three different agencies that oversee different aspects of Illinois’ early childhood system of care. Today’s announcement of a single agency will enable the state to focus more thoughtfully and strategically on how best to serve young children. Advance Illinois applauds the Governor for continuing to implement Commission recommendations, and for his willingness to make structural and lasting changes that will benefit children and families well into the future.
Today’s announcement comes on the heels of notable investments in Illinois’ earliest learners, including the launch of Smart Start Illinois, an initiative to expand access and services to more families and children; launch of the Illinois Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity, a coordinated state effort to strengthen the early childhood workforce; and the establishment of the Birth to Five regional and community infrastructure, a critical opportunity for families and providers across the state to identify local and regional needs and opportunities.
In conjunction with these investments, a single, unified early childhood agency allows the state to deepen its commitment to young children, and to do so in a way that addresses the needs of families and providers coherently and equitably. Advance Illinois celebrates the Governor for continuing his efforts to make Illinois the best state in the nation to raise families with young children, and we stand ready to support the administration and the General Assembly in transforming Illinois’ system of early childhood education and care system now and into the future.