Early Childhood Education & Care

Advance Illinois is an active member of the Early Childhood Funding Coalition, a group of advocates, early childhood providers, non-profit organizations, and other stakeholders united in championing a stronger and more adequately and equitably funded ECEC system in Illinois. 

The Early Childhood Funding Coalition guided by three principles: 

  • Full Funding: We want the state to fully fund early education and child care services for children and families.    

  • Equitable Resources: We want to eliminate the role of racial and socio-economic disparities and direct resources to the children and communities where investment is needed most.   

  • Stability and Transparency for Families and Providers: We want sustainable, reliable resources for child care and early education.

ILECFC Logo.png

Higher Education  

Advance Illinois is a steering committee member of the Illinois Higher Education Network, a collaborative effort of higher education stakeholders working together to create a more equitable higher education system in Illinois. 

IHEN consists of advocacy organizations, college access and success organizations, college and university faculty and staff, students, and other collaborators who believe in the mission, values, goals, and vision of the network. 

We envision a higher education system in Illinois that recognizes its current role in and strives to eliminate systemic racism, classism, and other forms of discrimination by actively pursuing equitable enrollment, retention, completion, and work and professional experience and employment during and after graduation.  

To achieve this vision, we pursue:

  • Adequate, equitable, and transparent higher education funding that ensures the institutions that serve Illinois’ Black, Latinx, and MAP-eligible students have the resources to support their success; 

  • Recruitment and admissions policies that provide greater access to and success in higher education for Black, Latinx, and students from low-income households; 

  • Supportive financial, academic, mental health, basic needs, and other services and programs that help equip all students to successfully persist and complete their higher education goals; and 

  • Accountability of state and institutional leadership for committing resources to the specific needs of marginalized current and potential students, by collecting, sharing, and using data to eliminate gaps in access and success.

 
IHEN_RGB.png
 

Equitable Funding & Resources 

Advance Illinois is a founding member and convener of the Funding IL’s Future coalition, a group of superintendents, teachers, parents, civil rights leaders, and education advocates, formed in 2012 that successfully advocated for the passage of a new, more equitable school funding formula (SB1) in 2017. 

Funding Illinois’ Future held more than 40 town halls around the state in 2017 and garnered more than 100 news stories about its work and more than 50 opinion pieces.   

The coalition convenes during legislative sessions and throughout the year to ensure that decision makers are prioritizing funding the formula for PK-12 students and schools. The coalition is mobilized to: 

  • Share stories of impact  

  • Participate in testimony opportunities through ISBE and the General Assembly 

  • Call, email, and meet with legislators 

  • Engage in social media advocacy 

FIF_Logo (2).png

Educator Pipeline Group 

Advance Illinois convenes the Educator Pipeline group, a diverse set of advocates, institutions, educators, civil rights, and agency leaders, that work collaboratively to develop and advocate for a cohesive set of policy strategies to cultivate, strengthen, and support a diverse Illinois educator pipeline.

The Educator pipeline group is guided by the principles:

  • Ensure all students have highly effective, culturally responsive educators who are prepared to support their academic, social, and emotional needs. 

  • Ensure all aspiring and current educators have access to career exploration, preparation, induction, professional learning, and continued leadership opportunities. 

  • Motivate individuals to pursue an education career in Illinois by increasing the desirability, prestige, and sustainability of the profession from early childhood through 12th grade.  

  • Build upon and explore strategies that address the educator shortage and meet short term needs while maintaining high standards of quality that students need to succeed.  

  • Cultivate an inclusive educational environment that recruits, develops, supports, and retains educators that better reflect the diversity of our state.