* Sun-Times…
The governor’s goal for the program, dubbed Smart Start Illinois, is to ultimately add an additional 20,000 preschool seats within four years. The program is aimed at accessibility for low-income families, but school availability will also play a role in what areas will see seats. […]
“It’s the capacity building, as well as the making sure that we’re actually paying for each of the kids that otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it.”
Chicago already offers free preschool for four-year-olds in 64 of the city’s 77 community areas, but a WBEZ analysis last year showed Chicago Public Schools has struggled to fill all the classrooms it has invested in, in low-income areas with the greatest academic and social needs. The pandemic made it worse. With less than a week before classes began last fall, 4,200 seats for 4-year-olds were unfilled.
But Pritzker emphasized some areas of the state have waiting lists for preschool.
“There’s some places where it’s impossible for a parent to get child care or preschool, either because all the spots are filled within a reasonable distance, or because there just isn’t a provider,” Pritzker said. “That’s the case in many downstate communities, and so we’re trying to cover all of those early childhood deserts.”
* WTTW…
Republicans are on board with focusing on early childhood education in concept. House Minority Leader Tony McCombie said in a lot of places, particularly rural areas, parents can’t work because there aren’t preschools or daycares to care for their children.
McCombie said in cases, that’s due to overly burdensome state regulations that make running a daycare too expensive.
A lack of workers is also a problem.
McCombie said writing a check alone won’t solve the issue, but money is an issue, too.
* Tribune…
“I have been involved in this arena for more than 20 years before I became governor, and I believe strongly that this is the best investment you can make in government, in fact, because of the return on investment,” said Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune who focused much of his philanthropic activity on early childhood education and health initiatives. […]
Pritzker made clear he is not proposing a universal publicly-funded preschool program.
“We’re not paying for kids who are wealthy. … I paid for my kids to go to preschool,” Pritzker said. “But we need to have spots available for them. … It’s the capacity building, as well as making sure that we’re actually paying for each of the kids that otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it.”
The goal, according to Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh, is to eliminate “preschool deserts, so that every family who chooses to put their child into pre-K has a spot available.”
* ChalkBeat…
Pritzker is proposing a four-year plan he’s calling Start Smart Illinois that will create 20,000 additional seats for 3- and 4-year-olds in preschool programs. Just over 76,000 students are currently enrolled in pre-K in Illinois public schools.
Pritzker is seeking a $75 million increase to the Illinois State Board of Education’s Early Childhood Block Grant to create 5,000 new preschool spots for children this coming school year. The Illinois Department of Human Services will receive a $40 million increase for early intervention programs that support children with disabilities under the age of 3, $5 million more for the home visiting program, and $70 million more for the Child Care Assistance Program — which didn’t see an increase in the state’s 2023 budget. That department will also receive $20 million to upgrade its payment system for providers.
Smart Start Illinois includes two entirely new initiatives. The first — a $130 million effort called the Childcare Workforce Compensation Contracts — is aimed at increasing the salaries of child care workers and bringing more educators into the field. The other is a $100 million Early Childhood Construction Grant Program to help child care providers improve building and facilities that they use. […]
Early childhood education advocates are pushing the state to increase funding for early education and child care by 20% — or $120 million — to help increase compensation for workers, who are predominantly women or color, and to address access gaps around the state. The State Board of Education proposed a 10% — or $60 million — increase for the early childhood education block grant in January during a monthly board meeting. Pritzker’s plan would fall in between the two figures.
* Dot points from the governor’s office…
Governor Pritzker is proposing Smart Start Illinois, a multi-year plan to ensure families raising our youngest Illinoisans have access to the intervention, education, and care they need before reaching kindergarten.
Smart Start Illinois
• Provide every Illinois child with access to a pre-school spot if they want one.
• Uplift Illinois’ childcare system by providing predictable funding to increase wages and quality
of care.
• Reach thousands more with early support and resources.
• Invest in new early childhood facilities and expand existing locations.
Smart Start Illinois begins with a $250 million investment in the Governor’s fiscal year 2024 proposed budget, including:
* Additional $75 million for the Early Childhood Block Grant at ISBE to create 5,000 preschool spots this year and put Illinois on a path towards creating a spot for every child who wants one
* $130 million to begin funding first-in-the-nation Childcare Workforce Compensation Contracts to bring stability to the field and give childcare workers a raise
* $40 million increase for early intervention programs to maintain services for vulnerable children and families and give providers a raise
* $5 million to expand DHS’ Home Visiting Program to reach families in need of support
The Governor is also proposing additional early childhood education funding, including:
* $100 million in to improve early childhood provider buildings and facilities, doubling the
state’s initial investment in the Early Childhood Constriction Grant Program
* $70 million to cover increased Childcare Assistance Program (CCAP) participation
* Governor Pritzker previously raised the CCAP income eligibility limit to include families with incomes below 225% of the federal poverty level, increasing the number of children served by up to 20,000
* $20 million for DHS to revamp the payment system to providers
Discuss.
- Give Us Barabbas - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 9:25 am:
Qualified child care staff are hard to get for the chickenfeed pay level they get. Desperate parents often have to settle for less-qualified and less-experienced staff, if they can even get a slot to begin with. What you end up with are barely-qualified operators in borderline facilities, with too little oversight. One answer to this that I’ve seen is for the town or village itself to operate the facilities.
- Jerry - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 9:26 am:
Do they teach Critical Race Theory or how to use a litter box? /s
- Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 9:33 am:
==McCombie said in cases, that’s due to overly burdensome state regulations that make running a daycare too expensive.==
Leader McCombie, please tells us which regs should be dumped…because the safety of the children and some basic qualifications for the teachers would seem to be a good idea.
It would be helpful for the GOP to leave that old saw behind (at least sometimes).
- JoanP - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 9:37 am:
= A lack of workers is also a problem. =
Maybe if we valued our kids enough to pay the people who take care of them a decent wage, that wouldn’t be such a problem.
- ChicagoBars - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 9:47 am:
There was a really good podcast on daycare economics a few weeks ago on NPR Planet Money. Lot more complicated than I ever realized between staffing ratios and even some daycares needing to use infant care as a “loss leader” to keep later year childcare full.
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/02/1153931108/day-care-market-expensive-child-care-waitlists
- education first - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 9:47 am:
Without the requisite supports, free education is simply a place to go. Teachers, teacher salaries, Early intervention money for dhs/special needs early learning and mental health funding all come to my mind when I look at what isn’t there. This proposal is simply what I would consider a good start.
- Leap Day William - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 9:58 am:
== There was a really good podcast on daycare economics a few weeks ago on NPR Planet Money. Lot more complicated than I ever realized between staffing ratios and even some daycares needing to use infant care as a “loss leader” to keep later year childcare full. ==
Hah, I was writing the same thing (comment is probably still locked up in the spam filter). What made me the most surprised was the facility owners talking about losing good people to places that can pay more than minimum wage and them having to resort to bringing in high school aged employees to fill the staffing void. The whole episode made me very happy that the daycare days are very much in the rear-view mirror.
- Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 10:15 am:
“Republicans are on board with focusing on early childhood education in concept.”
Good. That’s a start. Get away from politics that stoke the base’s negative feelings and start doing positive stuff. It’s their children too who will benefit from it.
This is the type of investment that ought to be made for children and families, not banning books and teachings of the historically disadvantaged like Florida. Illinois should help produce brighter economic futures, not ignorance and bigotry.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 10:17 am:
I have always found the fact that the “Preschool for All” Grant is a competitive grant to be a bit ironical.
- Back to the Future - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 10:18 am:
Glad to see Governor Pritzker emphasizing education.
This is an area he has worked on in the past so I think we can expect some good news in Illinois for our children in the future.
- Blue Dog - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 10:21 am:
I’m ok with it as long as there is either a work or school requirement for the parent(s).
- 1st Ward - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 10:28 am:
How does this increase compare to the increase K- 12 will receive? Given the State has been shortchanging local school districts through its own funding formula it would be nice if they focused on achieving those funding levels first before expanding other programs. Separately, I would also argue if there is a belief that this level of revenue will be recurring (or mostly recurring) why not increase the LGDF closer to the original 10% level?
- cermak_rd - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 10:30 am:
Blue Dog,
And what of retired grandparents who are now guardians using this preschool system? Are they not allowed?
It seems as though having such a requirement will then involve compliance officials and I’d rather pay for teachers than compliance officials.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 10:33 am:
===It seems as though having such a requirement===
He’s going back to the Clinton plan, which was a compromise with Republicans during the “welfare reform” era.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 10:36 am:
===why not increase the LGDF closer to the original 10% level? ===
An argument has been made that local governments are receiving more $ now, inflation adjusted, than they were when revenue sharing began.
- Interim Retiree - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 10:39 am:
–I’m ok with it as long as there is either a work or school requirement for the parent(s).–
Sounds good in theory but what about a parent who has a 1 year old? Is ill? Child is raised by grandparents who are retired? There are no easy 100% correct answers. I just want kids to have the best possible chances in life.
All I know is that most studies have shown that kids who were in high quality preschools are much better off than those that aren’t in a program. (Google if you want more info)
- Moe Berg - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 10:39 am:
Seconding what “Pot Calling Kettle” said above re:
===McCombie said in cases, that’s due to overly burdensome state regulations that make running a daycare too expensive.===
A caucus leader should not be given the opportunity for a drive-by comment. “Like what?” is an obvious and necessary follow-up question.
- Blue Dog - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 10:41 am:
Cermak. I can envision those sort of waivers. but requiring work or school is q double plus. the kids get early education and the parents either continue education or learn the value of work.
- TheInvisibleMan - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 11:13 am:
–why not increase the LGDF closer to the original 10% level?–
Rich touched on it, but I’ll add some specifics.
When the LDGF was created, the original 10% was tied to the original income tax rate - which was 2.5%. Income taxes now are 4.95%, which would give an equal payout to the original 10% rate, if the current rate for the LGDF was 5.1%. Is the LGDF 5.1%, or is it higher than that now? If it’s higher than ~5.1%, than the LGDF funds dispersed are higher than when it was created, not lower.
I get it. I really do. Municipalities want to get their hands on as much money as they can. But there’s a reason they *always* leave out the original income tax rate when discussing increasing the LGDF to its original levels.
It’s intellectually dishonest to claim the LGDF should go back to the original levels without mentioning the income tax rates, as that is what determines the total size in dollars(not percentages) of the LGDF funds.
- cermak_rd - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 12:03 pm:
Blue Dog,
The parent/guardian can do that now. I don’t think it should be a requirement for this program because this program will benefit the child more than the parent/guardian anyway. The parents should have the capacity to make their own decisoins re time and income.
- Chicagonk - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 12:19 pm:
This is a great idea and is absolutely critical for underprivileged children.
- Blue Dog - Wednesday, Feb 15, 23 @ 12:32 pm:
Cermak. I respectfully disagree. the greatest influence and learning experience a child can have is developed at home. if kids sees parents working or going to school they will follow in those footsteps.