Introduction to Early Childhood Education in Illinois

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Michael Joel Patterson
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1 Introduction to Early Childhood Education in Illinois Presented by: Illinois Action for Children Representative Linda Chapa LaVia Representative Robert Pritchard

2 Candidate Welcome Sessy Nyman Vice-President, Policy & Strategic Partnerships Illinois Action for Children Linda Chapa LaVia 83 rd District Representative Robert W. Pritchard 70 th District Representative

3 Hand-raising disabled today Technical issues, actforchildren.org Type your question here, then hit send

4 Illinois Action for Children A catalyst for organizing, developing and supporting strong families and powerful communities where children matter most Largest Child Care Resource & Referral Agency in Illinois serving thousands of providers and parents every day Membership-based policy and advocacy organization Advocacy and policy priorities focus on a high quality system of early care and education the support parents and prepares children for school and life success.

providers and parents every day Membership-based policy and advocacy organization Advocacy and policy priorities

5 Early Childhood System Overview Child Care Assistance Program Preschool for All Infant & toddler programs Federal Head Start and Early Head Start

6 Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Provides critical work support and early learning opportunities for Illinois children. Provides child care payments directly to a family s chosen provider to ensure parents can go to work or school while children are in care. Allows thousands of children to attend early learning programs by providing care before and after half-day preschool.

Provides child care payments directly to a family s chosen provider to ensure parents can go

7 CCAP Funding Funded through federal funds (Child Care Development Fund) and state GRF at approximately $897 million (combined total). Administered by IL Department of Human Services. Serves over 160,000 children in community- and homebased programs each month, enabling 85,000 families to work. To qualify, families must be at or below 185% of Federal Poverty Level, work or be in an approved education/ training program. Each family pays a portion of the cost of care based on family income.

Serves over 160,000 children in community- and homebased programs each month, enabling 85,000 families to work.

8 Preschool for All (PFA) PFA was established in 2006, making Illinois a national leader in providing early childhood education High-quality, voluntary 2 ½ hour per day preschool for 3- and 4-year olds, prioritizing children at risk of academic failure Provides an 11% set-aside for children ages 0-3 for home visiting programs for high-risk families. Programming is delivered where children are (communitybased centers, home-based child care, district schools) Requires Certified Type 04 Teachers, Class size of 20 students and a Research Based Curriculum

11% set-aside for children ages 0-3 for home visiting programs for high-risk families.

9 PFA Funding Competitive funding through Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG) administered by the IL State Board of Education More than 190,000 children are eligible to participate in Preschool for All programs Funding has been reduced by more than 20% since 2009 causing enrollment to drop over 95,000 kids to under 77,000 Illinois long-standing structural budget deficit threatens preschool access for thousands of children

Funding has been reduced by more than 20% since 2009 causing enrollment to drop over 95,000 kids to under

10 Head Start & Early Head Start Federally-funded program that promotes children s school readiness through comprehensive early learning environments. Head Start serves preschool-age children & their families. Early Head Start serves infants, toddlers, pregnant women & their families. Incomes must be below federal poverty level.

Head Start serves preschool-age children & their families.

11 Infant and Toddler Programs Home Visiting Trained professionals work with low-income families to promote early learning, support healthy development, and prevent child abuse. These intensive, voluntary programs are funded through IL Department of Human Services and the IL State Board of Education s ECBG. Early Intervention Provides support system and services for children with developmental disabilities or delays and their families. Services are available for children ages birth to 3 and are funded by the IL Department of Human Services. IL programs reach only 14% of eligible children.

These intensive, voluntary programs are funded through IL Department of Human Services and the IL State Board of Education s ECBG.

12 Aren t all these programs redundant? Child care provides programs that work for working families (9 to 5 jobs, night shifts, etc.) child care is not funded in a way that ensures schoolreadiness. Preschool provides school readiness preschool programs are typically 2 ½ hours/day so it doesn t work for working families. Without child care, preschool programs would be inaccessible to many children. Home Visiting and Early Intervention supports the most at-risk families which better prepares families to support their children and better prepares children to learn.

Preschool provides school readiness preschool programs are typically 2 ½ hours/day so it doesn t work for working families.

13 Importance of Early Childhood

14 Brain Development A high quality early child care experience promotes several aspects of brain development: Language and Cognitive Development Social and Emotional Development Later School Success Profound impact on children from low-income families.

Cognitive Development Social and Emotional Development Later

15 Short Term Economic Impact Generates $2.4 Billion every year Every dollar invested returns $2.13 in economic impact

16 Short Term Economic Impact Employs more that 71,000 people full-time Every job created creates 1.56 other jobs

17 Long Term Economic Impact Work of James J. Heckman, the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at The University of Chicago, a Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics, and an expert in the economics of human development Investments in developmental growth of at-risk young children through early childhood programs yield significant returns in future years For every dollar invested in quality early childhood education programs, government and society saves $7 to $10 in future costs: special and remedial education Delinquency crime control grade retention public assistance benefits lost taxes

in the economics of human development www.heckmanequation.

19 Candidate Questions Questions & Answers

20 Take Home Points Early childhood system in Illinois relies on child care (CCAP), Preschool for All, Head Start/Early Head Start to provide educationally enriching full-day, full-year services to children in low-income families. Illinois is serving thousands of children through these programs, yet there are still thousands more that are not accessing early learning opportunities. Quality economic returns come from quality investments in early childhood development.

Illinois is serving thousands of children through these programs, yet there are still thousands more that are not

21 Contact Information Sessy Nyman (773) Kate Ritter (773) Websites: Illinois Action for Children Heckman Equation Center on the Developing Child

Illinois Early Childhood Programs Matrix

Illinois Department of Human Services State Collaboration Office Illinois Early Childhood Programs Matrix Updated 06-2012 Posted Online: 09-20-2012 ILEarlyChildhoodCollab.org ILLINOIS EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS