Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan to reorganize Illinois’ early childhood programs and funding sources under a single, unified agency is going to powerfully transform early care and education in our state. SAL Community Services fully supports this transition as part of the governor’s commitment to making Illinois the best state in the nation for families with […]
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan to reorganize Illinois’ early childhood programs and funding sources under a single, unified agency is going to powerfully transform early care and education in our state. SAL Community Services fully supports this transition as part of the governor’s commitment to making Illinois the best state in the nation for families with young children.The creation of a single agency will allow greater collaboration and knowledge sharing between services, resulting in better access and outcomes for our families. And it’s going to make an impact right here at home.Historically, state early childhood services have been housed separately in the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS), and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Now they will be housed as one.To be clear, this reorganization is of state-level government agencies. This means organizations and early childhood providers will be spending less time advocating and navigating agency policy and more time providing services directly to children and their families. The change is intended to assure a more equitable, integrated, and holistic system of services across the entire state. This new state agency transformation will unfold over several years and be partially guided by an advisory committee of stakeholders.The change is part of Smart Start Illinois, the state’s comprehensive plan to meaningfully support children, families, teachers, and childcare providers. Smart Start includes a $250 million investment in 2024 — including $40 million for Early Intervention programs, which are making a huge impact in our region already.SAL has been a leader in the early care and education field and looks forward to the impact a unified state agency will have on equity and alignment to strengthen our communities and directly benefit children, families, and the early childhood system.At SAL, we provide Support, Advocacy, and Learning in our Communities — from childhood to adulthood. Founded in 1970, we have a history of listening to the needs of our community and responding. We have grown from an organization focused on providing quality child care to low-income working families to one that meets needs, from early care and education to crisis assistance and stabilization services. Today, SAL has a bi-state 17 county regional footprint from the Quad Cities to Peoria area. Marcy Mendenhall is president and CEO of SAL Community Services. She can be reached at mmendenhall@salcommunityservices.org
