Making young children a priority: The Illinois Story

Governor’s Summit on Early LearningAnchorage, AlaskaDecember 5th, 2007

Presented by: State Representative Elizabeth Coulson17th Illinois House Legislative District

Closing the Gap Between What We Know and What We Do

“The real question is how to use available funds wisely. The best evidence supports the policy prescription: Invest in the very young.”

Dr. James Heckman, Nobel Laureate in Economics

Presentation Overview

The vision, history and growth of Illinois’ investments in young children

How advocates and legislators made it happen

A note on quality

Built on Core Beliefs

Birth to five focus Research-based, high-quality program

models At-risk first, but not at-risk only Comprehensive view of children’s

development Building a system for young children

Linked early childhood and emerging policy challenges

The 1980s School reform

– 1986 - State Prekindergarten Statewide program for 3- to 5-year-olds at risk of academic

failure

– 1989 - Parental Training; Prevention Initiative Statewide programs for families with children birth-to-three:

Linked early childhood and emerging policy challenges

The 1990s Welfare reform

– Affordable child care seen by policymakers as essential to success of the reform efforts

Research on early brain development and impact of high quality programs

– Early learning experiences make a lasting difference– High quality programs improve child outcomes in school

and life

Linked early childhood and emerging policy challenges

1997: Early Childhood Education Block Grant created

– Combined the Prevention Initiative, Parental Training, and Prekindergarten programs into one funding stream:

Sound public policy: streamline state-administered, single-grant early childhood education programs

Informed by research: new brain research emphasizing importance of earliest years for future success in school and life

Commitment: serving infants and toddlers as well as 3-5-year-olds

Preschool for All

Built on the existing state PreK program, with expanded access and important investments in quality and accountability

Voluntary, high-quality preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds whose parents choose to participate

Priority services for at-risk children with gradual expansion to others

Continues funding set-aside for at-risk infants and toddlers through both home visitation and child development programs in infant/toddler child care settings

High standards and quality curricula and teaching staff in a variety of settings that parents choose (schools and community-based providers)

Simultaneous investments and improvements in other areas essential to healthy child development:

Health: Increased access to insurance and medical home

Child Care: Increased reimbursement rates for providers; created Quality Rating System

Social/Emotional Development: Increased funding for prevention/early intervention; integrated mental health consultants into a range of programs such as child care, preschool, infant/toddler programs and Early Intervention

Early learning system: Created the Early Learning Council to develop a high-quality system of early learning for children birth to five

Early Intervention: Improved identification of young children with developmental delays across a range of departments such as child welfare, maternal and child health, early care and education and child abuse prevention

Making it happen: Advocates

Broad coalition of advocates– Generate buy-in in the planning process – Many voices, one message

Cultivate leaders at all levels– Grassroots, community leaders, legislators

The marathon approach: systems building takes time– Requires attention to the whole rather than just its parts

Making it happen: Legislators

Use the research to make a compelling case

Build bipartisan support

Generate support from legislative caucuses

What the research tells us

Increasing body of evidence to support investment in early education

Three major and often cited studies: High/Scope Perry, Chicago CPC, Abecedarian

Peer reviewed research studies of targeted prek intervention with at-risk preschoolers

What the research tells us

Main findings– Increased standardized reading and math test

scores and lower grade-retention in 3rd and 5th grades

– Fewer behavioral problems and more self control at 3rd and 5th grades

– Lower rate of teen pregnancy– Less crime and violence in schools– Lower rates of tobacco and other drug use

Expanded access and improved quality go hand in hand

Research supports investing in quality; commit resources to quality as much as you would to access

Easier to build in quality from the beginning rather than adding in later

Build on, coordinate and improve existing programs and systems

Early Childhood EducationFunding in Illinois

Current FY08 early childhood appropriation: $347.8 million, with $38.2 million of the total monies funding services to infants and toddlers

Funded nearly 1,200 early childhood education programs statewide in FY07

Investments in the Early Childhood Block Grant have grown by $164.6 million in last 5 fiscal years, but many children still lack access

How Does the Early Childhood Block Grant Work?

Annually, the Illinois State Board of Education releases separate Requests for Proposals (RFP) for programs serving children aged 0-3 and 3-5

Bidder’s conferences and peer review of applications are conducted

Grant awards are announced after passage of the new state budget

Illinois’ Early Childhood Education System: Infant Toddler Set-Aside

Enabling legislation required a minimum of 8% of total funds to support programs for infants and toddlers

In FY04, the Illinois General Assembly INCREASED requirement to a minimum of 11%

Over 250 programs

-Schools -Early Head Start programs -Child care centers -Licensed family child care -Family support programs -Local health departments-Community-based organizations agencies

Find out more

Illinois State Board of Education

www.isbe.state.il.us/earlychi

Illinois Action for Children

www.actforchildren.org

The Ounce of Prevention Fund

www.ounceofprevention.org