Spring Legislative Session

The spring legislative session will continue through May 31, and we aren’t slowing down our advocacy efforts! Here’s how you can still participate:

• Contact your legislators
  • If you weren’t able to join the live webinar, the recording of the Advocacy 101 training hosted by our partners at Illinois Action for Children is a great resource for getting more comfortable communicating with legislators
•  To keep up with the work of the Illinois Policy Team you can also follow along on Twitter: @EarlyEdIL

Start Early's Response to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s Proposed FY26 Budget

Earlier today, Governor JB Pritzker issued his Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 2026) budget proposal, which outlines considerable funding increases for the state’s child care system, but maintains level funding for its remaining early childhood programs – a departure from the multi-year investments announced in 2023 as part of the administration’s Smart Start Illinois initiative. 

Start Early recognizes the state’s financial position, combined with uncertainties in federal funding, made it difficult for the administration to propose significant funding increases across early childhood programs. While we are pleased with the Governor’s request to improve funding for child care assistance ($160 million increase for Child Care Assistance Program; $90 million increase for Smart Start Workforce Grants), the proposal does not provide additional state funds for Early Intervention, evidence-based home visiting programs and the Early Childhood Block Grant (Prevention Initiative and the Preschool for All programs). This lack of investment will limit the state’s ability to support the early childhood workforce and ultimately, to serve more young children through strengthened programs and services. 

“We thank Governor Pritzker for his longstanding support for early learning and, particularly, the administration’s decision to prioritize child care access in Illinois,” Start Early Illinois’ Executive Director Celena Sarillo said. “Yet, when we fail to provide sufficient state funding for programs like Early Intervention and home visiting, we fail children during their most crucial developmental periods, and we leave families unsupported in caring for their little ones.” 

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We are particularly concerned about the proposed budget for the Early Intervention program. The administration is recommending a small rate increase for providers, at a cost of $10 million, which would be supported by Medicaid funds. While this is welcome news, it’s not nearly enough to address record levels of service delays that continue to plague the program – delays linked directly to a shrinking workforce. In fact, earlier this year, the Illinois Department of Human Services released a cost model that found an additional $168 million annually is needed to properly compensate providers and to stabilize the program. Without additional state funding paired with substantial rate increases, therapists will continue to leave the program and more infants and toddlers with or at-risk of disabilities and developmental delays will be left waiting to receive the life-changing services they need and are entitled to by law. 

In closing, we thank Governor Pritzker for calling out the risks of federal changes to our state and its communities and for his continued commitment to Illinois’ youngest children and to those who care for them, particularly during such challenging and uncertain times. The child care funding proposed today would preserve recent improvements to provider compensation, address contractually-required rate increases for home child care providers, and allow the state to manage expected caseload growth. It’s a good start, and we stand ready to work with the General Assembly this spring to direct more funding towards the entire early childhood system in Illinois’ final FY 2026 budget. Check out what Start Early will be advocating for this legislative session. 

Contact your state legislator today to let them know what early childhood programs mean to you and help ensure Illinois youngest children and their families are prioritized in the state’s final Fiscal Year 2026 budget this spring.

Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program

View more at: https://www.righttocareil.com/

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