We are calling on all early childhood advocates to contact your legislators today and urge them to fully fund the following critical early childhood priorities at the requested levels for Fiscal Year 2026:
- Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG) (ISBE): $75 million increase
- Child Care (IDHS): $175 million increase
- Home Visiting Programs (IDHS): $5 million increase
- Early Intervention (EI) Program (IDHS): $60 million increase
- Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship (IBHE/ISAC): $15 million increase
Each of these investments is essential:
- To increase compensation for early educators and address workforce shortages.
- To expand access to quality preschool, child care, home visiting, and Early Intervention services.
- To reduce service delays for families of young children.
- To support current and future early childhood educators through ECACE Scholarships and expand the existing workforce.
Without full funding, thousands of children and families will be left behind - and Illinois’ progress toward expanding early learning opportunities will be at risk.
Your voice matters. Legislators need to hear from advocates like you about why full funding for these programs is critical for Illinois’ children, families, and the early childhood workforce.
Take action today: Use this form to email your legislators! Urge them to support full funding for these early childhood priorities. You can learn more about these early childhood priorities here.
Together, we can ensure that Illinois remains a national leader in early childhood education and care!