At least 30,000 Illinois Children To Be Cut From Preschool
July 21, 2009When Preschool for All programs begin in September, at least 30,000 fewer Illinois children will be able to attend. The Illinois State Board of Education announced today it will cut funding for early childhood programs by 32.4 percent because the state budget approved July 15 by state legislators and Gov. Quinn did not fully fund education grant programs.
"It is unconscionable that Illinois lawmakers have put politics before the most vulnerable children in our state," said Diana Rauner, Executive Director of the Ounce of Prevention Fund. "Without high-quality early childhood programs, low-income children will arrive at kindergarten unprepared and will struggle throughout their school years to catch up. The state will ultimately pay more for costly remedial education later by cutting preschool programs today."
Preschool for All is funded by the Early Childhood Block Grant, which saw its funding cut from $380 million to $257 million for the 2010 fiscal year. The block grant also funds programs for low-income infants and toddlers that work with at-risk young parents to support their child's education beginning at birth. In the 2008-2009 school year, Preschool for All served about 95,000 children at 1,500 programs operated by local school districts and community-based agencies.
With a 32 percent cut, ISBE funding for early childhood education will drop below FY2006 levels. Preschool for All was signed into law in 2006 to bolster the state's existing preschool program and build up a voluntary, universal preschool system for all 3- and 4-year-old children. Until this year, the Illinois General Assembly, with bipartisan support, has increased funding for Preschool for All every year so that more children at risk for school failure could participate.
Both Preschool for All and infant-toddler programs give low-income children the opportunity they wouldn't otherwise have to arrive at kindergarten ready to succeed. Decades of research has shown that high-quality early childhood programs help narrow the academic achievement gap between low-income children and their more advantaged peers.
Illinois has one of the largest achievement gaps between black and white students in mathematics in the country, according to a report released last week by the U.S. Dept. of Education. The gap had narrowed a few points in recent years.
"Cutting preschool programs will devastate our state's efforts to close the achievement gap," Rauner said. "Illinois had been a national leader in early childhood education, but with these preschool cuts, we've forfeited years of progress as well as the futures of thousands of children."
The Ounce is calling on state legislators to go back to Springfield to create a budget that includes increased revenue to adequately fund early childhood programs.
"Legislators need to get back to Springfield now to solve the preschool funding crisis," Rauner said. "Waiting until the October veto session will be too late to save funding for this school year."
The Illinois State Board of Education estimates 5,000 to 7,000 preschool teachers and program staff could lose their jobs because of the cuts.
Cuts to early childhood programs threaten the future economic health of the state. Economists unanimously say that now, when the budget is tightest, is when states should be investing public dollars in programs such as early childhood education that have the best long-term return on investment. Every dollar spent on high-quality early childhood programs for disadvantaged children create $7 to $9 in future savings. At-risk children with quality early-learning opportunities are less likely to need special education and more likely to graduate from high school, earn more money and contribute more tax dollars. Effective early childhood development programs help reduce teenage pregnancy, crime, and other social burdens.
The Ounce of Prevention Fund gives children in poverty the best chance for success in school and in life by advocating for and providing the highest quality care and education from birth to age five.
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