Budget cuts threaten early childhood programs

July 24, 2009

Parents across Illinois rely on the Ounce and our community partners to provide home visiting and doula services that give their young children a healthy start in life. Unfortunately, all of Illinois’s early learning programs are on the chopping block during the state budget crisis. Recent news articles describe how programs are forced to cut services and the effects on young children and their families.

The State Journal-Register explores cuts at a Springfield home visiting program funded by the Ounce. "[My home visitor] helps me with anything I need help with," said one mother, who had plans to continue her education. "She keeps me focused." Unfortunately, her home visits have been cut in half because of a lack of state funding.

"The miracle of childbirth is not immune to the peculiarities of state budget cuts," writes a reporter at the Peoria Journal-Star. Programs that provide community-based doulas, who help young mothers through the late stages of pregnancy to the early stages of motherhood, are also threatened with state budget cuts. The Good Beginnings doula program at Children's Home, funded by the Ounce, is operating a "bare-bones version of the program" while waiting to see if funding will be restored.

After the Illinois State Board of Education said it would cut funding for Preschool for All by 32 percent, CBS-2 Chicago featured the Ounce's Educare of Chicago as a shining example of the benefits low-income children gain from attending a high-quality preschool. The segment also touched on the fact that early learning programs save the state money in the long run. "This is an excellent investment," said Anita Harvey-Dixon, Educare site manager. "We can either pay up front, or we can pay on the back end."

July 31 Update: The governor signed a budget that partially restored funding to preschool, home visiting, and doula programs. The early childhood programs experienced a 10 percent cut compared to the FY09 budget.



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