Teachers' Lounge Podcast: The Early Childhood System Could Implode. How Can it Be Improved?

September 1, 2023

Original coverage by Peter Medlin for Northern Public Radio (NPR).

On a brand-new Teachers’ Lounge, we’re talking about an education system on the verge of collapse: early childhood. We’re talking with Gretchen Sprinkle and Cicely Fleming from Birth to Five Illinois -- a state-run early childhood initiative.

They just released 39 regional needs assessments that spell out how dire the situation is in every area of the state, along with recommendations on ways to improve it.

Sprinkle is with the DeKalb County region of Birth to Five and Fleming is the state director.

For a long time, in nearly every part of the state, there’s been a chasm between what early childhood services are available and what families need. We’re talking about everything from preschool to daycare, and more.

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