Senate Early Childhood Education Committee Meeting
On March 30, 2023, Liz Gibson, Birth to Five Illinois: Region 32 Council Manager (representing Iroquois and Kankakee Counties) provided in-person testimony in Springfield at the newly formed Senate Early Childhood Committee meeting, chaired by Senator Cristina Pacione Zayas. The subject matter hearing provided members with an understanding of the importance of a mixed delivery system in eliminating preschool deserts.
Gibson provided information about preschool availability and access in Iroquois and Kankakee Counties, sharing several family stories to demonstrate not only the parent/caregiver barriers and challenges specific to the Region, but also to highlight the importance of the qualitative information being collected by the Birth to Five Illinois Action and Family Councils that give critical context and meaning to the quantitative Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) data.
As part of the testimony, Gibson was joined virtually by Teage Drinnon, mother of two and part-time Adjunct Instructor and Course Mentor at Ivy Tech, who spoke about scheduling and transportation challenges her family is experiencing in Kankakee County. Gibson also shared excerpts from letters submitted from two members of the Birth to Five Illinois: Region 32 Action Council, Assistant Superintendent James Duggan Ed.D., and Carolyn Short, Curriculum Director and Pre-K Administrator at Iroquois County CUSD, that expressed the need for increased funds to better prepare the children and families they serve for Kindergarten.
Birth to Five Illinois staff Cicely Fleming (Director), Ashley Earles (Region 51 Council Manager), and Amanda DeFord (Region 51 Family & Community Engagement Specialist) joined Gibson at the Capitol to offer support during her testimony.
Image descriptions of photos reading left to right:
A photo of 4 people sitting smiling left to right: Amanda Deford, Ashley Earles, Cicely Fleming, Liz Gibson. Amanda is wearing burgundy eyeglasses with a white cardigan with a floral gray and pink dress underneath. Ashley is wearing patterned eyeglasses with a black jacket with a navy blue blouse underneath and black pants. Cicely is wearing black eyeglasses and a gray long sleeve dress. Liz is wearing a black jacket with a black, white, and green patterned dress underneath.
A photo of several people sitting in front of screens during a conference. A video capture of Liz Gibson is being displayed on the screens.
A photo of a video capture of Liz Gibson smiling on a projector screen.
A photo of 4 people standing smiling. Front row from left to right: P.H. Miller Elementary School Principal Laurel Mateyka, Liz Gibson. Back row from left to right: Phillip Hosfeldt, Dean of System Programs/Johnson County Early Childhood Coordinator for Vienna High School, State Representative Harry Benton. Laurel is wearing a pink blazer with a black, white, and pink blouse underneath and black eyeglasses tucked into the hair. Liz is wearing a black jacket with a black, white, and green patterned dress underneath. Phillip is wearing black eyeglasses with a black suit jacket, gray patterned tie, and a white button up shirt with black pants. Rep. Benton is wearing a gray suit jacket with a gray patterned tie and a white button up shirt underneath with gray pants.
A photo of 2 people standing smiling left to right: Cicely Fleming, Phillip Hosfeldt, Dean of System Programs/Johnson County Early Childhood Coordinator for Vienna High School. Cicely is wearing black eyeglasses and a gray long sleeve dress. Phillip is wearing black eyeglasses with a black suit jacket, gray patterned tie, and a white button up shirt with black pants with a poster, a folder, and a notebook in hand.
A photo of 2 people standing smiling left to right: Illinois State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Liz Gibson. Senator Pacione-Zayas is wearing a gray blazer with a gray dress underneath. Liz is wearing a black jacket with a black, white, and green patterned dress underneath.