Redesigning Early Childhood Education in Illinois

September 25, 2023

Original coverage by Rich Egger for Tri States Public Radio.

A year-old state initiative aims to improve early child education efforts in Illinois.

But instead of being a top-down statewide system, the Birth to Five Illinois program is divided into 39 regions so it can address the specific needs of different parts of the state.

“We’re trying to amplify family voice and have that be the bedrock of our community around anything related to early childhood and care,” said Paul Larson, the program’s Regional Council Manager for District 26, which encompasses Fulton, Hancock, McDonough, and Schuyler counties.

He said they’ve done a needs assessment study of the district, which found there is a need for more people working in early childhood programs.

The region also needs more home providers.

“Hancock County lost a lot of home providers over the last couple of years. So that county particularly we want to hone in on and get the word out about trying to bolster the amount of home providers,” Larson said.

He said it’s not uncommon for families in Hancock County to drive out of town or even out of state to find a home provider.

Shannon McKee, Family and Community Engagement Specialist for District 26, said they spent the past year working on the needs assessment. She said they will spend the next six months working on an action plan to address the findings.

They will also keep tabs on whether ideas in the action plan are carried out.

“There is definitely a plan to keep moving forward and be in real time with the recommendations and needs and the implementation plan,” she said.

McKee said early childhood education begins as soon as the child is born.

“There’s not a difference between early childhood education and a child playing and growing. Those things are intertwined. Early childhood education and care starts with birth. It starts when children are interacting with their surroundings,” she said.

McKee said in the past, caregivers of young children were considered just babysitters. Now, they’re thought of as being brain builders.

McKee said families have choices. Some might choose to place their child in a formal childcare setting, while others might choose to have their childcare done through family members or friends.

“There’s no blanket recommendation that says your child needs to be enrolled in a program at a certain age,” McKee said.

“It has more to do with what the parents choose to do, and then providing them with the education and the supports that they need to raise their children the way they want.”

The District 26 office, which is based in Canton, is interested in hearing more from parents. In addition, they are interested in gathering input from those who work in any aspect of early childhood education.