Pritzker’s Pre-K Expansion Invests in 14,000 Children Across Illinois

 

[March 25, 2019] 

Governor JB Pritzker joined Mayor Rahm Emanuel to announce a Chicago expansion of universal full-day pre-kindergarten made possible by the governor’s increased state investment in early childhood education covering an additional 14,000 children across the state. The investment will mean that communities throughout Illinois, particularly underserved communities, will be able to expand their pre-K offerings.

“I've worked on early childhood development and education for decades because I believe to my core that every child should be given the best possible chance for a bright future,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “With a $100 million increase in the Early Childhood Block Grant in my budget, we are proposing the largest ever one year increase in the program’s history and more money for preschool than we’ve ever invested. This means Illinois can expand universal full-day, high-quality pre-K to 14,000 more children this year. Investing in early childhood development means taxpayers spend less and more people are contributing to our communities’ health and prosperity. That’s why pre-school can’t be a luxury reserved only for some. It should be a right afforded to all.”

In his budget, Gov. Pritzker invested nearly $1 billion into early childhood education and care across the state, including increasing the early childhood block grant by a record $100 million.

“Every child in every neighborhood deserves a quality education, and that must begin in their critical earliest years,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “We must remain committed to expanding early education programming to ensure every student, regardless of their family’s resources, gets the great start they deserve. This expansion helps us to further close the achievement gap and build stronger communities across Chicago for generations to come.”

Studies show that early investments in children lead to better third-grade reading scores, a higher likelihood of graduating from high school and attending college, better jobs, better wages and lower incarceration rates.

[Office of the Governor JB Pritzker]