Illinois Senate passes bill creating Department of Early Childhood

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Illinois is one step closer to creating a new state agency to oversee early childhood education programs.

Senators and advocates say the Department of Early Childhood could provide a more integrated and holistic system of services for young children and families across the state.

The future agency will take over the early childhood block grant program, child care assistance program, home visiting and early intervention services.

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"It is time for us to make sure that parents have easier access that is simple for providers and that is more cohesive and streamlined for the state overall," said Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood).

The Department of Early Childhood would also take over day care licensing, which has become a problem for the Department of Children and Family Services.

Senate Bill 1 passed unanimously out of the Senate Friday. The proposal now moves to the House for further consideration.

"The foundation of a child's success and well-being is built starting the moment they are born," Lightford said. "As a state, it is our duty to provide the necessary support and resources to build such stability. The creation of this unique agency will break ground on our transition as a whole, trauma-informed approached to meeting children's diverse needs."

The Illinois Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Funding recommended that the state should consolidate all early childhood programs into a new agency in 2021.

Gov. JB Pritzker celebrated the bill's passage on Twitter Friday afternoon.

"Senate Bill 1 will make accessing services simpler, better, and fairer by creating the Department of Early Childhood," Pritzker said. "Thank you to Lightford for your leadership in ushering this bill."