Community
Child
Care Connection, Inc.
1004 North Milton Avenue
Springfield, IL 62702-4430
Local: (217) 525-2805
Toll Free: 1-800-676-2805
Fax: (217) 525-5859
Office Hours: |
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9:00 AM to
4:30PM
8:00 AM to 4:30PM
8:00 AM to 4:30PM
8:00 AM to 6:30PM
8:00 AM to 4:30PM |
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Preschool For All
Preschool
for All is Governor Blagojevich’s five-year plan to make
Illinois the first state to offer voluntary, high-quality preschool to
all three- and four-year olds, as well as support for at-risk infants
and toddlers. The goal of Preschool for All is to ensure that
all children are well prepared to succeed in school and in life.
Preschool for All enhances the 20-year-old State Pre-Kindergarten
program to reach more children and improve quality and accountability
in the schools, community organizations and private providers that are
expected to participate. Children at risk of school failure
will be the first priority during Preschool for All’s
implementation, but within five years, all Illinois three and
four-year-olds will have access to preschool.
Frequently Ask Questions:
Q: Why do
we need Preschool for All?
A: Reason #1: Thousands of children whose parents want them
to have preschool do not have access. There are not enough spaces in
existing programs for at-risk children, and there are many families who
do not qualify for public programs but cannot afford access to a
quality private preschool.
Reason #2: Children who get quality preschool are better prepared for
success in school and in life. Research show that children
who participate in high-quality early learning programs have better
language, math and social skills than their peers who have missed this
opportunity.
Reason #3: Preschool investments make dollars spent on the
K-12 years more productive. Children who receive preschool are
ready to succeed in kindergarten, have less need for expensive
interventions like special education and are more likely to graduate
high school. Early learning is not in competition with K-12
education – it is the first step toward lifelong learning.
Q: Who
benefits from Preschool for All?
A: Preschool for All benefits all Illinoisans.
- Children. Children who get quality early
learning experiences
are ready to succeed in school, have fewer special education needs, are
more likely to graduate and earn more as adults.
- Low-income and working families. Eighty
percent of
Illinois’ three- and four-year-olds come from families that
earn less then $85,000 a year. Yet only forty seven percent
go to preschool, compared to sixty six percent of children from
upper-income families. Preschool for All opens doors for all
children.
- Early childhood educators. Preschool for
All creates
professional development opportunities, improves program quality and
enables practitioners to earn more by enhancing their qualifications.
- Elementary Schools. Children who attend
high-quality
preschool programs learn academic and social skills that enable them to
enter kindergarten ready and eager to learn.
- Existing early learning and child care
programs. Preschool
for All will provide new resources for programs to serve more children,
stabilize and improve staff and collaborate with other programs.
Q: How many
children will benefit from Preschool for All?
A: When fully implemented, Preschool for All will ensure that
190,000 children in Illinois have access to high-quality preschool.
This estimate includes children who are already served in existing
state Pre-Kindergarten, Head Start and PreK Special Education
programs. Over the next three years, funding will be used to
serve 32,000 additional three- and four-year-olds. Additional
funds will be requested by the Governor in fiscal years 2010 and 2011
to extend preschool to remaining children whose parents would like them
to participate.
For more information, see www.earlylearningillinois.org
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