Bill > HR0137

This resolution calls for prioritizing early childhood care facilities infrastructure in Illinois, recognizing the critical importance of high-quality physical spaces for children's learning and development. The resolution urges the new Department of Early Childhood to develop a biennial assessment of physical infrastructure needs for both community-based and school-based early childhood providers, addressing gaps in understanding facility requirements across the state's mixed-delivery system. It specifically recommends expeditiously awarding the remaining Early Childhood Construction Grant (ECCG) monies to qualified applicants and quickly replenishing these grant resources to support building and repair demands. The resolution is grounded in research highlighting how quality early childhood environments contribute to children's safety, learning, and positive interactions, and it reflects recommendations from the bipartisan Illinois Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Funding to make early childhood services "simpler, better, fairer" for children, families, and communities. By emphasizing facility needs, particularly for underserved populations and community-based providers with limited capital access, the resolution seeks to address long-standing infrastructure challenges in early childhood education.

Education

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=137&GAID=18&DocTypeID=HR&SessionID=114&GA=104