Findings. The General Assembly makes the following findings:
(1) Early childhood education and care is an essential part of our State's economy and infrastructure, providing the backbone that allows for parents and guardians to seek and maintain employment in industries across the State.(2) Further, research shows that participation in quality early childhood education and care supports children's development, serves as a protective factor from trauma, increases school readiness, lowers future health care costs, and increases employment options and earnings.(3) The State of Illinois funds early childhood education programs through the Illinois State Board of Education and the Department of Human Services for families seeking services aimed at improving the early development of children from the prenatal stage to 5 years of age. Similar programs are also licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services.(4) These agencies administer evidence-based home-visiting programs with doula enhancements, Early Intervention services, the Prevention Initiative program, the Preschool for All program, and the Child Care Assistance Program.(5) The cost to provide child care and early learning in the private market in Illinois is more than parents can afford, as it is more expensive in many communities than the cost of annual tuition and fees at a 4-year postsecondary institution.(6) Child care providers' revenues are insufficient, only allowing child care providers to pay minimum wage. That is less than 98% of all other jobs in the economy.(7) Workforce compensation in other early childhood programs is also not adequate to attract and retain qualified staff. This problem is especially acute for those working with infants and toddlers.(8) Illinois faces an early childhood educator workforce shortage, which stifles and artificially limits the supply of early childhood programs necessary for parents and guardians to go to work and school, thereby stifling economic growth in the State to an estimated cost of $2,400,000,000 annually. This is especially true for mothers, who often decide to stay home due to the exorbitant cost and inaccessibility of care.(9) Illinois also faces a shortage of high-quality early childhood education and care options in communities across the State, limiting access to services for families. The shortage is particularly acute for infant-toddler care, as there is only capacity for 17.4% of the State's infants and toddlers within licensed child care facilities.(10) In recent years, the State of Illinois has expanded access to the Child Care Assistance Program by raising the income eligibility threshold and making program policies more inclusive and has supported provider sustainability by significantly raising Child Care Assistance Program reimbursement rates. In addition, the State of Illinois has invested over $1,000,000,000 in federal pandemic relief funding in child care service providers to ensure that they could remain open and serve families and children in their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, and so that staff could continue to be paid.(11) However, beyond these federal relief funds, current public levers are unable to sustainably address the early childhood educator workforce shortage or the inadequate early childhood education and care supply to meet parent and guardian needs. Child care providers need stable, predictable, and sufficient revenues to pay attractive wages without increasing costs for families.(12) Any investment to address the early childhood educator workforce shortage and to support program quality must be developed and implemented in close partnership with the educators and child care providers who would be directly impacted, as has been done to date via the Child Care Advisory Council, the Illinois Early Learning Council, Raising Illinois, We, the Village, Birth to Five Illinois Action Councils, Illinois Child Care for All, focus groups, and other stakeholder engagement efforts.(13) Any investment to address the early childhood educator workforce shortage and to support program quality must prioritize fiscal accountability and provider accessibility.(14) Smart Start Illinois is an effort to expand early childhood education and care services statewide with a focus on services aimed at the prenatal stage of development through 5 years of age.(15) Smart Start Illinois aims to eliminate preschool deserts, make quality child care more affordable and accessible, and increase access to evidence-based home-visiting services with doula enhancements and Early Intervention services.Added by P.A. 103-0008,§ 95-5, eff. 6/7/2023.