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| The Illinois General Assembly approved the state’s Fiscal Year 2023 (FY 2023) spending plan early Saturday morning. We expect Governor J.B. Pritzker will sign the package into law in the coming days. It is because of the commitment of advocates across the state that impactful decisions were made to prioritize our earliest learners. Just in the last few weeks, more than 720 letters were sent to legislators encouraging them to invest in early learning and care services and programs.
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The final budget (HB900) includes a welcome increase of $54.4 million (10% increase) in state funding for preschool, evidence-based home visiting services, and center-based infant-toddler programs funded by the Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG) at the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
It also includes $7 million (6.4% increase) in additional funding for the Early Intervention program, fully restoring the FY 2022 funding cut. The legislature also appropriated $1 million (6% increase) in new funding for Illinois’ Department of Human Services’ evidence-based home visiting programs, the first funding increase in nearly 20 years.
Read Start Early’s full statement on the approved spending plan.
“Approving a state spending plan requires difficult and critical decisions, and this year, the Pritzker Administration and the General Assembly made decisions that prioritize services for families with young children.”
- Ireta Gasner, Start Early vice president of Illinois policy |
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