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EAST MOLINE, IL — Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton stopped by the Aldridge Learning Center in East Moline on Tuesday to discuss the Smart Start Illinois plan.
The Illinois Quad Cities received a $1 million investment from the Illinois Department of Human Services to help local child care providers prepare for Smart Start workforce grants. This subsidy will be available to child care providers starting in fiscal year 2025.
“Smart Start’s $130 million, first-in-the-nation child care workforce grant provides a much-needed solution to stabilizing and growing the child care sector, helping existing and new child care providers reach more families. We will be able to provide quality child care at an affordable price,” the governor said. J.B. Pritzker said:. “But the impact goes beyond that. The comprehensive services provided by Smart Start will make a world of difference for Illinois’ youngest children from birth.”
Early childhood care providers and local leaders joined the governor to highlight three initiatives of the program:
- Increased funding to create 20,000 new preschool seats over four years and improve overall access and quality of care
- Raise the wages of childcare workers to stabilize the workplace and improve programming
- Expand access to home visiting and early intervention services for thousands of children and families
“It’s time to promise Illinois families that no child will be left behind, and that the people who care for them will earn the wages they deserve for such important work,” said Mike Halpin, D-State. said Sen. (D-Rock Island).. “We are one step closer to ensuring all children have access to a quality education.”
Pritzker said more than $145 million has been invested in 4,139 child care programs across the state to date.
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