The General Assembly passed a state budget on July 15, bringing to an end weeks of battling between legislators, the governor’s office and advocates over what was the best budget for Illinois.

The final budget was not the anticipated "doomsday" budget, but one that funds human service and grant programs at an average of 86% of their 2009 levels. At this point, however, it is impossible to report funding levels for specific programs. The governor received a lump sum budget for FY10 and he will decide how to distribute funds to state departments. We are monitoring the budget situation and will update you when we know how early childhood programs will fare. The final budget requires borrowed funds, cuts in spending and delays in payments of more than $3 billion in unpaid bills.

Since the end of May, advocates hammered legislators and the governor, pleading with them to protect education and other vital human services for the most vulnerable citizens of our state. Through the Ounce of Prevention Fund's online advocacy system, early childhood advocates logged more than 7,600 e-mails, letters, and calls to legislators and the governor's office.

Unfortunately, programs began to lay off staff and turn away families when July 1 passed without a budget agreement. Even though the situation looked very bleak, advocates stayed in the game to do everything possible to minimize our losses. And it worked. The doomsday budget failed to materialize. Your actions made a real difference in the end.

Our work is far from done. To fully implement this budget and avoid further cuts to programs, the state will need to raise additional revenue. Some of the choices made in developing this budget will result in even greater deficits in the FY11 budget. In the coming months, discussions will continue on the income tax increase and other revenue options. We need you to continue to remind legislators that we have not solved our budget problems. Please stay tuned to participate in important advocacy activities.

Other Successes in Springfield

The recent legislative session held several successes for young children and families:

Early Childhood Capital Initiative
On July 13, Gov. Pat Quinn signed a $31 billion state capital bill that included a $45 million set-aside for early childhood construction grants. The bill will provide eligible early childhood organizations with an opportunity to apply for new construction, renovations, or facility improvement grants.

The inclusion of early childhood construction in a state capital plan, a first for any state, is a tremendous accomplishment for Illinois. While Illinois is a national leader in the expansion and improvement of early learning opportunities for young children, state preschool funding doesn’t include dollars for new construction or capital expansions and improvements. Many areas of the state are faced with a demand for preschool and infant-toddler services that far exceeds the availability of appropriate learning spaces.

Some problems with legislative language in the capital bill need to be addressed and we are working to resolve those issues in the October veto session.

SB1412: Increase Infant Toddler Set-Aside in the Early Childhood Block Grant
SB1412, which increases the Infant Toddler Set-Aside of the Early Childhood Block Grant, passed the General Assembly and awaits signature by the governor. This bill will increase the set-aside from 11% to 20% by FY15 through a multi-year phase-in so that when the Early Childhood Block Grant receives an increase in funding, a greater portion will go to infant-toddler programs. Evidence of the achievement gap between children can be seen as early as 18 months. While quality preschool is a critical piece of helping all children enter school ready to succeed, more infant-toddler programs are needed to address the achievement gap.

HJR 50: Part C - Early Intervention Taskforce
After several years without review, the Early Intervention System could be augmented with the passage of a resolution to create the Part C - Early Intervention Taskforce. Advocates worked with Rep. Beth Coulson and the Department of Human Services on the resolution, which passed both houses and awaits signature by the governor. The taskforce will partner with the Department of Human Services to undertake a comprehensive and thorough review of the Early Intervention System and develop recommendations and an action plan to address issues related to workforce, financing, monitoring and evaluation, service delivery, and transitions.

President Barack Obama and Congress have worked this year to secure additional funds for early childhood education.

A Congressional committee included the Early Learning Challenge Fund, part of the president’s original budget, in a new education bill. Released July 15 by the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) establishes a learning continuum from preschool to college. The Early Learning Challenge Fund provides $10 billion over 10 years in competitive grants to challenge states to build a comprehensive, high-quality early learning system for children from birth to age five. Read how SAFRA invests in early childhood programs and makes college more accessible and affordable. This bill will be heard in committee on Tuesday, July 21. Please find your federal representative in our Action Center (scroll to the bottom of the page) and e-mail them to voice your support for this exciting new initiative.

One of President Obama's first major legislative acts was to secure additional funds for effective early learning programs. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided significant additional funding for several early childhood programs for FY2009 and FY2010. ARRA included $1 billion for Head Start, $1.1 billion for Early Head Start, and $2 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), which funds state child care assistance to low-income working parents. The ARRA funds will expand services for children dramatically in Early Head Start, where only 3% of eligible children are currently being served. Because these programs were level-funded for the past several years, the ARRA restores programs' purchasing power to late 1990s levels. Beginning in FY2011, additional funding for early childhood programs will be needed to address longstanding resource gaps.

The administration's FY10 proposed budget includes new early childhood initiatives.

• $124 million in mandatory funding for a Home Visitation initiative to support low-income families. The total proposal is $8.6 billion over 10 years. Since this funding is mandatory, it is not subject to the annual Congressional appropriations process.
  
  
• $500 million for Title I Early Childhood Grants, which would provide matching grants to Title I local education agencies serving low-income students that agree to invest ARRA funds in early childhood education.

Existing programs such as Head Start, Early Head Start, and CCDBG are included in the budget with modest or no increase due to the significant ARRA funds already allocated. Head Start/Early Head Start is slated for a small increase of $122 million, while CCDBG is level-funded.

Over the past year, the Illinois Early Learning Council engaged in a number of activities to ensure that all Illinois children are safe, healthy, eager to learn, and ready to succeed when they enter school.

In March 2009, home visitor Tasha Thompson traveled to Springfield to testify before the House Appropriations Human Services Committee about a bill to increase funding for home visiting services in Illinois. The following are excerpts from her interview about the experience.

Tell me a bit about your personal story and background.
I am currently a family support specialist with the Mental Health Center of Champaign’s home visiting programs. I think my story is unique because before working as a home visitor, I was in the program as a participant. I had my first child at age 15. I enrolled in the home visiting program not knowing what to expect, but soon found that it offered me great support and guidance. Because I came from a background of domestic violence and foster care, I knew the odds were stacked against me. But with the support of my home visitor, I am now a successful woman, wife, mother of three, college graduate, and published author. My youngest son benefited greatly from the program as well. I learned that I needed to start early to support the education of my son, who is now 13, an honors student with a 4.4 GPA, and applying to high school with the hopes of attending a four-year university.

Why did you testify in Springfield?
I felt it was my duty to make my voice heard and do anything I could to help benefit home visiting programs in Illinois.

Had you ever done something like this in the past?
No! I had never done anything like that before in my life. I was absolutely terrified. It was my first experience with how decisions are made in Springfield and how laws are passed. At first I couldn’t  believe that I was testifying before legislators, sharing my personal story, and trying to get them to approve more money for home visiting. I was in awe of the whole process. I thought that legislators might question who I was and what I had to say about the issue. Finally, I just focused on the purpose of being in Springfield and prayed that my testimony would inspire legislators to make the right decision. 

What was the most interesting part of the experience?
Before going to Springfield, I didn’t know how things were really set up in our state capitol. I would hear things on TV but didn’t realize how much actually happens in Springfield on a daily basis. It was interesting to see all the representatives from organizations around the state trying to get bills passed on issues that they care about. I got a good sense of the importance of the work in Springfield, how it molds our state, and how much control legislators have. The experience left me wondering if I could be a lobbyist and keep fighting for the things that I believe in. I think the answer is “Yes, I could do this.” I would like to take my children to Springfield because I don’t want them to get to be my age and not have an experience like this. I want them to see all the people who are fighting for things that they believe in and help them realize that they too can make a difference.

What would you say to other people who might consider coming to Springfield to advocate for early childhood issues?
We all have a voice and I think that no one should pass up the opportunity. The pastor of my congregation says, “many voices with all one sound.” We are all different voices but when we get together to say the same thing, we sound as one and are louder and more powerful. All home visiting programs need to add their voice to make legislators more aware of the importance of the services we provide.

Did this experience change your perspective about advocacy?
I feel empowered and have the desire to stay informed and active to influence the process. I feel like I can really make a change with my advocacy.

Update: The bill that Thompson testified about, HB1053, was later passed successfully by the House of Representatives. No action was taken in the Senate.

If you would like to get more involved in the Ounce's early childhood advocacy efforts in Springfield, please contact Rashanda Perryman at rperryman@ounceofprevention.org or (312) 922-3863.