Please take time to read the information below (under the banner). I strongly encourage everyone to call the Governor Quinn's office and oppose cutting funds for early childhood! This could impact the future of every state funded preschool program, including Bright Futures/Headstart.
You can support children & families and help prevent the loss of jobs and closing of centers by following these simple steps:
1. Call Governor Quinn at (217) 782-0244 and voice your opposition to any cuts in the Early Childhood Block Grant.
2. Email or call your legislators
- Leitch- davidleitch@ameritech.net
- Gordon- repjehangordon@gmail.com
- Moffitt- moffitt@grics.net
- Koehler- dkoehler@senatedem.ilga.gov
- Risinger- senatorrisinger@yahoo.com
- Smith- mks@winco.net
- DO NOT pass a budget with cuts to early childhood programs including:
- Early Childhood Block Grant funded through the State Board of Education
- Home Visiting funded through the Department of Human Services, Healthy Families and Parents Too Soon budget lines
- Child Care
- Children's Mental Health
- Tell leadership that you oppose the cuts and that you support revenue to fully fund programs for young children.
The General Assembly will consider both an operational and capital budget this week before their scheduled adjournment on May 31st. Unfortunately, both budgets may not include programs and investments vital to the lives of working families and children.
Capital Budget
In its current state, the capital budget does not include funding for early childhood facilities. Governor Quinn originally proposed $25 million for construction and renovation projects to keep up with the high demand for early childhood education. Without early childhood facility improvement and expansion, children around the state will lack the high-quality learning spaces they need to enter school prepared for success.
Operational Budget
Illinois is in the worst finacial crisis it has ever seen and there is real possiblity that legislators will pass the "doomsday" budget in order to meet the adjourment deadline. If the "doomsday" budget is passed, it could mean the following:
$1.5 billion cut to Education
- Elimination of the Early Childhood Block Grant which provides preschool for 100,000 children.
- Elimination of 14,300 teachers' jobs.
$769 million cut to Human Services
- Elimination of child care for 1,000 children and increasing co-pays for remaining children.
- Closing one out of every five Illinois Department of Human Services offices.
- Elimination of home services for 5,000 people with disabilities.
- Elimination of addiction treatment and prevention for 45,000 people.
We need you to take TWO urgent actions today:
1. Call your legislators today and tell them 3 things:
- Restore $25 million for early childhood facilities as a part of any capital budget.
- Pass an operational budget that includes $592 million for child care services and $392 million for the Early Childhood Block Grant (Preschool for All).
- Increase revenue in a fair and sustainable way to ensure funding for these vital programs. Illinois working families and children should not bear the burden of balancing the budget.
Click the link below to log in and make your call:
http://www.votervoice.net/groups/ACTION/advocacy/?IssueID=18124&AdminPreview=True&SiteID=-1
To prevent these devastating cuts, you can also:
- Forward the above information and encourage all your friends, family, coworkers, board members, and program participants to take action to protect funding for early childhood programs.
- Write a letter to your local newspaper so that legislators feel pressure from the community as a whole, including the media.
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