Illinois

Preschool for All

• Universally open to all 3 and 4 year olds in the state of Illinois
• Voluntary program for both families & providers
• Goal is to ensure that all children are well prepared to succeed in school and in life
• Funded by the Illinois Early Childhood Block Grant program, awarded to eligible providers
  (including public school districts) who meet program specifications
• 5-year expansion of previously existing early childhood programs
• Currently administered by Illinois State Board of Education
  (except in Chicago, where it is administered by the Chicago Public Schools)
• Preschool for All Executive Summary of Report by the Illinois Early Learning Council, 2006 [PDF]
• Preschool for All Full Report by the Illinois Early Learning Council, 2006 [PDF]

Brief History of Preschool for All

• July, 2006 Preschool for All was signed into law
• August, 2006, 101 Pre-kindergarten programs received Preschool for All funding
• Approximately 10,000 new children will be reached in 2006-07 due to this program
• It is estimated that when fully implemented, Preschool for All will ensure that 190,000 children will have access to high-quality preschool in Illinois
• Preschool for All Funding Report for Fiscal Year 2007 [PDF]

Illinois Prekindergarten Program for Children at Risk of Academic Failure

Overview of Program

• Serves children ages 3-5 who are at risk of academic failure
• Funding is provided through the Illinois Early Childhood Block Grant awarded to public school districts

Brief History of Illinois’s Pre-K Program

• Began in 1986
• The first full year of the program, 1987, 94 projects representing 202 school districts received funding through the program, serving 6,953 children
• In FY 2005, 500 projects representing 657 school districts received funding, serving 72,652 children
• Historical data on the program from FY 1986 to FY 2005 [PDF]

Evaluation of Illinois’s Pre-K Program

• Data collected:
  • number children served
  • demographics of the children and their families
  • involvement of the parents in the program
  • academic progress of the children
    • reading
    • mathematics
    • language
    • Illinois Standards Achievement Tests
• The Illinois Prekindergarten Program for Children at Risk of Academic Failure FY2003 Evaluation Report (2004) [PDF]

Illinois Early Learning Council

• Created in 2003 by the Illinois Legislature
• Mission is to develop a high quality early learning system that enhances, coordinates, and expands programs and services for children birth to five statewide