Pritzker visits Youth Services Network in Rockford to tout plan to bolster early education
Rock River Current
Get our mobile app
ROCKFORD — Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton visited Rockford on Tuesday as part of a tour touting a program designed to increase access to preschool and raise child care worker wages.
The Rockford community is getting $1.2 million in Smart Start funding. That was announced at Youth Services Network, which provides therapy and support services to families and children at 107 N. Third St.
Pritzker and Stratton also stopped in Moline on Tuesday, where $1 million in funding is headed.
More news: Comprehensive Whitman and School streets rebuild includes multiuse paths, roundabout
The Smart Start plan is centered on three initiatives:
- Increased funding to create 20,000 new preschool seats over four years;
- Raise child care worker wages
- Expand access to home visiting and early intervention services for thousands of children and families
The state is investing a total of $250 million in fiscal year 2024, including $130 million to give child care workers a raise.
“Smart Start’s first-in-the-nation, $130 million childcare workforce grants are providing a much-needed solution to stabilize and grow the childcare sector — allowing existing and new child care providers to give even more families affordable, quality care,” Pritzker said in a statement. “But the impact doesn’t end there, and the wraparound services provided by Smart Start will make a major difference for Illinois’s youngest starting from birth.”
Youth Services Network often serves children who are dealing with traumatic experiences or need early intervention for health treatment. It is state licensed and has been in operation since 1982.
“It’s critical that we provide an opportunity for all families to access early childhood education, so that our children can develop a strong foundation for a life full of learning,” state Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, said in a statement. “The investments we’re making today in Smart Start will continue to pay off for years ahead. I’m encouraged by the strong early numbers reflected by this initiative.”
