On April 18, Start Early along with our partners at Child Care For All, COFI, Illinois Action for Children, Raising Illinois, SEIU, and We, the Village brought over 300 advocates down to Springfield to advocate for Illinois’ youngest learners. Advocates shared policy briefs outlining the impact that Governor Pritzker’s Smart Start Illinois initiative would have on our early childhood systems as well as Raising Illinois’ Babies Can’t Wait postcards highlighting the struggles & successes Illinois families have had with Early Intervention. We were honored to be joined by Governor Pritzker himself, as well as Lieutenant Governor Stratton, who both addressed advocates in the Rotunda as part of the day’s events.
Early Childhood Advocacy Day 2023
Watch video and look through photos of advocates across the state who gathered in Springfield on April 18, 2023 to urge legislators to approve a budget aligned with Governor Pritzker’s Start Smart Illinois Initiative.
Video
Early Childhood Advocacy Day 2023
Photo Gallery
Flip through photos from Early Childhood Advocacy Day 2023
With about a month left in this legislative session, we aren’t easing up our advocacy efforts! Here’s how you can still participate:
- Contact your legislators
- Use our social toolkit to share more about the impact of Smart Start with your personal networks
- Share your Early Intervention story
- To keep up with the work of the Illinois Policy Team you can also follow along on Twitter: @EarlyEdIL
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