On April 16, Start Early along with our partners at Child Care For All, COFI, Illinois Action for Children, Latino Policy Forum, Raising Illinois, SEIU, and We, the Village brought nearly 300 advocates down to Springfield to advocate for Illinois’ youngest learners. Advocates shared their perspectives with legislators on the impact that the creation of the Department of Early Childhood and increased funding for ECACE & Early Intervention would have on our early childhood systems. In visits with legislators, advocates also shared Raising Illinois’ Babies Can’t Wait postcards highlighting the struggles & successes Illinois families have had with Early Intervention.
Early Childhood Advocacy Day 2024
Look through photos of advocates across the state who gathered in Springfield on April 16, 2024 to urge legislators to invest in early childhood programs in the FY25 state budget.
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Early Childhood Advocacy Day 2024
With just over one month left in this legislative session, we aren’t slowing down 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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