On March 4, Start Early along with our partners at Child Care For All, COFI, Evanston Early Childhood Council, 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 their perspectives with legislators on the impact that increased funding for the Early Childhood Block Grant, ECACE, child care, home visiting and Early Intervention would have on Illinois families and providers.

Early Childhood Advocacy Day 2025
Look through photos of advocates across the state who gathered in Springfield on March 4, 2025 to urge legislators to invest in early childhood programs in the FY26 state budget.
The spring legislative session will continue through May 31, and we aren’t slowing down our advocacy efforts! Here’s how you can still participate:
- Contact your legislators
- If you weren’t able to join the live webinar, the recording of the Advocacy 101 training hosted by our partners at Illinois Action for Children is a great resource for getting more comfortable communicating with legislators
- Use our social toolkit to share more about the impact of increased early childhood funding 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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