As Chicago prepares for the November Board of Education elections, voters, candidates and advocates alike are thinking about what’s next for Chicago Public Schools. As we approach campaign season, candidate and voter conversations must address plans to support a strong start for Chicago’s youngest learners.
High-quality early childhood education lays the foundation for a child’s success in school and throughout their lives. Research shows it produces a 13% return on investment through higher earnings, better lifetime health outcomes and less involvement in crime. Children who participate in these programs are also more likely to graduate from high school and earn a bachelor’s degree.
For Chicago families, early childhood education is about more than preschool. Chicago’s robust mixed-delivery system allows families to choose community- or school-based programs that best meet their needs. While CPS has made significant progress expanding school-based preschool, many children continue to arrive at kindergarten underprepared in math, language and literacy and social-emotional learning, highlighting the need to strengthen access to services from birth through age 5.
