Start Early's Statement
What happened this morning at Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center on Chicago’s North Side is alarming. Federal agents entered a licensed early learning program and detained one of its educators, leaving children, families and the early childhood community shaken. Start Early condemns these actions, which threaten the safety and stability of the very children our early learning system exists to protect.
Across every level of government and every corner of America, there is consensus that young children deserve access to quality early learning experiences where they can learn, play and grow in safe and nurturing environments. This morning’s traumatic incident stands in stark contrast to that shared belief and may leave profound and lasting effects on children, families and our communities alike.
Just last week, Illinois approved new legislation to strengthen protections for professionals and young children in early childhood settings. Today’s incident is a direct violation of those safe-space standards and underscores the importance of protecting early learning professionals, those whom families trust every day with their children’s care and development.
We share a collective responsibility to ensure that every early learning program fulfills its promise as a place of belonging, learning and joy and that children are protected from harm and trauma. We must do better for our youngest learners, their families and the dedicated professionals who serve them.