SPRINGFIELD – On the heels of Governor JB Pritzker signing the fiscal year 2024 budget, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is calling for applications for $75 million in new preschool funding. The Early Childhood Block Grant aims to increase access to preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds across the state and fill critical gaps in underserved areas. ISBE is encouraging providers to apply for this new funding to offer preschool services in the state’s preschool deserts. The application opened April 17, and the deadline is June 14.
The $75 million in new preschool funding is part of a broader $250 million investment in early childhood education and services. ISBE hopes the funding will expand access to state-funded preschool to an estimated 5,000 additional low-income children across the state – the first step in a four-year plan to serve 20,000 additional children and fully eliminate preschool deserts in Illinois. State Superintendent Dr. Tony Sanders recently joined Governor Pritzker at International Prep Academy in Champaign to highlight this important investment.
“High-quality preschool gives children the strong foundation they need to start kindergarten – and the rest of their lives – ready to learn,” said Dr. Sanders. “Throughout Illinois, there are currently families without access to preschool. Preschool deserts are in suburban, urban, and rural communities and in both higher-income and lower-income areas. The FY 2024 budget represents a monumental leap toward our goal of ensuring universal access to high-quality preschool. The application deadline for these preschool dollars is June 14, so I encourage every school district and every child care center and community organization in a preschool desert to apply for funding.”
Illinois ranks eighth in the nation for preschool enrollment, but there are still areas throughout the state with an insufficient number of publicly funded preschool seats to serve at least 80% of 3- and 4-year-old children from low-income families – the criterion ISBE uses to define a preschool desert. Find the list of priority preschool deserts where ISBE will target funding here.
The grant will fund the creation of new programs and expansion of existing programs, prioritizing applicants that serve children in preschool deserts outside the city of Chicago. Chicago Public Schools receives a separate grant for early childhood services, which it uses to offer pre-k for 3- and 4-year-olds districtwide. The grant application is open to a wide range of entities, including public school districts; Regional Offices of Education; university laboratory schools approved by ISBE; charter schools; area vocational centers; and public or private not-for-profit or for-profit entities, including child care centers with experience in providing educational, health, social, and/or child development services to young children and their families.
The Early Childhood Block Grant provides funding for three programs:
- Preschool for All – Half-day (2.5 hours per day), high-quality preschool for 3-5-year-olds with licensed teachers and standards-aligned curriculum
- Preschool for All-Expansion– Full-day (five hours per day), high-quality preschool along with comprehensive physical and mental health services designed to serve 3-5-year-olds in the highest-need communities
- Prevention Initiative – Home visiting and center-based programs that provide intensive, research-based, and comprehensive child development and family support services for expectant parents and families with children from birth to age 3
The number of programs awarded will be determined by the number of applications received and the amount of funds available. Programs that were funded in FY 2019, FY 2020, and FY 2023 do not need to apply to maintain current funding and should only apply to seek additional funding to expand their program.
The Birth to Five Illinois Regional Team is also available throughout the application window to assist with accessing, understanding, and utilizing the preschool desert data in funding applications.
Interested applicants may access the Request for Proposal on the ISBE website. Applications are due to ISBE no later than 4 p.m. on June 14, 2023.