Olympia prepares for Capital Lakefair 2023: An annual family-friendly festival complete with rides, fireworks and elephant ears!

Happy New Year! – Fiscal New Year, That is! July 1 signals the start of a new fiscal year and – in odd-numbered years – the start of a new biennium. While our wall calendars may say 2023, Washington state government is in State Fiscal Year 2024 as fiscal years run from July 1 through June 30. If you manage a state contract, you are likely well aware of this transition, as the end of a fiscal year often brings a flurry of activity to allow state agencies to “close their books.”

Many new laws go into effect at the start of new fiscal years, including the controversial drug possession law in response to the “Blake Decision.” For example, the 2021 Fair Start for Kids Act laid out a number of milestones to increase access and affordability to quality early care and education. Per the Fair Start for Kids Act, effective July 1, 2023, Working Connections Child Care monthly copayments for families earning between 50-60% of the State Median Income rose from $115 to $165 a month. The Fair Start for Kids Act also provided that at the start of the next biennium (July 1, 2025), eligibility for Working Connections Child Care will rise from 60% of the State Median Income to 75% of the State Median Income (rising from $4764 to $5955 a month for a family of three). Here’s a breakdown summary from our resources page.

State Revenue Updates

On June 27, the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council met to receive the final revenue report for state Fiscal Year 2023. The forecast projects higher than expected revenue for the biennium that just ended as well as for the upcoming 2023-25 and 2025-27 biennia. These increases are largely thanks to projected increases in capital gains revenues. For example, of the $327 million revenue increase forecasted for the 2023-25 biennium we just entered, $108 million can be attributed to higher than anticipated capital gains receipts and $89 million in higher sales tax revenues.

As a reminder, 2021 legislation affirmed by the Washington State Supreme Court in early 2023 created a 7 percent tax on the sale or exchange of certain capital gains assets valued above $250,000. The law took effect Jan. 1, 2022 and first payments were due by April 18, 2023. The enacting legislation provided that the first $500 million received be directed toward the Education Legacy Trust Account (ELTA) to support early learning and public schools and any dollars received above $500 million be deposited into the Common School Construction Account (CSCA).

Decision Package Process

(Photo Credit: Department of Children, Youth and Families)

As the graphic above demonstrates, there is little “downtime” in the state budgeting process because state agencies begin planning for budget requests for the next legislative session before the ink is even dry from the previous legislative session.

Like the legislative process, state budgeting also serves as a “funnel,” with the number of viable proposals narrowing down throughout the process.

Following direction provided by the Governor’s budget shop (the Office of Financial Management, or OFM), state agencies work over the summer months reviewing, vetting and modeling potential budget proposals (referred to as decision packages – or “DPs”) as well as agency request legislation (ARLs). This is a very intensive process as agencies weigh this executive guidance and agency priorities with other practicalities (e.g., supplemental budget year, legislative appetite, etc.).

In September of each year, state agencies officially submit their decision package and agency request legislation ideas to the Office of Financial Management (OFM). OFM then publishes all the submitted documents on its website so the information is available to the public. Once state agencies submit their proposals, the focus turns to OFM staff and the Governor as they enter “budget build,” reviewing the various decision packages and agency request legislation proposals.

This part of the process culminates in the release of the Governor’s proposed budget in mid-December annually. Note that even though we will have a new Governor in 2025, Governor Inslee will submit a final two-year budget in 2024 prior to leaving the Governor’s office.

It is also important to note that once the Governor’s budget is released, state agencies can only advocate for proposals contained therein. This means that if one of their decision packages was not included in the Governor’s budget, that state agency is limited to answering technical questions about the program/service and cannot advocate in the same way they can if the item is funded in the Governor’s budget. For this reason, decision packages have a short “shelf life.” Once the Governor’s budget is released, decision packages really only serve to provide data points and cost modeling information.

We will share a summary of key decision packages and agency request legislation after their release in September. In the meantime, check out our Deep Dive section from August for a refresher on how the decision package process works.

Impending Changes

(Photo Credit: Image by wirestock on Freepik)

Dominos Falling … I recently scrolled through the legislative website and was struck by the magnitude of change Olympia will see – regardless of the 2024 elections – and we have not even reached the time during election years when lawmakers looking to retire announce they are not seeking reelection. These announcements typically occur toward the end of the short legislative session in even-numbered years.

Governor Jay Inslee’s decision to not run for a fourth term as Governor set in motion falling dominos with the offices of Attorney General and Public Lands Commissioner opening up as those incumbents threw their hats in the ring for the Governorship. Shortly thereafter, longtime Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler announced he, too, would not seek another term.

These announcements set up a flurry of potential movement in the Legislature, particularly in the Senate, with at least four sitting Senators signaling interest in pursuing statewide elected office. Of course, some of these Senators could change their mind and decide not to run, or their quest for statewide office could come in a year when they are not up for reelection, so they would not have to give up their Senate seat if they did not prevail. If any sitting Senators do give up their Senate seats to seek statewide office, we can expect a number of their House of Representative seatmates to show interest in those Senate seats. More dominoes …

We already know the 2024 legislative session will not include longtime Senate Ways and Means Chair Christine Rolfes as she resigned her Senate seat effective mid-August to serve on the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners. Kitsap County Democratic Precinct Committee Officers selected Senator Rolfes’ House seatmate Drew Hansen as its top choice to fill the empty seat. The Kitsap County Board of Commissioners will make the final decision.

Legislative sessions are never boring and the magnitude of impending changes in personnel will make the “palace intrigue” of Olympia all the more fascinating.

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Home visiting is a voluntary service designed to ensure that families with young children have the supports and resources they want and need to thrive. They aim to strengthen caregiver-child relationships; promote maternal, infant, and early childhood physical, mental, and emotional health; and link families to community resources and services through cross system collaboration.

The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) presents an opportunity to strengthen prevention efforts like home visiting and to expand them to more families. FFPSA is federal legislation that reorients child welfare towards prevention and seeks to reduce the use of foster care. Since we know the power of home visiting in preventing child welfare involvement, bringing it to scale could be critical in fulfilling Family First’s goal. Many states are centering their Family First prevention plans around voluntary home visiting, and some are creating pathways for families to access these services in their communities, without child welfare involvement.

In a new brief, experts from Start Early and Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago outline ways to scale up home visiting capacity through Family First. The brief explores key opportunities that have been identified as Family First is implemented and provides recommendations to strengthen collaboration between child welfare and home visiting programs at the federal, state, and local levels, including:

• Scale Up Home Visiting for Additional Capacity
• Partner and Collaborate Across Child Welfare & Home Visiting for Collective Impact
• Implement Home Visiting to Model Fidelity
• Orient Philosophies and Policies around Prevention
• Support a Diverse Community-based Workforce that Meets Families’ Needs

Center Family Engagement

At the 2022 National Home Visiting Summit hosted by Start Early, there was a strong emphasis on the connections between home visiting and FFPSA. The focus on Family First at the Summit reflects the interest across the country to further lean into systems partnerships between home visiting and child welfare agencies to create structural conditions that provide access to supports without stigma or blame. In this way, we can acknowledge and address the inequities that harm children and families of color and lead to further disparities and disproportionate representation in the child welfare system. Read the full report.

Learn more about Start Early’s resources and learning opportunities for the home visiting field.

The Buffett Early Childhood Fund (BECF) invests in early childhood practice, policy and science to improve systems and create structural change so all young children and families thrive. BECF has partnered with Start Early for 20 years. BECF has invested a total of more than $90 million in Start Early, collaborating with our organization to launch and expand both the Educare Learning Network and the First Five Years Fund (FFYF) over time.

History and Impact of the Educare Learning Network

In 2000, Start Early, the Irving Harris Foundation and other partners created the first stand-alone Educare school, Educare Chicago, on the city’s South Side.

Shortly after opening its doors, Educare Chicago attracted the attention of Susie Buffett, founder of BECF and a philanthropist, at that time, new to early childhood. Susie Buffett was seeking to improve educational outcomes and bring an effective early education initiative to Omaha, Nebraska. Following consultations with Start Early and a site visit to our Educare school, she decided to invest in establishing an Educare school in Omaha, which opened in 2003.

Through BECF and Start Early’s leadership and partnerships with other Head Start providers, school superintendents and philanthropists around the country, the Educare Network has since grown to 25 birth-to-five schools in 15 states, Washington DC and the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. In Nebraska alone, BECF has supported the development of four Educare schools and three infant-toddler centers while fueling state policy and systems change to improve early care and education across the state. They have also inspired and engaged a cadre of philanthropic leaders to invest in early education across the country. As the Educare Network’s founding and longest-standing philanthropic partner, BECF works with Start Early and Educare schools to leverage the Network’s national footprint, invest in and scale innovative approaches and build capacity for policy and systems impact.

BECF’s Role in Accelerating Innovations in the Educare Network

Educare schools are learning hubs that innovate and share best practices to transform the lives of young children and positively impact the broader early childhood field. Through its Acceleration Grant initiative, BECF sparked and invested in innovation across the Educare Network, expanding the impact and reach of effective program and policy strategies developed by Network members to additional Educare schools and other early childhood providers nationwide.

Outcomes of BECF’s Acceleration Grant initiative include the expansion of the Educare Parent Ambassadors program, which develops and empowers parents and family members to use their voices and lived experiences in the advocacy arena. Building on the success of Educare Seattle and Educare Central Maine’s programs, Parent Ambassadors now includes six Educare schools and additional non-Educare programs in states across the country, with plans to further expand. The Acceleration Grant program also supported the scaling of Educare Miami’s Early Science Initiative to other Educare schools, a workforce mindfulness and wellness program from Educare Denver/Clayton Early Learning and an effective educator coaching initiative led by Educare Arizona/Southwest Human Development, among others.

Driving Federal Policy Change Through the First Five Years Fund

In 2007, BECF joined Start Early in launching the First Five Years Fund, a bipartisan advocacy organization that galvanizes support for greater investment in and access to high-quality learning and care.

For fifteen-plus years, FFYF, with support from BECF and other visionary philanthropic partners, has played a crucial role in strengthening and expanding federal early learning programs and building unprecedented federal bipartisan support. This ever-growing momentum, demonstrated by a roughly 60% increase in funding and near-unanimous reauthorization of federal early childhood programs since 2008, represents significant progress and years of dedicated work.

FFYF’s efforts have been integral to maximizing the impact of federal investments supporting the expansion of early childhood opportunities. Additionally, as COVID-19 illuminated long-standing inequities in our country’s systems and policies, FFYF has amplified the role of early learning and care in advancing racial equity, plus the changes needed to create opportunities for all children to thrive. This emphasis on addressing inequities through the promise of quality early childhood education is at the core of BECF and Start Early’s missions, and we are grateful to have a like-minded partner in BECF for this critical work.

One of BECF’s greatest contributions has been inspiring the support of new philanthropic partners to join the movement for quality early learning and care, focusing on closing the opportunity gap.

The Buffett Early Childhood Fund (BECF) was established in 2005 by Susan A. Buffett. Based in Omaha, Nebraska, the Fund invests in practice, policy and research to close the opportunity gap for the youngest and most vulnerable children and their families in Nebraska and across the country.

The Buffett Early Childhood Fund’s practice investments include the Educare Learning Network; policy investments include the First Five Years Fund and the Alliance for Early Success; and research investments include the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute as the national evaluation partner of the Educare Network, the research of Nobel Laureate Dr. James Heckman, and the Harvard Center on the Developing Child.

In Nebraska, BECF supports a wide range of organizations and agencies that are working to close the opportunity gap, address early childhood workforce challenges and improve program quality and increase public funding streams across the state. BECF Nebraska partners include First Five Nebraska, the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska and the Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative, among others.

Chicago’s new mayor, Brandon Johnson, has taken office at a pivotal time for shaping the future of Chicago’s early care and education system. Last week, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, which includes an historic $300 million increase in statewide investments in the state’s core early care and education supports for families with young children. Much of this funding will benefit the over 200,000 children ages birth-5 in the city.

Outlined below are just some of the most notable impacts of Illinois’ newest budget on Chicago’s youngest learners and those who support their healthy development and education.

EARLY CHILDHOOD BLOCK GRANT: $75 Million Increase

Governor Pritzker’s Smart Start plan includes a welcome increase of $75 million (12.5%) in state funding for preschool, evidence-based home visiting services and center-based infant-toddler programs funded by the Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG) at the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). As is required by state statute, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will receive 37% of this increase, which translates to roughly $27.75 million.

Of this allocated funding, CPS has traditionally held on to 60% to fund their school-based pre-Kindergarten (pre-K) programs and sub-granted the remaining 40% to Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS), which are used to fund home visiting and center-based services in community-based programs. This breaks down to roughly $16.65 million more in funding directly for CPS’ pre-K programs and an additional $11.1 million in funding for DFSS-funded community-based early childhood programs.

With Chicago Public Schools recently having achieved universal pre-k for all 4 year-olds in the city, Start Early urges the district to consider how these additional funds coming to the city can support the infrastructure for these pre-k slots, including growing the early childhood workforce, targeting supports for children with disabilities and English learners and strengthening the birth-3 care pipeline that lays the foundation for later success in school.

EARLY INTERVENTION: $40 Million Increase

This astounding 34.5% increase in state funding for Early Intervention (EI) comes at a time when Chicago families continue to experience decreased access to services and long waitlists for children ages 0-3 with disabilities, due to a shortage in the EI workforce. These funds will be used to issue a much-needed 10% rate increase for EI providers beginning July 1, 2023.

EARLY CHILDHOOD INCLUSION: $5 Million in New Funding

Through the state budget, the Illinois State Board of Education will receive $5 million in brand-new funding directed toward supporting inclusion in schools and community-based early childhood settings for preschoolers with disabilities and developmental delays. Chicago Public Schools and Chicago’s six federal Head Start grant recipients have already been working together over the last year to build a plan for ensuring that children with disabilities who are enrolled in community-based early childhood programs have access to inclusive special education services in the least restrictive environment. This new ISBE funding signals a commitment to supporting the statewide infrastructure that makes efforts like the one in Chicago possible.

Last month, we hosted our 21^st Annual Luncheon at the Hilton Chicago, where we welcomed hundreds of supporters to discuss advancing maternal health equity. Through powerful conversations and presentations with experts in the field, we discussed the maternal health crisis and the inequities in the system impacting Black women, alongside the innovative solutions that can save and transform lives.

If you were unable to join us, you can watch the highlights of an incredibly impactful afternoon below.

Quality maternal health can change a child’s future, and when we support the wellbeing of mothers and birthing parents, we set our children up to make an impact for future generations. Ensuring equitable access to quality health care – before, during and after birth – can help prevent maternal and infant mortality and strengthen the developmental systems that enable children to reach their full potential.

As Luncheon Co-Chair Sam Yagan shared, “…we have no choice but to address the issue of inequality at birth. Not just for the sake of the kids and the moms whose lives we improve, but for all of us, and for our own lives to improve.”

I am so thankful for the opportunity to bring parents, educators and early learning professionals together with business and community leaders to discuss the opportunity in front of us to reshape maternal health. And I want to share a special thank you to our Luncheon Co-Chairs, Suk Shah and Sam Yagan, who did an incredible job setting the stage for maternal health experts, mothers, and doulas, who provided the critical perspectives needed to understand the full picture when it comes to maternal health.

We are grateful for the incredible support and generosity of our donors and event sponsors who helped us raise $1.15 million. Every dollar raised helps our young families and sets the stage for them to thrive. You can still show your support by making a donation today. When we come together and invest in early childhood education, we can transform the lives of our future generation.

Luncheon Co-Chair Suk Shah said it best: “Children with quality early learning experiences, who are healthy and prepared, do better when they enter kindergarten. Parents do better, and they’re more prepared to contribute to the strength of their family and their community.”

Thank you for being part of our 2023 Annual Luncheon, and we hope to see you again soon.

Many states and communities are working hard to create cross-sector early childhood systems that children and families experience as equitable, supportive, accessible, and high-quality. Start Early and Child Trends have partnered to identify what building blocks are needed to create such systems.

Using a human-centered design approach, between 2021 – 2023, we spoke to state systems’ representatives, researchers, family advocates, and technical assistance providers from across the country to understand how their systems were working to promote equity and center families’ experiences, and what resources they may need to engage in such work. To help augment these discussions, we listened to recorded interviews and reviewed more than 25 early childhood systems frameworks, toolkits, and action plans from multiple organizations, states, and communities across the country.

The briefs in this series, called Conversation Starters, offer a guiding framework that outlines an approach to co-defining the success of an early childhood system in terms of how it is experienced by families. The systems builders consulted in this publication each expressed a clear vision for the kind of system they were trying to co-create with families and what they wanted families to experience when interacting with their system. But none of them—not even those from systems that are deservedly held up as shining examples—felt that they had it all figured out. They continue to strive for new ways to make their system more family-centric, more equitable, and more transparent.

Early Saturday morning, the Illinois General Assembly approved the state’s Fiscal Year 2024 (FY 2024) spending plan, which contains historic investments in the early care and education system, including proposed measures outlined in Governor J.B. Pritzker’s multi-year Smart Start Illinois plan.

Start Early is thrilled that the final budget contains nearly $300 million in new state funding for child care, preschool, home visiting, the Early Intervention (EI) program, and inclusion supports for preschoolers with disabilities and developmental delays.

“Today is a remarkable day for young Illinoisans and their families,” Start Early Vice President of Illinois Policy Ireta Gasner said. “The General Assembly passed a budget that directs significant state funding to a set of bedrock early childhood programs families know, benefit from and love. We thank the legislature for funding the first year of Governor Pritzker’s Smart Start Illinois plan, and we stand ready to work with the administration and the General Assembly to continue building and strengthening the early childhood system Illinois children and families deserve.” 

With these dollars, more families will gain the access they need to critical early learning programs, and many in the early childhood workforce will see long-overdue increases in pay. Early Intervention providers, for instance, will receive a 10% rate increase come July 1, 2023, and the administration has promised to issue grants to child care providers that will allow them to increase salaries for teachers and staff. The state will also have new resources to further strengthen and expand its nation-leading system of home visiting services. Along with the creation of thousands of new preschool slots in schools and child care centers throughout Illinois, communities will be able to use additional education funding to further deepen services for families with infants and toddlers, like home visiting. 

Here are the specifics:

• $170 million (41.4%) increase for the child care system at IDHS
• $75 million (12.5%) increase for the Early Childhood Block Grant at ISBE
• $40 million (34.5%) increase for the Early Intervention (EI) program at IDHS
• $5 million (27.9%) increase for evidence-based home visiting programs at IDHS
• $5 million in brand-new funding at ISBE to support inclusion in schools and community-based early childhood settings for preschoolers with disabilities and developmental delays
• $50 million in new, one-time funding from the Build Illinois fund for the Early Childhood Construction Grant (ECCG) program (though in an unexpected policy change with which we disagree, funds will be directed only to school districts in FY 2024)

Several other important measures impacting the early care and education system – and the families and workforce who are a part of it – have been approved by the legislature this session, including:

• HB3817 (Rep. Gordon-Booth, Sen. Sims), the FY24 budget implementation bill, which:
  • Makes permanent the current income eligibility threshold (225% of FPL) for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)
  • Establishes in law parts of the governor’s Smart Start Illinois plan,
• SB1794 (Sen. Pacione-Zayas, Rep. Ortiz) – establishes in law the existing IDHS home visiting programs
• SB2390 (Sen. Pacione-Zayas, Rep. West) – among other changes to address teacher vacancies in the state, extends for five years the current staffing flexibility that allows early childhood educators with a Level 5 from Gateways to Opportunity to teach in a Preschool For All classroom provided they are working to secure their teaching license
• HB2396 (Rep. Canty, Sen. Lightford) – requires each school board to establish a developmentally appropriate full-day kindergarten program by the 2027-2028 school year

We expect the Governor to sign and approve this final budget package soon. 

This suite of policy changes and funding increases was made possible by the commitment and diligent efforts of advocates across the state! Throughout the spring legislative session, parents, educators and advocates contacted state legislators thousands of times on behalf of Illinois families and those who serve them. We encourage you to reach back out to Governor Pritzker and your elected officials to thank them for prioritizing early childhood programs and services that set up our youngest learners for health and success in school and in life. 

Lee la declaración en español

Separation anxiety and the behaviors that manifest from it are specific to each child. Educators must honor the differences in each child and the culture of the school or center where they work when partnering with parents to help a child cope with separation anxiety. While the strategy will vary for each child, the goal remains the same: helping them feel safe and secure in the new environment so that they can learn.

The thoughts and opinions expressed in this article are informed by what Start Early experts and Educare Chicago teachers have found to be successful ways of mitigating separation anxiety in the classroom. While there are many opinions on this broad topic, one recurrent theme is the importance of establishing a routine.

The Capitol Campus is just showing off …

With swift action on the “Blake Fix” relating to drug possession laws and treatment during a one-day special session May 16, 2023, the Legislature officially concluded its business, ushering in the beloved season simply known as “interim.”

This edition of “Notes from Olympia” includes a wrap-up of budget and policy items, revenue updates and other key announcements.

Bill Signings Completed

Bill action. Following adjournment of the Special Legislative Session on May 16, Governor Jay Inslee signed the final bill passed by the Legislature (which, fittingly, was 2E2SSB 5536 related to drug possession and treatment, the topic of the special session).

Although the Governor signed into law most of the bills that reached his desk, he did issue some vetoes and partial vetoes. One bill he vetoed in its entirety was SHB 1590, which would have changed the membership and subcommittee structure of the Department of Children, Youth and Families Oversight Board. In his veto letter, Governor Inslee expressed his preference for a different approach for including the voices of individuals with expertise in educating youth in juvenile institutions or foster care.

Start Early Washington updated its bill tracker on its resources page to reflect the Governor’s actions on early learning related bills.

Budgets signed. The Governor signed both the Capital and Operating budgets, with some partial vetoes. Avid readers of our trivia section will be pleased to hear the Capital budget provision to restore the historic skylights in the Legislative Building in advance of the building’s 100-year anniversary of its opening in 2028 was approved.

Those of you, however, hoping to access the top of the Capitol dome via its steep 262 stairs for the first time since 2007 will be disappointed to hear that Capital budget provision was vetoed due to safety concerns. As a result, this photo outside of the cupola atop the Dome will not be recreated anytime soon:

The year of this photo is unknown, but my educated guess is the late 1960s- early 1970s based on the snazzy fashion choices.
(Photo Credit: Washington State Archives)

Start Early Washington’s resource page also includes a breakdown of new investments in early learning related items. Our initial math shows these investments total just south of $740 million in new federal and state funding. One of our interim projects is to dive deeper into these numbers. Our working hypothesis is that this is the largest increase in state funding for early learning to date.

Revenue Collection Update

Each month, the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council produces updates on revenue collections and other economic trends (such as unemployment and housing construction).

May revenue collections came in $16.4 million lower than the March forecast. Adding in the April revenue collections, cumulative revenues are now $21 million lower than forecasted. If actual revenue collections continue to come in lower than forecasted, adjustments to the 2023-25 biennial budgets will need to be made when the Legislature returns in 2024.

Chh-Chh-Chh-Changes

Near the end of the bill signing period, Governor Jay Inslee announced he does not plan to pursue a fourth term as Governor in 2024, setting off a chain of subsequent declarations (official and “exploratory”) of intent to run for various offices. We could also see movement in the legislative makeup – and chairmanship(s) of key committee(s) – prior to the start of the 2024 legislative session as a number of sitting lawmakers threw their names in for consideration for local government roles.

As a result of these announcements, change will be the theme in Olympia at least through 2025.

A New Policy and Politics Resource

The Washington State Standard, a great new, nonpartisan resource focused on Washington state government, is now available free of charge. Reporters for the Washington State Standard include longtime Olympia reporter Jerry Cornfield (formerly of the Everett Herald) and Laurel Demkovich who covered Olympia for the Spokesman Review. The Washington State Standard has quickly become a “must read” for those interested in policy and politics at the state level. Sign-up to receive a daily update in your email.

One of its first stories focused on child care, analyzing the gaps in our system regarding family access, affordability and provider compensation.

Final Note – Update on the Newhouse Building

Now that I’m no longer in Olympia on a daily basis, I rely on colleagues and Twitter to keep me updated on the status of the various construction projects that entertained me during the session. Thanks to DCYF Government Affairs Policy Advisor Mary Sprute Garlant for this status update on the Newhouse Building construction as of May 4. My “sources” tell me the building is now completely demolished.

Newhouse Building construction as of May 4, 2023
(Photo Credit: DCYF Government Affairs Policy Advisor Mary Sprute Garlant)

Thanks for reading! We will be sharing updates periodically throughout the legislative interim. Feel free to share any ideas for deep dives or trivia.

The Governor’s multi-year Smart Start Illinois proposal includes important and unprecedented increases to home visiting programs: a $75 million proposed increase to the Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG) under the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), which includes the Prevention Initiative home visiting program, as well as a $5 million increase to the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) home visiting programs. Passage of the Governor’s proposed fiscal year 2024 budget and implementation of Smart Start Illinois will have a significant impact on home visiting services in Illinois by bolstering supports to recruit and retain a diverse and highly-qualified workforce and dramatically expanding the reach of programs to serve more children and families.

Illinois has a long and robust history of supporting home visiting services as a key pillar in the continuum of infant/early childhood services that strengthen the caregiver-child relationship and connect families to vital community resources to support long-term healthy development and well-being. Annually, Illinois serves an estimated 22,000 families across multiple home visiting models supported by a mix of state and federal funding streams. But we know that more families could benefit from these services, and that the home visiting workforce is at a crisis point with low wages driving turnover, which impacts family retention.

Start Early recommends that increased funds should be used to raise wages for home visitors to sustainable and respectful levels, as well as expand program access, particularly for prenatal and doula services and improve access to these services for families with infants and toddlers. As ISBE and IDHS work to grow the reach of programs, funding should also be used for capacity building or a separate funding opportunity to help start new programs in needed areas, as well as for supports, such as Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation, and enhancements for programs serving priority populations.