SR0235 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0235 LRB103 32137 MST 61187 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The first years of a child's life are the period of the most rapid brain development and lay the foundation for all future learning; children's cognitive, physical, social and emotional, and language and literacy development are built on the foundation of positive interactions with adults, peers, and their environment; and

WHEREAS, There are 916,880 children birth through age five in our State, 19% of whom live in families with incomes at or below 100% Federal Poverty Level; and

WHEREAS, In Illinois, 69% of children have all available parents in the workforce; and

WHEREAS, High-quality early childhood programs provide important benefits to children, families, and our state and national economies; and

WHEREAS, High-quality early care and education can help ameliorate the effects of poverty, detect and remediate delays, identify and help prevent child neglect, and lead to positive outcomes for individual children, helping them be better prepared for school and more likely to succeed in life; and

WHEREAS, Participation in high–quality early childhood education saves taxpayer dollars, makes working families more economically secure, and prepares children to succeed in school, earn higher wages, and live healthier lives; and

WHEREAS, Many early childhood educators do not have equitable, affordable access to needed early childhood education credentials and degrees; in Illinois, 70% of licensed early childhood educators have earned degrees; and

WHEREAS, Tuition from fee–paying parents and subsidy rates for families with low incomes are typically insufficient to afford consistent early childhood education with highly–qualified early childhood educators and low child–to–early educator ratios that ensure the health and safety of children; and

WHEREAS, Payment rates provided to early childhood educators to provide high–quality early care and education services to low–income children do not cover the costs of quality; and

WHEREAS, The lack of sufficient public investment in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced child care programs, educators, and families into a series of impossible choices with devastating consequences; and

WHEREAS, The essential yet chronically undervalued child care sector has sacrificed and struggled to serve children and families since the start of the COVID pandemic; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare April 1-7, 2023 as the Week of the Young Child and April 30, 2023 as El Dia Del Niño (Children's Day) in the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we recognize the complex, valuable, essential, and demanding work of early childhood educators and recognize that when our society invests in educators, we also invest in children and families; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge all communities to support efforts that increase access to high–quality early childhood education for all children and families.