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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Research shows that early childhood teacher
3effectiveness is a predictor for positive developmental and
4academic outcomes for children; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Continuity in early relationships with teachers
6and caregivers results in safe, stable, and trusting
7environments that allow young children the opportunity to
8explore and learn; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The work of early childhood educators is
10sophisticated and central to the healthy learning and
11development of young children and takes place in a range of
12settings, including schools, community-based centers, and
13homes; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Early childhood educators include home visitors
15and Early Intervention professionals as well as educators in
16schools, child care centers, and family child care homes; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Research shows that having children see their own
18identities reflected in their teachers can improve students'
19perceptions of and actual performance in school, and that it is
20critical for early childhood programs to have educators that
21reflect the families and communities they serve; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Nearly half of all lead early childhood educators
2hold a bachelor's degree or higher, nearly three-quarters have
3secured an associate's degree or higher, many hold
4state-recognized credentials, all must fulfill scheduled
5training requirements, and many have years of experience in the
6field; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The early childhood workforce is almost
8exclusively female and more racially diverse than the K-12
9workforce; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The current early childhood education system
11functions because early childhood professionals, particularly
12those working in community-based settings and those working
13with infants and toddlers, often forgo a living wage aligned to
14the sophistication of their work and level of education; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The early childhood workforce, particularly in
16community and home based settings, earns wages in the second
17percentile of annual earnings; many early childhood workers
18lack access to workplace benefits and must rely on public
19benefits to meet the needs of their own families; and
 
20    WHEREAS, These low wages have contributed to significant
21shortages in qualified staff in early childhood programs and

 

 

SR1051- 3 -LRB101 20481 ECR 70248 r

1will be a barrier to further expansion of services; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Adequate compensation is the foundation of a
3quality early childhood workforce; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
5ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the General
6Assembly to increase its investments in Early Childhood
7Education, the Child Care Assistance Program, Early
8Intervention, Healthy Families, and Parents Too Soon not only
9to expand access to high-quality services for children and
10families but also to enable Illinois to pay its early childhood
11workforce the wages needed to attract and retain qualified
12professionals; and be it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois State Board of
14Education and the Department of Human Services to implement
15policies and strategies to ensure that any new funding is
16directed toward improving the compensation levels of early
17childhood professionals to reflect more closely other
18professions with similar qualifications and educational
19levels.