Full Text of HR0755 101st General Assembly
HR0755 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | HR0755 | | LRB101 20482 ECR 70249 r |
|
| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Research shows that early childhood teacher | 3 | | effectiveness is a predictor for positive developmental and | 4 | | academic outcomes for children; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Continuity in early relationships with teachers | 6 | | and caregivers results in safe, stable, and trusting | 7 | | environments that allow young children the opportunity to | 8 | | explore and learn; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The work of early childhood educators is | 10 | | sophisticated and central to the healthy learning and | 11 | | development of young children and takes place in a range of | 12 | | settings, including schools, community-based centers, and | 13 | | homes; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Early childhood educators include home visitors | 15 | | and Early Intervention professionals as well as educators in | 16 | | schools, child care centers, and family child care homes; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Research shows that having children see their own | 18 | | identities reflected in their teachers can improve students' | 19 | | perceptions of and actual performance in school, and that it is | 20 | | critical for early childhood programs to have educators that | 21 | | reflect the families and communities they serve; and |
| | | HR0755 | - 2 - | LRB101 20482 ECR 70249 r |
|
| 1 | | WHEREAS, Nearly half of all lead early childhood educators | 2 | | hold a bachelor's degree or higher, nearly three-quarters have | 3 | | secured an associate's degree or higher, many hold | 4 | | state-recognized credentials, all must fulfill scheduled | 5 | | training requirements, and many have years of experience in the | 6 | | field; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, The early childhood workforce is almost | 8 | | exclusively female and more racially diverse than the K-12 | 9 | | workforce; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, The current early childhood education system | 11 | | functions because early childhood professionals, particularly | 12 | | those working in community-based settings and those working | 13 | | with infants and toddlers, often forgo a living wage aligned to | 14 | | the sophistication of their work and level of education; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, The early childhood workforce, particularly in | 16 | | community and home based settings, earns wages in the second | 17 | | percentile of annual earnings; many early childhood workers | 18 | | lack access to workplace benefits and must rely on public | 19 | | benefits to meet the needs of their own families; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, These low wages have contributed to significant | 21 | | shortages in qualified staff in early childhood programs and |
| | | HR0755 | - 3 - | LRB101 20482 ECR 70249 r |
|
| 1 | | will be a barrier to further expansion of services; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Adequate compensation is the foundation of a | 3 | | quality early childhood workforce; therefore, be it
| 4 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 5 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 6 | | we urge the General Assembly to increase its investments in | 7 | | Early Childhood Education, the Child Care Assistance Program, | 8 | | Early Intervention, Healthy Families, and Parents Too Soon not | 9 | | only to expand access to high-quality services for children and | 10 | | families but also to enable Illinois to pay its early childhood | 11 | | workforce the wages needed to attract and retain qualified | 12 | | professionals; and be it further
| 13 | | RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois State Board of | 14 | | Education and the Department of Human Services to implement | 15 | | policies and strategies to ensure that any new funding is | 16 | | directed toward improving the compensation levels of early | 17 | | childhood professionals to reflect more closely other | 18 | | professions with similar qualifications and educational | 19 | | levels.
|
|