Full Text of SR0954 102nd General Assembly
SR0954 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The first years of a child's life are the period | 3 | | of the most rapid brain development and lay the foundation for | 4 | | all future learning; children's cognitive, physical, social | 5 | | and emotional, and language and literacy development are built | 6 | | on the foundation of positive interactions with adults, peers, | 7 | | and their environment; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, There are 916,880 children birth through age five | 9 | | in our State, 19% of whom live in families with incomes at or | 10 | | below 100% Federal Poverty Level; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, In Illinois, 69% of children have all available | 12 | | parents in the workforce; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, High-quality early childhood programs provide | 14 | | important benefits to children, families, and our state and | 15 | | national economies; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, High-quality early care and education can help | 17 | | ameliorate the effects of poverty, detect and remediate | 18 | | delays, identify and help prevent child neglect, and lead to | 19 | | positive outcomes for individual children, helping them be | 20 | | better prepared for school and more likely to succeed in life; | 21 | | and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Participation in high–quality early childhood | 2 | | education saves taxpayer dollars, makes working families more | 3 | | economically secure, and prepares children to succeed in | 4 | | school, earn higher wages, and live healthier lives; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Many early childhood educators do not have | 6 | | equitable, affordable access to needed early childhood | 7 | | education credentials and degrees; in Illinois, 70% of | 8 | | licensed early childhood educators have earned degrees; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Tuition from fee–paying parents and subsidy rates | 10 | | for families with low incomes are typically insufficient to | 11 | | afford consistent early childhood education with | 12 | | highly–qualified early childhood educators and low | 13 | | child–to–early educator ratios that ensure the health and | 14 | | safety of children; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Payment rates provided to early childhood | 16 | | educators to provide high–quality early care and education | 17 | | services to low–income children do not cover the costs of | 18 | | quality; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, The lack of sufficient public investment in the | 20 | | face of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced child care programs, | 21 | | educators, and families into a series of impossible choices |
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| 1 | | with devastating consequences; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The essential yet chronically undervalued child | 3 | | care sector has sacrificed and struggled to serve children and | 4 | | families since the start of the COVID pandemic; therefore, be | 5 | | it
| 6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 7 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare April 2-8, | 8 | | 2022 as the Week of the Young Child and April 30, 2022 as El | 9 | | Dia Del Niño (Children's Day) in the State of Illinois; and be | 10 | | it further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That we recognize the complex, valuable, | 12 | | essential, and demanding work of early childhood educators and | 13 | | recognize that when our society invests in educators, we also | 14 | | invest in children and families; and be it further | 15 | | RESOLVED, That we urge all communities to support efforts | 16 | | that increase access to high–quality early childhood education | 17 | | for all children and families.
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