$4.4B budget request for new Illinois early childhood agency draws scrutiny

By Sean Reed | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – An agency focused on early childhood education created by state lawmakers in 2024 has made its first full year budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. Totaling over $4.4 billion, the request faced critical questioning Tuesday in a House Appropriations Committee Hearing.

Illinois Department of Early Childhood Secretary Teresa Ramos testified to the status of the agency and its budget proposal for the coming year, which she said is an important allocation for the state because the lump-sum will help the agency address unexpected issues in its infancy.

The agency aims to create efficiencies by taking over various state programs with a focus on early childhood programming from other agencies. It will begin operating in full beginning in the 2027 fiscal year.

State Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City, has been critical of the new government agency since legislation creating it was passed, citing concerns over expanding government and increased overall spending.

The first programs to be adopted by the agency include a number of financial assistance programs and day care licensing in the state.

Wilhour remained critical Tuesday when questioning Ramos on the amount of funds requested by the agency.

“It doesn’t make any sense on efficiency if it’s not less overall. If we’re just taking their money and putting it somewhere else […] we’re making government way bigger,” Wilhour said.

Ramos said funding is primarily being allocated to the agency in line with the programs being taken over, though she clarified the focus of efficiency is in the efficacy of programs, above financial efficiency.

The proposed allocations would fund a range of early childhood and family support programs, including child care assistance, early intervention, home visiting, maternal and child health services, state day care licensing, and the Illinois State Board of Education’s Early Childhood Block Grant.

Wilhour also questioned the purpose of a line in the budget funding a program to assist in early education for the children of low-income seasonal agricultural workers, called Illinois Migrant & Seasonal Head Start, which is currently implemented by IDHS.

“There is no eligibility by race or ethnicity, it’s a federal program, you don’t have to be legal. The eligibility criteria that is set by the federal government is are you a child of an agricultural worker – and you could be doing apiary, you could be doing grain work and you have a child. But you have to be here working,” Ramos said.

Tom Bazan, chief financial officer of the agency, said $5.4 million is being requested for the migrant and seasonal worker program, a $1 million increase from the previous year.