Home » State Early Childhood Policy Landscapes » Illinois Early Childhood Policy Landscape

Illinois

Illinois, like all states, has a unique early childhood policy landscape that is shaped by economics, demographics, political history, coalitions, and other factors that create a state-specific environment for policy advocacy.

State early childhood policy progress is dependent both on the state’s environment and the numerous efforts—by the organizations listed on this page, other organizations, parents, policymakers, practitioners, and more—who work both independently and collaboratively to achieve wins for young children.

2024 State Early Childhood Policy Environment and Progress

Early Childhood Landscape:

Research shows that family economic security is foundational to children’s overall wellbeing. Research also shows that widespread disparities in opportunity (especially by race) drive wide disparities in outcomes. States with policies that offer strong support to young children and their families are more likely to see 1) declining numbers of children in low-income households and 2) low racial disparity among those children.

Young Children in Low-Income Households: Declining

Approximately 35% (433,000) of the state’s children 0-8 live in households below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (2022). This number represents a decrease from 39% (523,000) in 2017.¹

Racial Disparity Among Young Children Living in Low-Income Households: High

Black, Hispanic/Latino, and/or Native children aged 0-8 are significantly more likely to be living in households below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level than are Asian and non-Hispanic White children.²

Advocacy Landscape:

State General Fund Appropriations: Growing

Illinois’ governor signed the state’s fiscal 2025 budget in June of 2024. The budget calls for general fund spending of $53.07 billion in fiscal 2025, a 5.2 percent increase from fiscal 2024’s enacted level of $50.43 billion. The enacted budget assumes a general fund surplus of $211 million. After a Budget Stabilization Fund contribution of $198 million, the base general fund surplus will be $13 million.³

Largest FY 2021 Revenue Sources Per Capita (after federal transfers):⁴

- - Property Taxes: $2,444 per capita
  - Individual Income Taxes: $1,710 per capita

Illinois uses all major state and local taxes.

State Budget Rules:⁴

Illinois uses an annual budget. The legislature must pass a balanced budget, but it can carry a deficit over into the following year. The state does not have any tax or expenditure limits (a temporary expenditure limit expired in 2015), but there are limits on total authorized debt incurred by the state (but not on debt service).

Political Alignment: Aligned Democrat

During the 2024 session, the state’s Senate and House were both Democrat controlled. The state’s Governor was also a Democrat.⁵

Types of Common Ballot Measures Available:⁶Three

- Legislature-Initiated Constitutional Amendments – A constitutional amendment that appears on a state’s ballot as a ballot measure because the state legislature in that state voted to put it before the voters.
- Voter-Initiated Constitutional Amendments – An amendment to a state’s constitution that comes about through the initiative process.
- Legislature-Initiated State Statute – Appears on a state’s ballot as a ballot measure because the state legislature in that state voted to put it before the voters.

Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Organizations Include:

Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Multi-State Initiatives Include:⁷

2024 Policy Progress:

Highlights from the state’s early childhood policy advocacy community include:⁸

Advocates are celebrating the passage of an FY25 state budget that includes significant investments in early childhood. Highlights of the budget include nearly $250 million in new state funding for child care, preschool and home visiting services, and the Early Intervention (EI) program; funding to increase birth equity and eliminate black maternal mortality disparities; and $14 million to fund the creation of the new Department of Early Childhood. Other highlights include the elimination of the statewide grocery tax.

The Illinois General Assembly approved SB 1, legislation to authorize the creation of the Illinois Department of Early Childhood. The proposal–initiated and championed by the governor–aims to improve access to critical early learning and care services by better aligning and coordinating programs, data, and policies.

The Illinois General Assembly approved HB 4951, a revenue omnibus bill that, among other provisions, establishes a permanent state Child Tax Credit for families eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit with children under age 12. In the first year of the program, families will receive a 20% boost to their ETIC credit, a boost that increases to 40% in subsequent years.

The Illinois General Assembly approved HB 5142, a bill that improves maternal health by requiring, among other provisions, private health insurers to cover all pregnancy, postpartum, and newborn care services provided by perinatal doulas or licensed certified professional midwives, including home births, home visits, and support during labor. In addition, insurance companies will need to cover home visits by board-certified lactation consultants, including the cost of recommended breast pumps, breastfeeding supplies, and feeding aids.

The Illinois General Assembly approved HB 4491, a bill that allows staffing flexibility by allowing either a qualified child care director or an experienced early childhood teacher to be present during the first and last hour of the facility’s workday. The experienced early childhood teacher is required to have at least 2,880 hours of experience at the current facility.

Ongoing Grantee Areas of Advocacy:

The lead convening advocacy groups in Illinois are Start Early (formerly the Ounce of Prevention Fund) and Illinois Action for Children. Start Early advances quality early learning for families with children, before birth through their earliest years, to help close the opportunity gap. Illinois Action for Children (IAFC) organizes, develops, and supports strong families and powerful communities where children matter most. IAFC and Start Early work in partnership and coalition with many organizations, including the Quality Alliance (a decades-old coalition of more than 40 early childhood organizations), the We, The Village Coalition (comprising over 120 organizations centering racial equity in state systems of early childhood education and care), and Raising Illinois, a coalition of more than 100 organizations focused on investment and policy change in the prenatal and first three years of life.

They are working to advance early childhood policies in several areas that align with the Alliance’s birth-through-eight policy framework:

Early Care and Education

Child Care

Child Care Workforce

Preschool and Pre-K

Child and
Maternal Health

Early Intervention (Age 0-3)

Infant and Child Health

Maternal Health

Family
Supports

Family Economic Security

Paid Family & Medical Leave

Home Visiting

Early Childhood Infrastructure

Early Childhood Finance and Cost Modeling

Early Childhood Governance

Click here and here for more information on advocates’ policy agenda.

RECENT ADVOCACY SNAPSHOT:

NOTES:

¹Kids Count Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children Ages 0 to 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, January, 2024.

²National Center for Children in Poverty, Children Ages 0 to 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, March 2023, NCCP analysis of ACS 1-Year Estimates – Public Use Microdata Sample 2021.

³National Association of State Budget Officers, Proposed and Enacted Budgets, FY 2025.

⁴Urban Institute, State Fiscal Briefs, June 2024.

⁵National Conference of State Legislatures, 2024 State & Legislative Partisan Composition, April 29, 2024.

⁶Ballotpedia, Ballot Measures by State, Kids Count Data Center, retrieved July, 2024.

⁷Alliance for Early Success, Multi-State Initiatives for Early Childhood Policy Advocacy, July, 2024.

⁸Alliance for Early Success, State-Wide Advocacy Highlights Survey, April-October, 2024; and 2024 Prenatal-to-3 Legislative Highlights, Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, July, 2024.