June 2019
Public Policy Statement
A critical component of GoAEYC’s mission is to promote awareness and advocacy in the field of early childhood programming in Illinois. In partnership with NAEYC, we aim to advocate for children and families across our state. We are intentional about increasing awareness of access to programming and educational opportunities for all. Some of the many initiatives that we have partnered with include:
Power to the Profession
America for Early Ed
Gateways to Opportunity, including the Great Start program
GoAEYC believes in providing access to affordable, relevant educational opportunities for educators and leaders working with children in a variety of capacities. We embrace diversity in all of its forms and appreciate the richness, experience and perspective that this brings to our mission.
7/2/18
There is no safe amount of lead exposure. For children, especially young children under the age of six, exposure to lead can impair brain and nervous system development, impact learning, and contribute to behavior issues. Because of the significant health implications of lead exposure, we need to ensure that the places where children spend their time are free of lead – one of which is child care.
This was the motivation behind legislation passed last year that requires certain licensed child care centers and homes to test sources of drinking water for lead. Identifying and removing lead hazards in child care facilities offers us the opportunity to reach children on a large scale, particularly younger children who are most vulnerable. This process can be complex and costly, and thus requires thoughtful and practical guidance for child care providers.
DCFS has published identical emergency and proposed rules outlining requirements for licensed centers and homes to test for lead in drinking water. Click here to find the emergency and proposed rules on the DCFSwebsite. Additional important information, including deadlines, can be found in the materials posted on the DCFS Sunshine website here.
While the temporary emergency rule went into effect immediately, the proposed rules are open for public comment and are subject to change before being adopted and becoming permanent.
DCFS will accept public comments through July 9th, and after reviewing all comments, the department may make changes to the proposed rule. If you would like to provide feedback or recommendations on the proposed rule, send your comment to CFPolicy@idcfs.state.il.us before July 9th to ensure consideration by the department.
Illinois Action for Children will be submitting comments requesting that DCFS strengthen the proposed rules in a number of ways, such as by including explicit testing requirements (water sources, number of samples, etc.) and providing clear guidance on mitigation plans (components of the plan, allowable short-term and long-term strategies with reasonable time frames, etc.). More clarity is needed to ensure providers know what is expected of them to comply with standards and to ensure consistent enforcement of these standards for all providers.
If you have any questions about these requirements, contact DCFS.
NAEYC’s Statement on #FamilesBelongTogether
06/18/2018
If you are a parent or an early childhood educator, you have already hugged a child this morning. You know the lengths you would go to in order to protect your kids. But you don’t have to be either a parent or an educator to understand that separating children from their families—and putting them in a place where they cannot be hugged, touched, or loved—causes harm. And not the kind of harm that is easily repaired. This is the kind of harm that is significant and long-lasting, interfering with positive child development and well-being.
That is why, as an active member of the Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign, NAEYC is working in partnership with our allies in early childhood education and beyond. On June 7, we joined 540 national and state organizations, including many NAEYC affiliates, in writing a letter to the Department of Homeland Security clearly stating our opposition to actions that are separating children from their parents at the U.S. border. We restate that opposition here. There are no ends that justify these means.
The research is clear, and so are our core values. We have relied on them both to respond to this issue, just as we have relied on them to create the draft of our new position statement on advancing diversity and equity, and the stated obligation to create and advance policy solutions that support child well-being and strengthen the bonds between all children and their families.
To join us in making this obligation real, call your members of Congress right now and ask them to support the Keep Families Together Act—because all children means all children. Thank you for standing with us to say #FamiliesBelongTogether.
Please click here for more infomation
Check out the webinar recording to learn more about what the law means for providers, as well as resources available to support both children and providers.
Additionally, Governor Rauner signed House Bill 3213 into law in August, restoring CCAP eligibility for families enrolled in non-TANF education and training programs (effective August 25, 2017).
(September 14, 2017)
We have an opportunity to make those investments happen!
In Congress, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) have introduced the Child Care for Working Families Act, which would pair federal investment with state partnerships to expand access, address affordability, increase quality, and invest in early childhood education professionals.
Will you help?
Please take a moment RIGHT NOW to call your members of Congress and ask if they have cosponsored the Child Care for Working Families Act.
If they have, please thank them for supporting child care and early learning!
If they haven’t yet added their name, ask them to become a cosponsor of the Child Care for Working Families Act.
Check out NAEYC’s statement on the legislation, and stay tuned for more information and resources coming your way. Thank you for taking action to promote high-quality #ChildCare4All to deliver on the science of early learning and advance our current and future workforce!
Governor Rauner pledged to “increase funding for early childhood education so that
more at risk children can enter kindergarten ready to succeed” during his inaugural
State of the State address.
We applaud this commitment to our state’s youngest and most vulnerable learners,
and we look forward to seeing more details of the Governor’s early education plan in
his Budget Address on February 18th.
The Governor also stated that “from cradle to career, our children’s education needs to
be our top priority.” We could not agree more. For that reason, we call on Governor
Rauner and the General Assembly to fully fund all aspects of early care and education
— including child care.
High-quality, affordable child care is often the very first connection that young children
have to an educational experience – in conjunction with, or even prior to, preschool. In
addition to the work support it provides to parents and the economic impact it has on
the state, child care is a critically-important step on a lifelong path of education.
To truly realize the Governor’s stated priority, the Illinois Child Care Assistance Program
must be fully-funded – both to alleviate the $300 million funding crisis facing child care
during this fiscal year and to ensure its viability in Illinois for the coming fiscal year. Now is
the time for the Governor and the General Assembly to take bold and decisive action
on behalf of Illinois’ children and families.
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Illinois
Illinois Action for Children
Latino Policy Forum
The Ounce of Prevention Fund
ReadyNation Illinois
Voices for Illinois Children
Contact: Adam Summers, Illinois Action for Children
773.564.8801 or summersa@actforchildren.org
Call the Governor’s office:
Springfield Office: 217-782-0244 TTY: 888-261-3336
Chicago Office: 312-814-2121
The main message needs to be “no cuts to children and families”. Be sure to use your own words and explain how detrimental this will be to you and the children/families of their districts. Describe what this state will look like with no day care for our children.
Here are a few other great places to access information on a daily basis:
http://thecapitolfaxblog.com/
http://www.daycareaction.org/
www.ounceofprevention.org
http://www.voices4kids.org/
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or would like additional information.
Power to the Profession is a national collaboration to define the early childhood profession by establishing a unifying framework for career pathways, knowledge and competencies, qualifications, standards and compensation.
Find out what else is happening in Washington DC and Illinois:
Where do I go to get the current NAEYC position statements?
You can click here to see NAEYC Position Statements on issues related to early childhood education practice, policy, and/or professional development for which there are controversial or critical opinions.
How can I get notified of urgent action alerts?
You can be notified via email of urgent news concerning the Early Childhood community. Sign up for our Urgent Action Alert program at the bottom of this page. You will be asked to submit your email address in order to subscribe. Subscribe with confidence. All email addresses will be kept confidential and will not be sold or distributed to anyone.
How can I get my voice heard?
Find out who your legislator is and how you can contact them:
How did my legislator vote?
See your representative’s voting history here: