February 20, 2025
Raising Illinois’ Response to Governor JB Pritzker’s Proposed FY 2026 Budget
Our state’s prenatal-to-age-three coalition believes that we must strengthen critical services for Illinois’ littlest learners and their families despite a challenging financial outlook.
During his State of the State address yesterday, Governor JB Pritzker proposed a state budget for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 2026) with funding increases for our state’s early care and learning system and economic security initiatives, but maintains level funding for many other programs that serve expecting families, infants and toddlers.
Raising Illinois appreciates that Governor Pritzker is committed to ensuring Illinois is the best state in the nation to raise young children. At the same time, we are concerned about the FY 2026 budget proposal’s departure from the multi-year investments announced in 2023 as part of the administration’s Smart Start Illinois initiative. Parents and caregivers in our state continue to struggle with accessing critical services like Early Intervention (EI), evidence-based home visiting programs and Prevention Initiative under the Early Childhood Block Grant - not to mention paid family leave and other wraparound supports when welcoming home a newborn. Moreover, EI service providers in particular deserve adequate compensation to stabilize the program, which a recent state-commissioned cost model determined requires an additional $168 million annually to meet current need.
“Over the last five years, our state has achieved so much for expecting families, infants and toddlers. While we recognize that this is a challenging year, Raising Illinois remains steadfast in our work, together with state leaders, to continue building on our progress toward closing the opportunity gap for our youngest learners," Simone Santiago, Director of Raising Illinois, said. “We must not let the threats of the current moment prevent us from investing in our children and the workforce that supports them.”
The state budget proposal contains funding for the following appropriations in FY 2026, organized by our coalition’s priorities:
Healthy Parents and Babies
- $27.9 million for evidence-based home visiting programs, level with FY 2025
- $4 million for community-based birth equity grants, level with FY 2025
High-Quality Early Learning and Development
- Nearly $776 million (25.9% over FY 2025) for the Child Care Assistance Program to accommodate growing caseloads
- $748 million for preschool services and prenatal-to-age-three programs administered under the Early Childhood Block Grant, level with FY 2025
- $200 million for Smart Start Workforce Grants, including $90 million in new state spending to replace expired federal funding and adjust contract rates
- $163.9 million for Early Intervention, level with FY 2025, although an additional $10 million from Medicaid funds will support modest rate increases for EI service providers
Financially Secure Families
- $100 million (100% over FY 2025) for the Child Tax Credit, doubling its value to 40% of the Earned Income Tax Credit, as established in FY 2025
- $15 million (50% over FY 2025) for the Medical Debt Relief Pilot Program
- $7.5 million to adjust the cash assistance amount for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program by 3% to account for inflation
- $1 million for the Diaper Distribution Pilot, level with FY 2025
Strong Infrastructure
- $21.7 million (52.8% over FY 2025) to continue establishing the new Illinois Department of Early Childhood
- $5 million for the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity, level with FY 2025
- $5 million for the Human Services Professional Loan Repayment Program, level with FY 2025
“Illinois Early Intervention is in a state of crisis. Thousands of children are on waiting lists for this outstanding program, and therapists are leaving the profession in droves due to a lack of pay,” Kesha Harris, Raising Illinois Family Leader and appointed representative to both the Illinois Interagency Council on Early Intervention and the Early Childhood Education and Care Transition Advisory Committee, said. “As a parent of a child with a disability who thrived after receiving EI services, it breaks my heart to know that so many children across our state aren't able to access a program they're legally entitled to because of underinvestment in EI. Our children are the future; we cannot fail them today.” Kesha also serves as the President and co-founder of Illinois Families for Early Intervention, an online community for EI parents and advocates. Join here!
We are thankful to Governor Pritzker for naming the potential impact of federal changes on our state and communities, and for his continued dedication to Illinois’ youngest children and those who care for them. Raising Illinois now turns its focus to the General Assembly, which is responsible for approving the final FY 2026 budget in the coming months. Contact your state legislators and urge them to prioritize prenatal-to-three investments in the final FY 2026 budget.
Our work is just beginning—let’s do it together. Join Raising Illinois and be part of the collective effort working to ensure every expecting family, infant and toddler in our state has what they need to thrive.
“Over the last five years, our state has achieved so much for expecting families, infants and toddlers. While we recognize that this is a challenging year, Raising Illinois remains steadfast in our work, together with state leaders, to continue building on our progress toward closing the opportunity gap for our youngest learners. We must not let the threats of the current moment prevent us from investing in our children and the workforce that supports them.”
Simone Santiago
Director of Raising Illinois
“Illinois Early Intervention is in a state of crisis. Thousands of children are on waiting lists for this outstanding program, and therapists are leaving the profession in droves due to a lack of pay. As a parent of a child with a disability who thrived after receiving EI services, it breaks my heart to know that so many children across our state aren't able to access a program they're legally entitled to because of underinvestment in EI. Our children are the future; we cannot fail them today.”
Kesha Harris
Raising Illinois Family Leader