February 21, 2025 Advocates Call For $60 Million Increase to Illinois’ Early Intervention Program in the Final FY26 State Budget Start Early Policy Specialist Zareen Kamal responds to the lack of substantial increases in Early Intervention funding put forth in Governor JB Pritzker’s FY26 budget proposal Despite the devastating delays thousands of families across Illinois…

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…

February 5, 2025 Early Intervention Cost Model Affirms Need for Increased State Funding Start Early Policy Specialist Zareen Kamal reflects on findings from the recent EI Cost Model report Recognizing the urgent need to reduce long waitlists for families and to address the decline in Early Intervention (EI) providers in Illinois, the IDHS Division of…

June 25, 2024 Spring 2024 Legislative Wrap-Up Expecting families, infants and toddlers have much to celebrate after the most recent session of the Illinois General Assembly Lee En Español In the early morning of Wednesday, May 29, the 103rd General Assembly adjourned its spring legislative session. Most significantly, lawmakers passed the final budget for Fiscal…

May 30, 2024 Raising Illinois’ Response to Approved Fiscal Year 2025 State Budget Our state’s prenatal-to-three coalition celebrates another transformational year for expecting families, infants and toddlers – but critical services remain underfunded Lee En Español Raising Illinois commends the Illinois General Assembly and Governor JB Pritzker for continuing to invest in our state’s littlest…

May 9, 2024 Raising Illinois Celebrates Passage of Department of Early Childhood Legislation Senate Bill 1 moves to the Governor’s desk for signature this summer Lee en Español Raising Illinois celebrates the passage today of Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), which establishes the Department of Early Childhood, a new state agency that will make early…

Our state’s prenatal-to-three coalition celebrates this ongoing commitment to Illinois’ littlest learners and their families, but calls for greater investments for critical services.

Raising Illinois looks forward to working with the new state agency to make Illinois the best state in the nation in which to raise a child.

Spring Legislative Wrap-Up Major strides, but some setbacks, for infants, toddlers, and expecting families at the General Assembly In the early morning of Saturday, May 27, the 103rd General Assembly adjourned this year’s spring legislative session. Most significantly, lawmakers passed the final budget for Fiscal Year 2024, including nearly $300 million in new investments for…

Raising Illinois applauds the General Assembly for approving an FY24 budget aligned with Smart Start Illinois