DRAMATIC CUTS TO EARLYCHILDHOOD FUNDING

House Appropriations Committee’s Proposals Threaten $50 Million in Federal Funding

The Illinois House appropriations committee voted this week to make dramatic cuts to early childhood funding.

Email your legislators now—tell them to protect critical services for young children!

Charged with developing budgets under conservative revenue estimates, the House Human Services Appropriations Committee voted yesterday to cut 10% from home visiting funding for the state. Under this proposal, the Healthy Families and Parents Too Soon budget lines were reduced by a combined $1.6 million. Such a dramatic cut to this funding would not only jeopardize current service delivery in Illinois, but also puts at risk the state’s eligibility to apply for as much as $50 million in federal funding for evidence-based home visiting programs.

In addition, the House Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations Committee passed a budget proposal that makes a 5% reduction to the Early Childhood Block Grant. Programs and school districts across the state, distressed by cuts in FY10 and delayed payments, have already been forced to close classrooms and eliminate preschool services for 5,000 young children. We must tell our legislators that any further cuts to early learning programs are unacceptable.

Contact your legislators today and ask them to talk to their party and appropriations committee leadership to prevent these devastating cuts.