Obstacles Towards Success
Pritzker is offering state funding to Chicago Public Schools to create more early-learning opportunities for young children. This will with the lack of preschool learning for many children after many years. For a really long time, numerous amounts of kids in the United States have been denied the best opportunity for education, often due to low resources and money issues that prevent them from attending preschool.
Many times, money is the main obstacle that stands between these children and their education. Not all schools can provide or offer a totally free education for preschool students.
This means that many preschools require parents to pay tuition for their child’s education or student fees for the school to be able to provide students with needed resources. Pritzker stated that this education issue is the main cause of children not being able to attend preschool or parents removing their children from school, because they can no longer offer to pay for their child’s education.
Percentage of Preschool Child Enrollment
The U.S. has one of the lowest average incomes for children in preschool. This is in both federal and state funding. Both of these systems help some schools by providing them with a certain amount of income for each child and their needs. This causes and affects the enrollment rate of each child in different states.
The rate of preschool enrollment in the U.S. stands at 55%, which is extremely different from the enrollment rates in a variety of different states and countries. For example, the enrollment rate in France for children ages three to four attending preschool is 100%. The admission rate in Israel is 98%, in Austria it’s 77%, and the rate in Mexico is at 64%.
Sadly the percentages only decreased in numbers and the amount of children attending school only goes down in the U.S. Pritzker’s offer to fund CPS preschools could help change the percentage of many Chicago preschools and, in turn, offer the children a better future.
Changing the Future
There is still a lot of improvement that needs to happen before every child around the U.S. has the privilege of having an education. Governor Pritzker has taken the first step to improve education and offer thousands of young children in Chicago the opportunity of learning.
On February 15, Pritzker announced his 2024 fiscal year plan to Illinois legislators and the public. His plan, dubbed “Smart Start”, will in time add 20,000 more preschool slots — enough to cover every three and four-year-old in the state.
Pritzker’s plan is to change the life of many children by utilizing the early childhood education system. One of the many great changes he wants to make for these children is to prioritize low-income families and families who cannot afford an early education for their children. Pritzker’s plan aims to do this by spending $250 million to help these children and their families.
Where Is the Money Being Spent?
The $250 million tab for “Smart Start” will offer CPS preschool funding to help thousands of children enroll in pre-education. It would be spread differently amongst childcare and students. Some of the places this money is going to be spent are:
- $130 million for Childcare Workforce Compensation Contracts, that will secure providers and raise income for childcare workers.
- $75 million for the Early Childhood Block Grant to help create more than 20,000 new Pre-K spots for every child in the state.
- $40 million for Early Intervention programs to improve services to families.
- $5 million for expansion of the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Home Visiting Program so that more families who desire it can receive this support early.
Also, some additional investment that will be made include:
- $100 million in capital for early childhood facility providers to build new facilities and expand existing ones.
- $70 million for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).
- $12 million in new scholarship and education funding to increase the childcare workforce.
- $1.6 million to launch the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a nationwide literacy initiative to send free books to children ages five and younger.
Pritzker’s plan will spend an impressive amount of funds on his vision for childhood education. He believes that this will help more children gain a better future.
A New Beginning
Pritzker’s plan will allow thousands more children the opportunity of an early education. Furthermore, it will offer many children in low income households a first chance to attend preschool. The money designated for children’s education in Chicago could change the lives of many for the better.
Written by Nohemi Sanchez
Sources:
Illinois.gov: Gov. Pritzker Continues Smart Start Tour with Visit to Erie Neighborhood House in Chicago
The Washington Post: By age 3, inequality is clear: Rich kids attend school. Poor kids stay with a grandparent
WGEM: Government Pritzker advocates for early childhood education spending increase in Macomb
WTTW NEWS: Pritzker Proposes $75 Million Increase in Preschool Spending as Part of Multi-Year Expansion
Featured Image courtesy of Trump White House Archived‘s Flickr Page — Public Domain
Inset Image Courtesy of gardener41 Flickr Courtesy of Flickr Page — Creative Commons License
