The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) announced it will award $1.3 million in grants to five Illinois colleges and universities to strengthen and diversify the early childhood workforce pipeline. The grants, funded by the federal Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) initiative, are awarded in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development (GOECD). After receiving proposals from colleges and universities around the state, IBHE has selected five to implement the grant. The institutions are:

• Joliet Junior College
• Lewis University
• National Louis University
• Quincy University
• Western Illinois University

Funds will be used by colleges and universities to help early educators attain one or more state-recognized credentials or a degree. Awarded programs will test innovations such as compressed course schedules, assessments of prior learning, job-embedded coaching or mentoring, hybrid online courses, and professional learning communities. Grants will run through the 2020-21 academic year; similar funding opportunities may be made available in the coming years.