Governor Pritzker was joined by Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, Deputy Governor Grace Hou, Deputy Governor Martin Torres, elected officials, and state agency directors at the Carole Robertson Center for Learning to announce a proposal to create a new state agency to house all early childhood programs and funding. The new unified agency will provide a more equitable, integrated, and holistic system of services for young children and families in Illinois. The proposal builds on Governor Pritzker’s work to make Illinois the best state in the nation for families raising young children, with the nation’s best early childhood education and childcare system. Currently, services are housed in three separate agencies—the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS), and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). To initiate the multi-year process, Governor Pritzker is signing an Executive Order, and will work with the General Assembly on legislation in the spring of 2024. The new unified agency will unify the following programs under a single agency:

• The Early Childhood Block Grant at ISBE, which funds Preschool for All and the Prevention Initiative home-visiting program

• The Child Care Assistance Program, Home-Visiting, and Early Intervention services at DHS

• Day care licensing currently managed by DCFS