Governor JB Pritzker announced eighteen members of the Early Childhood Education and Care Transition Advisory Committee, chaired by Bela Moté, the strategic-planning group will consist of educators, childcare providers, and policy experts. The unified agency will address the obstacles that providers and families experience when navigating various agencies. 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). The Transition Advisory Committee will help inform and provide feedback to the State as it prepares for the transition to a new single agency. The committee will be chaired by Bela Moté, who will work closely with Director Whalen to lead the transition. Bela is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Carole Robertson Center for Learning, one of the largest early childhood and youth development organizations in Chicago, serving close to 2,500 children through their childcare centers and affiliate programs. She previously participated on the Governor’s Early Childhood Funding Commission. The Early Childhood Education and Care Transition Advisory Committee include a few of the following members:

• Dara Munson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Family Focus

• Mariana Osoria, First Deputy of Human Services, City of Chicago

• Angel Powell-Muldrow, Principal in District 148

• Edgar Ramirez, Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Commons

• Rebecca Vonderlack-Navarro, Vice President of Education Policy & Research at the Latino Policy Forum

The Transition Advisory Committee will work with the State’s Early Childhood Transition Director, Ann Whalen, to release a report by December 31, 2025.