CHICAGO, Ill. (WGEM) – One of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s main 2024 legislative priorities became law Tuesday as he signed a bill creating the new Illinois Department of Early Childhood at a ceremony in Chicago.

“I really am incredibly proud to be here taking another major, truly major, step forward for our state’s youngest children, for their parents, for Illinois as a whole as we work to make this the best state in the nation to raise a family,” said Pritzker, a Democrat.

The new department will streamline the process and bring services currently spread across different agencies under one roof. Many of those services are administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) or the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

“Our state-funded early childhood programs operate across three different state agencies putting an unnecessary burden on families looking for support and on those providing the support that is truly needed,” Pritzker said.

Programs moving to the new department include the Early Childhood Block Grant Program from ISBE, which funds Preschool for All and the Prevention Initiative programs. The Child Care Assistance Program, Home-Visiting programs, and Early Intervention services are moving from IDHS. Day care licensing is moving to the new department from DCFS.

The bill’s sponsor, state Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, said the new agency will not only streamline services but make it easier for kids to get a head start.

“The foundation of a child’s success and wellbeing is built starting the moment they are born, and as a state it is our duty to provide the necessary support and resources to build such stability,” she said.

The new agency will be created July 1, 2024 and start administering programs July 1, 2026.

The legislation had broad bipartisan support with all Democrats and many Republicans voting for it. Lawmakers who opposed it fear it will create another massive government bureaucracy.

“I don’t think anywhere in the history of government, especially in the history of government in the State of Illinois have we created a bureaucracy, especially a massive bureaucracy, and it worked out well for the taxpayers at the end of the day,” said state Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City.

The bill had unanimous support in the state Senate and passed with a 93-18 vote in the state House of Representatives.

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