High-Quality Early Education For All of Illinois' Children - Ounce of ...

Which providers are eligible to participate?Eligible providers will include (but not be limited to):• Charter schools• Colleges and universities• Educational cooperative sites• Family support centers• Head Start centers• Hospitals• Licensed family child care homes*• Military bases• Non-profit and for-profit child care centers• Park districts• Private schools• Public school districts• Religious institutions**• Social service agencies• University laboratory schools• Vocational and technical schools*Home child care providers (i.e., license-exempt family, friend, and neighbor caregivers) are exemptfrom state licensing requirements and are not monitored if they care for three or fewer children,including their own, or if all of the children they care for are from the same household. Licenseexemptfamily, friend, and neighbor caregivers caring for three or fewer children would not beeligible; however, formal linkages between license-exempt caregivers and Preschool for All programswould be promoted.**Religious institutions would be subject to current state restrictions in order to participate in astate-funded education program.✓Many Head Start and child care providers who operated separately in the past are now working together tomake full-day, year-round, high-quality services available. Such programs serve more than 10,000 childrenwhose families live in poverty. State PreK services with certified teachers are increasingly delivered in childcare and Head Start programs. Some programs share space, staff training, transportation costs, andspecialized personnel such as social workers and speech therapists. These types of collaboration would bebuilt into the structure of Preschool for All—not the exception, but the rule. Young children and families needa comprehensive, coherent, flexible 0-5 early learning system—one that serves the twin aims of optimal childdevelopment and family support. Preschool for All therefore would strive to eliminate regulatory barriersamong programs, provide smooth transitions for children and families among different settings, and linkchildren and families with appropriate services and resources in their communities.Encourage local community collaborations to link and coordinate services for young childrenand their familiesChildren's development and prospects hinge not only on the family and schools they experience, but alsoon the community resources available to them. To advance children's learning and assist programs andfamilies, Preschool for All would encourage the development of partnerships at the local level betweenschools, early care and education providers, child care resource and referral agencies, colleges anduniversities, businesses, government, service groups, and parents. These local community collaborations18