As Many as 27,000 Children Cut From Preschool in New State Budget Plan

CHICAGO, June 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The latest budget proposed by the
Illinois General Assembly cuts as many as 27,000 children -- most of them from
low-income families -- from Preschool for All programs. That is nearly the
equivalent of the entire undergraduate student population at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In Springfield last week, House Democrats proposed a 30 percent cut to
programs, including early childhood education, in an effort to balance the
budget. The Early Childhood Block Grant, which funds the state's Preschool for
All program, would take a significant hit. Preschool for All currently serves
about 90,000 children at 1,547 programs operated by local school districts and
community-based agencies.

"Illinois has one of the worst achievement gaps in the nation, and these cuts
to preschool funding will make it that much more difficult for tens of
thousands of low-income children to enter school with the skills they need to
graduate high school and enter college or the workplace successfully," said
Diana Rauner, executive director of the Ounce of Prevention Fund. "It's
shameful that our state's schoolchildren are paying the price for the state's
fiscal crisis, and it is unconscionable that we're ending proven programs for
children who need them the most."

A 2008 study by the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University
found that 17% of children in Illinois under age 6 live in families with
incomes below the federal poverty level. This means that 186,971 of the
state's youngest citizens are at risk of entering school unprepared to learn
to their fullest abilities.

High-quality preschools, like the programs funded through Preschool for All,
provide valuable learning opportunities that far too many low-income children
don't otherwise get. Illinois has been a national leader in providing
research-based programs that help children build skills such as persistence,
learning how to focus, taking turns with classmates, following a routine,
early language, and early number skills--abilities that kindergarten teachers
say are vital to helping young children succeed in the classroom.

"These are programs available to working, low-income families who just don't
have the means to pay for quality preschool on their own," Rauner said. "By
stripping away these programs, the state is robbing these children of a fair
chance at the education they need to break the cycle of poverty."

The Illinois State Board of Education estimates a loss of 5,000 to 7,000
preschool teaching and staff jobs, adding to the immediate economic impact of
the proposed cuts to the Early Childhood Block Grant.

Also, the cuts in preschool programs threaten the future economic health of
the state. Economists unanimously say that now, when the budget is tightest,
is when states should be investing public dollars in programs such as early
childhood education that have the best long-term return on investment. Every
dollar spent on high-quality early-childhood programs for disadvantaged
children creates $7 to $9 in future savings. At-risk children with quality
early-learning opportunities are less likely to need special education and
more likely to graduate from high school, earn more money and contribute more
tax dollars. Effective early childhood development programs help reduce
teenage pregnancy, crime, and other social burdens.

"Ultimately, the state is going to pay a heavier price in costly remediation
services," Rauner said. "When you look at taking away the potential economic
contributions of what is the equivalent of an entire public university's
student body, it doesn't get any clearer that these cuts just aren't good
public policy."

The Ounce of Prevention Fund gives children in poverty the best chance for
success in school and in life by advocating for and providing the highest
quality care and education from birth to age five.

Contact: Jelene Britten
Office: (312) 348-3997
Blackberry: (312) 312-714-6660
jbritten@ounceofprevention.org

Contact: Chaunda Roseborough-Smith
Office: (312) 453-1947
Blackberry: (773) 320-3719
croseboroughsmith@ounceofprevention.org

SOURCE The Ounce of Prevention Fund

Jelene Britten, Office: +1-312-348-3997, Blackberry: +1-312-312-714-6660,
jbritten@ounceofprevention.org; or Chaunda Roseborough-Smith, Office:
+1-312-453-1947, Blackberry: +1-773-320-3719,
croseboroughsmith@ounceofprevention.org, both of The Ounce of Prevention Fund