To ensure that early childhood learning receives equal treatment as that of kindergarten through 12th grade education, state Sen. Emil Jones III recently passed legislation to get the ball rolling.
To ensure that early childhood learning receives equal treatment as that of kindergarten through 12th grade education, state Sen. Emil Jones III recently passed legislation to get the ball rolling. Senate Bill 3507 would pave the way to establish a funding advisory board for early childhood education similar to the Education Funding Advisory Board currently in place for K-12. The board determined what ideal foundation levels were needed to fully fund education from kindergarten to 12 grade in the state. Jones’ bill also aims to make sure early childhood programs meet the needs of the families using them. “With early learning being such a vital part of a child’s learning process, it’s critical that we make sure they are supplied with proper funding to better benefit each child,” said the senator. The bill doesn’t guarantee “per pupil” foundation levels, but will aid policy makers during the budget process to ensure that the Early Childhood Block Grant is sufficient, he said. Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender