Governor J.B. Pritzker’s Office announced on Monday that the state will be receiving $40.2 million in federal grant money over the next 3 years to improve early childhood programs.
The federal matching grants through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are used to build early childhood program infrastructure and expand high-quality preschool programs in targeted communities. Pritzker also announced last week that all rural and most collar counties in the state will receive a higher reimbursement rate for child care providers in order to attract and to keep providers in early childhood programs and education.
The budget that lawmakers passed during the 2019 session included a $50 million increase in the state’s Early Childhood Education Block grant. In addition, the capital improvements program known as “Rebuild Illinois” provides $100 million for construction of early childhood facilities across the state.