Dive Brief:

• Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill promising to allocate more grant money to early education.  
• Under the new law, 14% of the $300 million in the Early Education Block Grant program will go toward programs for children aged 3 years old and younger.  This is up from 11% in pervious years.
• Some education officials say at least 14% of the grant money was already spent on home visits and education centers, the law ensures this is always the case by prohibiting spending from falling below that number.  

Dive Insight:

The new law is set to take effect in July. This focus on early education is not unique to Illinois, but is one of the buzz topics in education lately. Some areas of the state have already made efforts to bolster early education opportunities. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel wrote an editorial in April emphasizing the importance of parent involvement in early education. The article also detailed steps the Windy City has already taken to better its early education programs.