SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – A new state report has found that just one out of every four children in Illinois was fully prepared to enter kindergarten in the most recent school year.
The Illinois State Board of Education released findings this week from a statewide teacher survey. The survey shows 26% of kindergarteners were ready in three areas: social and emotional development, language and literacy development and math.
It’s a slight improvement from the 2017-2018 school year when 24% of kindergartners demonstrated full readiness.
The recent survey says 39% of the students weren’t ready in any of the three areas, while 18% were equipped in just one area.
For lower-income students, just 18% of the children were fully prepared.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s new state budget includes an additional $50 million for early-childhood education.
