A lawmaker representing part of the Galesburg area says he supports the new law signed Tuesday by Governor JB Pritzker creating a new Office of Early Childhood within state government.
State Senator Mike Halpin tells “Galesburg’s Evening News” on WGIL it’s a good idea whose time has come, given how important education can be to those children.
“Right now, we have these early childhood programs spread across a half-dozen agencies,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “As you might expect, some of those silos don’t talk to each other. What they’re trying to do is consolidate these efforts, get those programs under one roof with staff that communicate with each other, and really maximize the efficiency with those dollars.”
Halpin says he in no way sees it as bloated or further expanded government, as some have alleged. For example:
“The State Board of Education is really dominated by K-12 concerns, and that’s their core mission,” said Halpin. “And then we’ve got some child care licensing which is done through DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services), which is really…their main focus has been child protective services.”
As far as other efforts to close gaps in early childhood care and education, Halpin says work has been done, citing efforts to close statewide gaps in Pre-K education and child care, but more needs to be.
Halpin was interviewed for Galesburg’s Evening News on WGIL Tuesday, after a visit to Macomb. Parts of the conversation will air Tuesday and Thursday at 5:10pm.
