Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Governor J.B. Pritzker, and Rep. Katie Stuart pose at the signing of House Bill 2878.

A wide-ranging new plan to bolster the early childhood education workforce in Illinois by creating a new Early Childhood Education Consortium was signed into law Wednesday, the result of legislation championed by College of Education alumna State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Ed.M. EPOL '03, Ph.D. EPOL '09 (D-Chicago).

“To truly provide Illinois children with the best possible education, we know that we need to invest in early childhood education, and that means investing in the educators who work so hard to help them learn and grow,” Pacione-Zayas said. “This is a step toward properly valuing those who do this incredibly important work, and it’s the beginning of a new chapter in our approach to raising our kids.”

The Early Childhood Education Consortium will be a broad coalition between all public universities and community colleges, as well as any private institutions that choose to participate within Illinois. The consortium will use regional hubs to improve access to degrees, certificates, and other licensure for early childhood educators, with special priority given to those already working in the early childhood workforce and often need flexibility in their career education when it comes to scheduling, location and format.

Learn more about Illinois House Bill 2878 at Senator Pacione-Zayas' website...