Since Gov. JB Pritzker signed it into law in June 2024, officials have been preparing to launch the Illinois Department of Early Childhood [IDEC]. The new department's official start is slated for July 2026, when it will centralize functions of three current state agencies under one roof.
In the meantime, members of the Transition Advisory Committee [TAC] are gathering feedback from residents throughout the state. Two of those members, Lakeesha James and Johnna Darragh-Ernst, held a listening session on Wednesday at Heartland Community College.
PDF: See the presentation from Thursday's listening session in Normal
To begin the event, Darragh-Ernst presented a summary of the problems IDEC is meant to solve: a complex web of early childhood programs where parents navigate confusing scale, redundant processes, and services with variable levels of secured funding. The state’s 2022 data, for example, indicates less than half of children eligible for home visiting programs receive the services. Issues also exist with “preschool deserts” where services may not be available to some areas.
Because IDEC will centralize previously disparate agencies, Darragh-Ernst hopes it will make help for families more accessible. She emphasized that hearing from those families, as well as educators throughout the process is crucial.
The three agencies moving under the IDEC umbrella include: Illinois Department of Human Services; Illinois State Board of Education; and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
"One of the most important goals of the new department is that family voices are centered,” said Darragh-Ernst.
“Hearing from those family voices, and hearing the voices of those who’ve been impacted by services. To design a unified department that’s effective, it’s just so critically important that we’re out in the community making sure that we are hearing that variety of voices.”
Forty people registered for the event on Wednesday, and about 17 attended. After the main presentation, attendees discussed in small groups and gave their thoughts on the upcoming department shift. Popular aspirations included more accessibility for special education and improved networking for childcare services.
Kylie Alvarez is a parent who attended the meeting to share her experiences. She hopes the increased attention on childhood services may encourage funding, and streamlining processes will get those financial resources where they are needed most.
“It might be that funding is spread out equally in parts throughout those agencies, but I do think that it’ll [IDEC] be one place and more help and assistance for all of those community resources,” she said.
Darragh-Ernst and James said the TAC is currently in an information gathering phase. Members from throughout the state meet monthly to discuss feedback, and will contribute suggestions as the department prepares for the 2026 launch.
