Chicago public hearing - September 12, 2002

Sean Noble, Senior Policy Associate, Voices for Illinois Children

Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Education Funding Advisory Board's preliminary report on reforming school finance. I'm Sean Noble, senior policy associate with Voices for Illinois Children. Voices is a statewide, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization of advocates who believe in ensuring the well-being and healthy development of every child to his or her fullest potential. I'm here today with representatives of the Day Care Action Council of Illinois and the Ounce of Prevention Fund, whom Voices has joined in coordinating a new, statewide campaign called "Early Learning Illinois: Access. Options. Opportunities." We'll soon explain very briefly about that campaign's message and its relationship to EFAB's report.

Voices applauds many of the very important recommendations the advisory board has made for improving Illinois' school funding system. We agree we must increase our state's per-pupil "foundation level" to boost students' learning, and research of low-spending but high-performing school districts puts EFAB's suggested foundation level in the right ballpark. We concur we must update our state's method of gauging student poverty to more fairly and accurately determine which school systems need extra aid; EFAB proposes a good measure that can be recalculated annually. However, the recommendation that could most significantly bolster our children's education is also significantly missing from the board's report: the improvement and expansion of early learning programs.

An important window of opportunity opens with the birth of every child, a chance to nurture a youngster's education throughout his or her earliest years of life, which are the richest period of learning and growth. Research demonstrates the wisdom of making good use of these years. High-quality early learning efforts improve children's literacy, their math skills, their school behavior and their chances of graduating. Good preschool programs reduce the likelihood of children becoming involved in crime or needing remedial services, such as special education. It's no surprise, then, to hear experts say every dollar invested in early learning yields a return of $7 in benefits to children and society. These findings reflect the classic argument, "Pay me now, or pay me later." As is so often the case, "now" is the less expensive and more effective option.

Statistics suggest we continue to ignore young children's potential for learning - that window of earliest and best opportunity - at our peril as well as theirs. Thirty-eight percent of Illinois third-graders fail to meet state standards in reading and 43 percent fall short in writing, as measured by the most recent Illinois Standards Achievement Tests. Among low-income children, those figures soar to a startling 60 percent and 61 percent, respectively. Few people would argue that we should wait until third or fourth grade to help such children. Yet Illinois earmarks only about
2 percent of its state education budget for preschool services, even though 35 percent of Illinois children are 5 or younger.

If we truly care about helping children and improving their learning, we can no longer afford to view education through the window frames represented only by grades K-12 or even K-college. The window is open widest from children's earliest years, and we must take advantage. We must ensure that all children are healthy, eager to learn and ready to succeed by the time they enter school. To help prepare them, we must improve and expand upon our existing early learning initiatives, including state-supported preKindergarten, Head Start, child care and parent-support programs. Early learning programs are and should remain voluntary, but many children and parents need greater options to fit their individual needs. Programs need more flexibility that enables them to work together for the maximum benefit of children, families and their communities. Teachers should be able to get the training and support they need. These are just some of the reasons early learning must become a top priority in our state and all our education-reform efforts.

The Early Learning Illinois campaign recognizes it will take the collective will of everyone in our state to give early education the priority attention that our young children so deserve. The campaign's job is to raise the voices of those who believe in such work - from voters to the leaders they elect - to begin to turn hope and research into action. Your voices are important in that effort. Similarly, early learning improvement and expansion is among the many vital quality, accountability and funding changes that the Network 21 coalition proposes to give every Illinois child the opportunity for a high-quality education. Like other Network 21 members, Voices has worked with EFAB to try to develop the best possible recommendations for shaping the future of education in our state. That's why we again ask advisory board members to add to your report a visionary call for the phased-in improvement and expansion of preschool as well as other early learning initiatives.

This is not simply a plea for more money, although more is required. It's about making the wisest possible investment of limited resources, a goal underscored by the sluggish condition of our economy. As long as we allow any child to go without the early learning supports he or she needs, and that parents want, we are not acting wisely - we are dragging a curtain across a window of opportunity.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.