Early Childhood Education

Después de dar a luz, muchas nuevas madres llegan a casa con su bebé sintiendo temor y desprevenidas, porque no tienen el apoyo que necesitan. Peter Medlin de WNIJ nos da la información sobre el esfuerzo de traer el apoyo universal para recién nacidos al condado de Winnebago.

After giving birth, many new moms come home with their baby feeling scared and unprepared, because they don’t have the support they need. WNIJ’s Peter Medlin reports on the effort to bring universal newborn support to Winnebago County.

Has children's well-being improved or declined in Illinois over the past decade? A new report released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation sheds light. Peter Medlin has more…

On a new Teachers’ Lounge podcast, Susan’s been teaching 2nd grade for a long time and the technology changed so much. But, sometimes you still have to go old school -- literally.

This week, we’re bringing you two conversations about the state of early childhood services and why the system is on the verge of collapse.

How is the early childcare system working in Illinois? Just ask a care provider. “It's finally to a point where the system, it can implode and our families are suffering,” they said.Learn more about what northern Illinois communities need to make early childhood programs more accessible and more affordable.

The new Illinois state budget includes $250 million for early childhood programs. Some of that will support “early intervention services” for Illinois’ youngest children with disabilities. WNIJ’s Peter Medlin reports on why it’s so challenging for families to get their kids with disabilities the care they need.

The Illinois State Board of Education is offering grant money to preschool providers to try to eliminate “preschool deserts” where there are little to no pre-k services for kids. WNIJ’s Peter Medlin spoke with state superintendent Tony Sanders about the grants…

Illinois is making big investments in early child care. Why do parents say services are almost impossible to access?

NIU is a part of the state’s new Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity and offers full-tuition scholarships.