Gov. JB Pritzker has said – even before he entered politics – he has worked to improve access to early childhood education.

He participated in a rally Tuesday at which Lt Gov Juliana Stratton unleashed her inner Sister Sledge.

“Together we hold the solutions,” she told a crowd of advocates, many wearing yellow shirts proclaiming “Building Tomorrow Together.” “In Illinois, we are family. And families take care of one another.”

And the governor is promoting his Smart Start Illinois early childhood plan. “I’m proposing the largest increase ever, $40 million,” Pritzker said to cheers, “for early intervention services.”

The idea is investing in the littlest Illinoisans pays off when they grow up not to be criminals.