The Smart Start Illinois program is gaining more attention since lawmakers passed the Fiscal Year 2024 budget last weekend. School administrators across the state say they’re excited for the initial $250 million included in this budget to create 5,000 new preschool spots for low-income students and address the teacher shortage.

According to our news partners at WAND TV, many parents and teachers know that Pre-K helps bridge the gap for young students to be prepared for learning in Kindergarten and beyond. The Champaign Unit 4 school district qualifies as a “preschool desert” as the area does not have enough publicly-funded preschool slots to serve 80% of the low-income families with three and four-year-olds.

State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tony Sanders said the teacher pipeline grant is the biggest targeted investment Illinois has ever made in educator recruitment and retention.

The $50.6 billion spending plan features $130 million to begin funding Smart Start childcare contracts as well. Leaders from the Illinois Department of Human Services said Thursday that this will bring stability to the industry by raising wages for childcare workers and enhancing the quality of programs.

The Fiscal Year 2024 budget also includes funding to address the critical shortage of early childhood teachers.

Pritzker plans to sign the budget within the next few weeks. The new fiscal year starts July 1.