Macon Reporter

In a Feb. 16 Facebook post, Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur) spoke of her visit to Springfield Public School District 186 Early Learning Center.

In her post, she said, "I enjoyed visiting Springfield Public Schools - District 186 Early Learning Center today! We learned more about Smart Start Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker’s four-year plan that will allow access to pre-school for every three and four year old in Illinois."

In his State of the State Address to a joint session of the House and Senate on Feb. 15, Pritzker touted fiscal successes while also introducing Smart Start Illinois, an ambitious four-year program that could provide pre-K education to all 3 and 4 year olds in the state.

Pritzker has proposed that Smart Start Illinois include not only pre-K schooling but also home visits, childcare and early intervention services for families in need. In order to make this program possible, he has suggested increasing the Early Childhood Block Grant by $75 million.

He called for more quality childcare options for working parents,

"Smart Start Pre-K will provide new center-based and school-based classrooms, improve quality across the board, attract new professionals to the field, and ensure we reach our most vulnerable," Pritzker said. "In the first year alone, 5,000 more seats will be available for children across the state. Of course, adding preschool seats only works if you have the staff to support them. That’s where the Early Childhood ACE Scholarship program comes in. Last year with the legislative leadership of Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas, we began investing in community colleges and universities to build a pipeline of early childhood educators. Already nearly 1500 people are on a path to get up-skilled, and I propose to continue providing this opportunity for the next four years."

In January, Scherer made a pledge to keep advocating for educational opportunities for Illinois youth. Drawing on her extensive experience in the education field, she expressed her commitment to making sure that all children have the opportunity to access quality education.

Scherer, a lifelong resident of Decatur, was elected to the Illinois House in 2013. Since then, she has served on the Elementary, Secondary Education: Administration and License & Charter Committee and Appropriations-Elementary & Secondary Education Committee.