The new Illinois Department of Early Childhood officially launched full operations on Wednesday as the state began a new fiscal year.
Capitol News Illinois reports the agency is now in charge of operating a wide range of programs serving infants, toddlers and their families. Those include home visitations and early intervention for newborns, licensing and regulating childcare facilities, and overseeing preschools and other early childhood education programs.
Those services were previously divided among three separate agencies. The agency is led by Secretary Teresa Ramos, who previously served as an education adviser in Governor JB Pritzker’s administration.
