[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6305194,"mediaKeyId","2449859-d0010db1443c17e5cc4ffad84c7eeda1","parentId",2449859,"title","Kindergarten registration data shows preschool access gaps for lower-income families, collaboration reports","audioSeconds",802,"startMs",638000,"endMs",1440000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2449859-d0010db1443c17e5cc4ffad84c7eeda1&start=638&end=1440","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2449859-d0010db1443c17e5cc4ffad84c7eeda1/thumbnail_638000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6305194/Illinois/Kindergarten-registration-data-shows-preschool-access-gaps-for-lower-income-families-collaboration-reports","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6305194-3c6ed17e4ee76f7c0c346f7eeeb56933/orig.mp4?Expires=1775513056&Signature=C0d-TYYm8jjzyBDIIij11RYog8eLQWPwDc~E3hqETlPzGK97LTIgW6cjDcNkWScsD6Jowg2L1Lfh-C5VFJP7~I5ieVtvQwBkMhs7cvLRcbdn4U6FrjMBfy0-Uc9K-cs29KAJRvKFrjdXDV3ud9rWaSwhi3RN0aXPjP-AbUj2ruB4w4IYL63FNE6bmQkw97K7ubSdBXeiOfKAir~T34LHnItqPpi53KNs312erNVAVSIZG1UHcErWlDwhvO87qShXjnAsYe-haU5uz0FNQfAjalCXM9uxkdo~vPeDqSCCbQASfhr5KXvqmZJrfnhlv~PsnZ5Ds1PyW68UeIGlNenVtw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Oak Park - River Forest SD 200","date","2025-02-27T13:32:43Z","article","The Collaboration for Early Childhood presented preliminary kindergarten registration data Feb. 26, showing disparities in preschool participation among incoming kindergartners.

The group said roughly one-third of children entering District 97 kindergarten last year attended preschool programs classified in the collaboration’s data as \"high-quality\" (benchmarked to NAEYC or state quality ratings). A top band of parents — 7.2% — reported no preschool history prior to kindergarten. The collaboration reported that children eligible for free and reduced-price lunch both over-indexed in the high-quality category and, more prominently, in the group with no reported preschool history.

The findings come from a new kindergarten registration portal that opened Feb. 19; the collaboration said families use the portal to report preschool history as part of the registration flow. As of the Feb. 26 meeting the presenters said 39 students were currently approved in the system and more than 70 had registered in the days prior to the meeting. The collaboration also said it will link this registration data with other administrative data over time to track cohorts as they move into District 200 and beyond.

Committee members and staff emphasized limits in the early dataset. Presenters cautioned that year-to-year shifts can reflect changes in the size and composition of the incoming cohort as well as pandemic recovery effects; the collaboration noted that the percentage of children with no preschool rose after COVID and that recovery to pre-pandemic levels has been slow, particularly for lower-income families.

The collaboration said it plans a family survey (birth-to-5) to collect additional information about barriers — including cost and scheduling — and trusted sources of information for families. Staff also described outreach to broaden the capture of nontraditional early learning opportunities (for example, library story times and family/friend/neighbor care) so those informal settings can be considered when planning supports.

Members asked for further disaggregation (by race/ethnicity, gender and other demographics) and for clearer denominators so year-to-year changes can be interpreted. The committee said it will continue to develop the analytic approach and invited the collaboration’s data partner to produce more detailed cross-tabulations for committee review.

Presenters described the data as preliminary and actionable: the collaboration expects to use registration data plus the family survey to identify access barriers (cost, hours, wait lists) and to design outreach and programming that reaches children who are not in formal preschool settings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Collaboration for Early Childhood Meeting - February 26, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Collaboration for Early Childhood presented preliminary kindergarten registration data Feb. 26, showing disparities in preschool participation among incoming kindergartners.","taxTitle","Oak Park - River Forest SD 200, School Boards, Illinois","taxId",38803,"location","Illinois","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6305189,"Collaboration reports healthy cash position; preliminary FY2026 budget shows status quo IGA funding",570,150000,720000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2449859-d0010db1443c17e5cc4ffad84c7eeda1&start=150&end=720","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2449859-d0010db1443c17e5cc4ffad84c7eeda1/thumbnail_150000.jpg","/articles/6305189/Illinois/Collaboration-reports-healthy-cash-position-preliminary-FY2026-budget-shows-status-quo-IGA-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6305189-163fe874a1484f6b878ece411a77fd3e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775513056&Signature=LPJG5NgjLx8K-Yz13lRVLzDzy-bLuEOitgydeaadXSBOY1SInzYS7QKh~S5b5O-ZS~m33-Z6iYT71-3Vc78H02zaUZa56JQbIoZoe3sPupaQ2hhEPMJqq4falvD4w5e8W~UJL95I3FVyXJ56SYIViRnWOOyG9FQEuusvJ4OTv4Auce-1KIF3KGcXKh0FNT1JTNd5NItqpwPg1ESy3QvEOmLL0k6WSELhirchI16XIjbGxWjpTSIcNYJuG3LojGLx4BL0RPjHA7UCm6tmeemGnpUBVti0Rl8EzTKmS9YjEuIU3s~X72atsvuJvECsJEA3i56bg8AbkXiIxchPPuMTlg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Collaboration for Early Childhood presented quarterly financial statements and a preliminary fiscal year 2026 budget at its Feb. 26 meeting, telling members the organization is in a stable financial position and that the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) funding level with partners remains unchanged.

A staff fiscal designee said the collaboration has roughly seven months of cash on hand and that interest paid from October 2024 to January 2025 totaled $3,384.04. The presenter said a payment of $219,270 was processed (described as part of contract payment processing); the transcript includes additional bank-balance figures for partner accounts but those lines were garbled in the recording and were described in the meeting as account balances for each partner jurisdiction. The presenter offered to read the full financial statement into the record if the board wished.

The collaboration said the IGA contract requires presentation of a preliminary budget at this time of year but does not require approval; the FY2026 budget presented to the meeting showed a status-quo funding level under the IGA (unchanged since 2017). The presenter noted the collaboration also receives private grants, fundraising and sponsorship revenue outside of the IGA and that one-time revenue (a community event named “Lemonade”) contributed about $30,000 in the current year and is not budgeted for FY2026.

The collaboration listed two large vendor contracts it expects to continue: one for home-visiting services and one for data services (staff said the data-services team moved from Chapin Hall to NORC and the collaboration’s contract followed that team). Presenters said they try to budget for staff cost-of-living adjustments when possible.

Members had no substantive objections. Staff said the collaboration’s board revised the current fiscal-year budget earlier in the month and will present a final FY2026 budget to that board at its annual meeting in May; IGA partners will be invited to that meeting. The presenter also noted that the administrative unit will invoice participating jurisdictions by May 20 for July 1 contributions under the schedule in the IGA.

No formal financial actions (appropriations or transfers) were taken at the meeting; the item was an informational presentation and planning step for the FY2026 budget cycle.","The Collaboration for Early Childhood reported a stable financial position Feb. 26 and presented a preliminary FY2026 budget that preserves the current IGA funding level, unchanged since 2017.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6305184,"Collaboration to form working group to redesign IGA and governance; partners agree to timeline",1000,2600000,3600000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2449859-d0010db1443c17e5cc4ffad84c7eeda1&start=2600&end=3600","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2449859-d0010db1443c17e5cc4ffad84c7eeda1/thumbnail_2600000.jpg","/articles/6305184/Illinois/Collaboration-to-form-working-group-to-redesign-IGA-and-governance-partners-agree-to-timeline","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6305184-ba528ab996a44c52d1a1690c22c93544/orig.mp4?Expires=1775513056&Signature=exbnkKoskVgGZlH6WRr48LOOJ1EwNUdlxniGvvQHA3qdJi39ZYedB5n1jhIUlvjFWu0R7b3QGZHY2bg4OviHbH2TgH130q-DgNRYTBjQbr9MmUkVh0RtAqxM0fEa7SsRubeTy9F5bcuzX18vLp4jZFlauK4GhJd9CWchSyTSzuvLXQsD4rbp1BndOfDZMEgwhncUylvMk6Aw-03S7JzjbOe7B1VDc4a48O9QbyGSvHo0wJspknutyPFcYj3U7gckpxYz4EyJJtnPspSfN-KRLRw9ozFPo98gnypobTD55shZXH0Yf2oQzNvz4BYJn-1x6vLVZkTaPOYU36q4Z30q3A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Collaboration for Early Childhood opened a governance discussion Feb. 26 and agreed to create a small working group to review the intergovernmental agreement (IGA), meeting cadence, communications and subcommittee roles.

Speakers said the context that framed the discussion is that the collaboration and partner jurisdictions are no longer in need of basic persuasion about early childhood’s value and that the IGA language and operational expectations deserve revision to reflect current practice. Members discussed a shared framework (for example, a community-wide model called \"the basics\") and the value of an index of variables to monitor across partners.

Participants proposed one representative from each partner domain (school districts, village, library, parks, township and other contributing bodies) join the working group. Several members volunteered to draft a purpose statement for the working group and suggested scheduling the first working-group meeting in April so the group can produce recommendations before the collaboration’s fall IGA meeting cycle. The meeting host role will rotate after this year, the presenters noted.

Members also described expanding partner engagement: village and township representatives signaled willingness to participate and to identify staff liaisons; the collaboration said it is receiving a community mental health board grant that will involve township funding. Presenters encouraged a coordinated approach to communications and suggested connecting workforce and higher-education pipelines (for example, master's programs and internship programs) to bolster early-childhood staffing capacity.

The group approved forming the working group and agreed to a near-term scheduling effort; staff offered to coordinate scheduling and to circulate a draft purpose statement and membership list ahead of the first working-group meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes: Motion to approve minutes from multiple prior meetings (transcript lists: 11/30/2023; several October 2020 entries in garbled form; 12/04/2024) — motion seconded; verbal vote taken with ayes and at least one opposed; individual vote counts and mover/second names not specified in the transcript.

- Motion to reconvene/return at 7:20 p.m.: Motion made and seconded; verbal aye vote recorded; no formal tally provided in transcript.","Members of the Collaboration for Early Childhood agreed Feb. 26 to form a working group of representatives to review the intergovernmental agreement, meeting cadence and subcommittee structure and to produce a purpose statement; the group aims to convene in April and report back ahead of the collaboration’s fall IGA meeting.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Kindergarten registration data shows preschool access gaps for lower-income families, collaboration reports

Collaboration reports healthy cash position; preliminary FY2026 budget shows status quo IGA funding

Collaboration to form working group to redesign IGA and governance; partners agree to timeline