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Board hears proposed early‑childhood block‑grant restructure and scholarship IGA; items set for later board consideration
Summary
District staff proposed shifting early‑childhood block‑grant administration to six Head Start grantees (two IGAs totaling ~ $98.8 million across grantees) and an IGA with City Colleges for a $2.5 million workforce scholarship; presentations emphasized continuity of services for ~7,000 children and workforce development.
Chicago — The Board’s agenda‑review committee on Dec. 3 reviewed proposed changes to early‑childhood funding and workforce supports the board will consider on the Dec. 18 public agenda.
Leslie McKinley, chief officer for the Office of Early Childhood, described a revised funding model that would route block‑grant funds through six Head Start grantees beginning July 1, 2026, with two presented items carrying not‑to‑exceed figures of $49,700,000 and $49,100,000 respectively to support roughly 7,000 children served by community‑based organizations.
McKinley said the model aims to reduce administrative burden on community providers, equalize funding across the city and improve reporting and quality metrics. "This model advances resource equity as it distributes funds across the six Head Start grantees aligned to their geographic regions," she said.
Deputy Parker presented item 3, an intergovernmental agreement with City Colleges of Chicago for $2,500,000 to fund the Chicago Early Learning Workforce Scholarship, which pays for credentials and degrees for aspiring early‑childhood educators and partners with local higher‑education institutions (City Colleges, UIC, National Louis, Roosevelt). Parker said strong demand continues, with about 1,200 applications received historically and 205 scholarships awarded in the latest cycle.
Board members asked whether the district tracks child‑level outcomes and how scholarships could be targeted for bilingual and special‑education teachers. McKinley and Parker said the district receives child outcome and enrollment data from DFSS and can track enrolled early‑childhood students with CPS IDs; they also said the scholarship program is considering targeted recruitment for critical shortages.
What happens next: The items were presented for consideration and (per the agenda) will return for board action on the Dec. 18 public agenda.
