About Us
Program Info
Governor JB Pritzker's Preschool for All (PFA) is a state-funded program that provides preschool to Illinois children ages 3–4 and 5-year-olds who are not eligible for kindergarten. The program is part of Pritzker's Smart Start Illinois initiative, which aims to make preschool available to more Illinois children. How does it work?
- The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) administers the program.
- PFA focuses on providing high-quality programs for children who are at risk of academic failure.
- The program is awarded to grantees in areas of the state with too few publicly funded preschool seats.
What are the goals of the program?
- To eliminate gaps in access to preschool
- To provide public preschool to at least 80% of all low-income 3- and 4-year-olds in every community
- To improve equity and accessibility for families and caregivers
Other Smart Start initiatives:
- Funding new day cares in child care deserts
- Increasing wages for child care providers
- Providing comprehensive support services to children aged 0–3 and their families
Pritzker has also proposed creating a new Department of Early Childhood to consolidate early childhood programs and services.