WTV has historically advocated for further investment into Smart Start Workforce Grants and the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program. Our workforce initiatives push for fair compensation, workforce supports, accessible professional development, and long-term public investment in early childhood systems.
Smart Start Workforce Grants (SSWG)
SSWG was first announced in 2023 by Governor Pritzker, as part of the Smart Start Illinois Plan. The goal of these grants is to stabilize and grow the early childhood workforce by supporting eligible programs to pay educators a wage floor.
Members of the We, the Village Policy Committee have been active in the Smart Start Ad Hoc, which helped to design the grants and reviews data to support CQI, since the Ad Hoc’s inception. WTV advocacy has resulted in public posting of grantees and grant award amounts, increased communication and technical assistance to the field, and data to support budget advocacy. Members of the Policy Committee have also been trained in the use of the SSWG cost model, supporting data-driven budget asks and helping members better engage in advocacy around cost model design.
In addition to supporting design and implementation, We, the Village has collected testimony, shared provider stories and experiences, and created advocacy toolkits to advocate for SSWG funding and support continuous improvement of the grants.
ECACE Scholarship
Following the launch of the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship in 2021, WTV has advocated for the expansion of the program and further support for the early childhood workforce pipeline.
The goal of ECACE is to help early childhood professionals pursue their associate or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and strengthen the quality and size of Illinois’ early childhood workforce.