By Dave Dahl

ROCHESTER – Gov. JB Pritzker’s initiative to expand access to pre-school in Illinois has exceeded its goal in its first year.

At an appearance at Rochester Elementary School Thursday morning, he said an additional 5,886 three- and four-year-olds were able to attend pre-school. The goal for Smart Start’s first year was 5,000.
“To be clear,” said Pritzker, “we still have some distance to go to make sure we are covering every single three- and four-year-old in this state by 2027. That is the goal.”

Responding to a question about the program’s future, Pritzker said, “It’s a question of budgetary priorities.”

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton also hammered home the importance of pre-school. “When we educate our children, we set off a domino effect,” she said. “Education leads to opportunity, which leads to prosperity, which leads to stability, and so on. And that’s why Smart Start Illinois remains a priority in our fifth balanced budget.

“Good government puts people at the forefront of policy.”

Pritzker is in the middle of a statewide tour to celebrate the first year of the program.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].