President Donald Trump’s administration is looking to block undocumented children from Head Start as part of ongoing efforts to limit access to federal benefits for immigrants without legal status.

People in the country illegally are largely ineligible for federal public benefits such as food stamps, student loans and financial aid for higher education. But for decades they have been able to access some community-level programs such as Head Start and community health centers.

Sunny day, sweepin’ the clouds away... that’s how Sonia Manzano spent her career for more than four decades. The actress hung out with Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch and the whole “Sesame Street” gang when she played Maria on the beloved program.

Starting in July, about 3,000 early childhood professionals at 86 early childhood care and education agencies funded by the city will see a cost-per-child increase in their salaries, averaging to a 5-10% increase in wages, according to city officials.

Parents who otherwise would not be able to afford child care rely on Head Start when they work or go to school. The program operates across all 50 states and supports more than 600 child care centers and 28,000 children across Illinois.

Asked by reporters how soon he would like the department closed, President Donald Trump responded: “Oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately. The Department of Education is a big con-job.”

Pritzker announced plans in 2023 to establish a new agency that would consolidate under one roof a host of state programs currently scattered across several other agencies that serve the needs of families with infants and toddlers. Those include oversight and funding of preschools, childcare centers, home visiting and early intervention programs.

Ella Jenkins was known for revolutionizing children’s music with her signature “call and response” style found throughout her performances. The self-taught musician became a leading figure in American folk and children’s music of the 20th century.

Barbara Taylor Bowman is known not only for her lifelong work in the field and for co-founding the Erikson Institute, but also as the mother of Valerie Jarrett, an advisor to former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

Early intervention, or EI, comprises an array of developmental and social-emotional services like speech and language, occupational and physical therapies and social work that are designed to improve the long-term outcomes of a child and family’s life.

Advocates in Illinois are pushing for higher wages and better benefits in an effort to retain child care workers. The effort comes after a center in Bronzeville recently shut its doors, the CEO says, due to a lack of staff. 

Cindy Eggleton, Brilliant Detroit CEO, told The Associated Press that her group will branch out to three additional cities – Philadelphia, Chicago and Cleveland – starting next year and will change the group’s name to Brilliant Cities. The early childhood education nonprofit that supports children in underserved communities “from belly to 8.”

Illinois is preparing to dedicate an entire state agency to matters affecting children in their earliest years. Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced in October his intent to move disparate services under the umbrella of a new state agency: the Department of Early Childhood.

Vowing to make Illinois the top state in the nation for child care accessibility, Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled a plan to consolidate all the state’s early childhood programs and funding into one new state agency. Currently, early childhood services are spread across three agencies.

The federally mandated Early Intervention program is plagued by chronic staffing shortages nationwide, leaving thousands of desperate parents frustrated: They know their children need support, they’re aware of proven therapies that could make a difference, but they have to wait for months to get the help they need.

Every year, the Carole Robertson Center for Learning holds ceremonies and social justice activities in remembrance of Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carol McNair — the four little girls killed in a 1963 white supremacist attack on the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala.