EXCERPT FROM: McCook Suburban Life
By Staff
Brookfield, IL — Area police chiefs recent met with state Sen. Steven Landek, Burbank, to urge support for quality early childhood programs to prevent future crime.

EXCERPT FROM: Chicago Tribune
By Alexa Aguilar
Tabatha Okamoto is careful never to bring home more than about $2,000 a month in earnings from her job as an administrative assistant at a downtown hotel. If she does, she could be on the hook for her 4-year-old son's entire child care bill — nearly half of her current monthly take-home income.

EXCERPT FROM: Houston Chronicle
By STAFF
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A new report concludes that single mothers in Illinois have been hit especially hard by economic troubles.

EXCERPT FROM: Northwest Herald
By Hilary Gowins
After Crystal Lake resident Heidi Alexander’s flexible real estate career took a dive when the housing crisis hit, she was all but forced out.

EXCERPT FROM: Morris Daily Herald
By Christina Chapman
Due to lack of payments by the state, Jackie Nusbaumer, co-owner of Praireland Kids Daycare and Learning Center in Morris, has had to hold her employees’ paychecks.

EXCERPT FROM: Napersville Sun
By Hilary Decent
As part of his tour around DuPage County Wednesday, Gov. Patrick Quinn stopped in Naperville to sign a bill that aims to reduce the number of child deaths in Illinois.

EXCERPT FROM: Northwest Herald
By Rodger Sherman
MARENGO – Marengo preschool and after-school program The Little Nut Hut will close next month, leaving parents of the 20 children enrolled in the program searching for new day care options.

EXCERPT FROM: Illinois Times
By Rachel Wells
General state aid, mandated programs and pre-kindergarten funding have been and should remain top education priorities for the state as it muddles through yet another budget process with record-breaking deficit projections, area educators told the Illinois State Board of Education last week at a public hearing held in Springfield.

EXCERPT FROM: ABC 7 Chicago
By Theresa Gutierrez
August 17, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- A Rogers Park home day care center that was scheduled to open in a few weeks is now fighting foreclosure.