Introducing IDEC – Illinois Department of Early Childhood

Of note to families:

• Families will continue accessing services the same way for now. There are no immediate changes to how families receive services or supports..
• Starting July 1, there will be one central early childhood agency. Illinois is bringing early childhood programs and staff together under one agency, making it easier for families to find information and get connected to services such as child care assistance, early intervention, home visiting, and some preschool programs.
• The state is building stronger family support and customer service systems. A growing family engagement team and improved customer service processes will help families navigate programs and get answers to questions more easily. Future technology upgrades aim to make systems easier and more efficient to use.

For questions, please contact IDEC at: Questions.IDEC@illinois.gov. 

Beginning July 1, 2026, the Illinois Early Intervention Program will no longer be a part of the Illinois Department of Human Services. The Early Intervention Program will be managed by a brand new state agency, the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC).  

In the past, the majority of early childhood services for babies, toddlers and young children were split among three state agencies – the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). The new Department of Early Childhood will bring most early childhood programs together in one place. This change will make it easier for families to find and access the supports they need, while improving coordination among the state’s early childhood programs and services. By reducing complexity, this will advance equity for families with young children through:   

• better coordinated programs, 
• more equitable allocated resources, 
• less bureaucracy for providers to navigate, and 
• greater access to services for families with young children. 

IDEC has been in the planning stages for quite some time.  

• In December of 2019, Governor JB Pritzker appointed a group of child care providers, advocates, educators, and legislators from around the state to analyze the entire early childhood education and care system in Illinois and make recommendations to improve access and services for children birth to age five.  
• In March 2021, the Illinois Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Funding submitted its recommendations to the Governor. The three key recommendations focused on policymaking, funding and administration of most of the programs that serve young children and their families. Based on these recommendations, the Governor signed an Executive Order in October 2023 to begin transitioning several programs into a new agency.  
• In June 2024, he signed into law the new Department of Early Childhood Act, which will bring many early childhood programs and services for young children into one agency to improve equity and accessibility for families and caregivers.  

Nearly two years later, with input from hundreds of professionals and caregivers, we are just a few months away from those programs moving into the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC). Early Intervention is moving to IDEC, along with child care, Head Start, home visiting, Preschool for All, Prevention Initiative, child care licensing, and infant and early childhood mental health.  

At this time, many of the members of the administrative staff for the new agency are in place. Program staff in current administrative agencies are anticipated to make the move by July 1, 2026. The Early Intervention Clearinghouse is committed to sharing relevant information and updates as they become available. 

For meeting and listening session reports, please visit: https://idec.illinois.gov/