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Teresa Ramos, who currently serves as Illinois’ first assistant deputy governor of education, will be the first secretary of the newly created Illinois Department of Early Childhood, pending state Senate confirmation, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced in a press release on Monday.
Ramos’ “expertise across education, child care, community engagement, and early childhood development make her a leader in her field that I know will lead the new Department to success,” said Pritzker in the press release.
Since being reelected in 2022, Pritzker has put more funding and resources towards the state’s early childhood education and child care programs for families. He boosted funding for early childhood education with his Smart Start Initiative and proposed the early childhood department in October 2023.
Illinois lawmakers passed legislation this spring to create the Department of Early Childhood. The state allocated $14 million in the fiscal year 2025 budget to help streamline early childhood education and child care programs. The department is expected to begin managing programs such as early intervention for young children with disabilities and the Child Care Assistance Program to support low-income families by July 1.
“I’m eager to get started working with an incredible team of state employees, parents and families, advocates, and early childhood providers to create something exceptional that will give every infant, toddler, and young child an opportunity for a strong and healthy start,” said Ramos in the press release.
Ramos has served as first assistant deputy governor of education under Pritzker since 2022, according to the press release. Prior to working in the governor’s office, Ramos had a long career in early childhood education and children. She was the vice president of public policy, research, and advocacy at Illinois Action for Children, a nonprofit that focuses on child care and early childhood education and the largest administrator for the Child Care Assistance Program in Cook County — a program that provides financial aid for child care to low-income families.
She was the director of Community Engagement for Advance Illinois, a nonprofit education advocacy organization, and helped with the governor’s education transition team in 2018.
Ramos is expected to begin serving as secretary of the department in January if she is confirmed.
Currently, Illinois operates and funds child care and early childhood education programs through the state’s Department of Human Services, Illinois State Board of Education, and the Department of Children and Family Services.
Samantha Smylie is the state education reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago covering school districts across the state, legislation, special education and the state board of education. Contact Samantha at ssmylie@chalkbeat.org.
