Illinois Compiled Statutes
Chapter 110 - HIGHER EDUCATION
110 ILCS 28/ - Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Act.

(110 ILCS 28/1)
Sec. 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Act.

(Source: P.A. 102-174, eff. 7-28-21.)
 
(110 ILCS 28/5)
Sec. 5. Findings. The General Assembly makes all of the following findings:
(Source: P.A. 102-174, eff. 7-28-21.)
 
(110 ILCS 28/10)
Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act:
"Community college" means a public community college that is included in the definition of "Community Colleges" under Section 1-2 of the Public Community College Act.
"Consortium" means the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity.
"Credit for prior learning" means the evaluation and assessment of a student's life learning through employment, training, and experiences outside an academic environment from which skills that comprise terminal objectives are mastered to an acceptable degree of proficiency for college credit, certification, or advanced standing toward further education or training.
"Home institution" means the community college or university at which the student has been admitted.
"Incumbent workforce" means an individual or a group of individuals working or having worked in the early childhood industry, including family child care and center-based care settings, Preschool for All school-based settings, and Head Start, that serves children from birth to age 5 and includes teachers, assistant teachers, directors, family child care providers, and assistants.
"Member institutions" means the institutions of higher education participating in the Consortium.
"Public university" means the University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, Chicago State University, Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University, Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, Western Illinois University, or any other public university or college, other than a community college, now or hereafter established or authorized by the General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 102-174, eff. 7-28-21.)
 
(110 ILCS 28/15)
Sec. 15. Creation of Consortium; purpose; administrative support.
(a) The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall create and establish the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity.
(b) The purpose of the Consortium is to serve the needs of the incumbent early childhood workforce and the employers of early childhood educators and to advance racial equity while meeting the needs of employers by streamlining, coordinating, and
improving the accessibility of degree completion pathways for
upskilling and the sustained expansion of educational pipelines at
Illinois institutions of higher education.
(c) The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall convene the member institutions by July 1, 2021 or within 60 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly. The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall provide administrative support for the start up and operation of the Consortium until a permanent governance structure is developed and implemented. The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall work with member institutions to establish geographic regional hubs, including public universities and the proximate community colleges responsible for serving each regional hub.

(Source: P.A. 102-174, eff. 7-28-21.)
 
(110 ILCS 28/20)
Sec. 20. Membership; functions.
(a) Membership in the Consortium shall include all public universities and community colleges in this State that offer early childhood programs. Membership by private, not-for-profit universities is optional and conditional on the acceptance of the terms adopted by the public members, the related administrative rules, and the provisions of this Act. For-profit institutions of higher education are not eligible for membership in the Consortium. Participating institutions must be accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and entitled to offer Gateways Credentials.
(b) The members of the Consortium shall operate jointly and in cooperation through regional hubs to provide streamlined paths for students to attain associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, certificates, and Gateways Credentials and other licensure endorsements in early childhood education. The priority shall be to focus on the incumbent workforce, which includes working adults who require programs of study that offer flexibility in the times courses are offered, location, and format. The Consortium shall cooperate in all of the following:
By January 31, 2022, the Consortium shall decide how to assign college credit for the incumbent workers who have a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential and for future workers obtaining a CDA.
(c) The Consortium may facilitate or implement the following if deemed beneficial and feasible:
(Source: P.A. 102-174, eff. 7-28-21.)
 
(110 ILCS 28/25)
Sec. 25. Advisory committee; membership.
(a) The Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community College Board, the State Board of Education, the Department of Human Services, and the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development shall jointly convene a Consortium advisory committee to provide guidance on the operation of the Consortium.
(b) Membership on the advisory committee shall be comprised of employers and experts appointed by the Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community College Board, the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development, and the State Board of Education. Membership shall also include all of the following members:
(c) The advisory committee shall meet quarterly. The committee meetings shall be open to the public in accordance with the provisions of the Open Meetings Act.

(Source: P.A. 102-174, eff. 7-28-21.)
 
(110 ILCS 28/30)
Sec. 30. Reporting. The Consortium shall report to the General Assembly, to the Senate and House Committees with oversight over higher education, to the Governor, and to the advisory committee on the progress made by the Consortium. A report must include, but is not limited to, all of the following information:
(Source: P.A. 102-174, eff. 7-28-21.)
 
(110 ILCS 28/35)
Sec. 35. Goals and metrics.
(a) By July 1, 2021 or within 60 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly, the Board of Higher Education's Strategic Plan Educator Workforce subgroup on the early childhood workforce must set goals for the Consortium for the enrollment, persistence, and completion of members of the incumbent workforce in associate, bachelor's, and master's degree programs, Gateways Credentials in Level 2, 3, or 4, and Professional Educator Licensure by September 30, 2024. The goals set for the Consortium must be data informed and include targets for annual enrollment and persistence.
(b) Data from the Gateways Registry, March 2020, indicates that there are 7,670 individuals with an associate degree who would benefit from progressing to a baccalaureate degree and 20,467 individuals with a high school diploma or some college who would benefit from progressing to an associate degree. If the goals cannot be set in accordance with subsection (a), the goal for the Consortium shall be that by September 30, 2024, 20% of the individuals described in this subsection (b) who do not have a degree will have enrolled and be persisting toward or have attained a Gateways Credential in Level 2, 3, or 4 or an associate degree and, of the individuals who have an associate degree, will be enrolled and persisting toward or have attained a baccalaureate degree or will be persisting toward or have attained a Professional Educator License.
(c) Student financial aid, including incentives and stipends, data-sharing, and professional statewide engagement and marketing campaign and recruitment efforts are critical to the Consortium's ability to quickly attract and enroll students into these programs. Navigators, mentors, and advisors are critical for persistence and completion. If federal funds are not appropriated for these purposes and the other purposes of this Section, the Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community College Board, the State Board of Education, the Department of Human Services, and the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development, in consultation with the advisory committee, shall adjust the initial target metrics appropriately by adopting challenging goals that may be attainable with less public investment.
(d) The Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community College Board, the State Board of Education, the Department of Human Services, and the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development, in consultation with the advisory committee, shall determine new metrics and goals for the Consortium as they relate to the remaining and future early childhood workforce, to be instituted after the close of the 2024-2025 academic year and going forward. Metrics must take into consideration that the pipeline depends on sustained, increased student enrollment and completion rates at the associate degree level if this State aims to continue with sustained, increased student enrollment and completion at the bachelor's degree level.

(Source: P.A. 102-174, eff. 7-28-21.)
 
(110 ILCS 28/40)
Sec. 40. Affordability. The institutions participating in the Consortium and the advisory committee shall work to ensure that students have the most affordable options for advancing through and attaining their degree or credentials.

(Source: P.A. 102-174, eff. 7-28-21.)
 
(110 ILCS 28/90)
Sec. 90. Rules. The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board may adopt any rules necessary to administer and implement this Act.

(Source: P.A. 102-174, eff. 7-28-21.)
 
(110 ILCS 28/500)
Sec. 500. (Amendatory provisions; text omitted).

(Source: P.A. 102-174, eff. 7-28-21; text omitted.)
 
(110 ILCS 28/999)
Sec. 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

(Source: P.A. 102-174, eff. 7-28-21.)

Structure Illinois Compiled Statutes