Overview

CELFE began its work in 2021 as the Illinois Early Childhood Transformation Team, resulting from the release of the Funding Commission recommendations for transformative governance and financing reform in Illinois. As the ECTT, we worked to support ECEC Funding Systems in Illinois to be “simpler, better and fairer,” ensuring families with children ages birth to five can equitably access the early education and care young learners need to succeed. Now, we are excited to support more equitable funding strategies nationally as the Center for Early Learning Funding Equity (CELFE).

This video is CELFE’s official launch video. Hear from the CELFE team about how we plan to build a movement to transform the field of early childhood financing.

Presenters:

• Theresa Hawley, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center for Early Learning Funding Equity
• Sessy Nyman, Deputy Director, Center for Early Learning Funding Equity
• Maya Portillo, Policy Associate, Center for Early Learning Funding Equity
• Ellis Katz, Communications Manager, Center for Early Learning Funding Equity