Illinois will soon join 17 other states that have established a cabinet to create a strategic vision to help children across the state. An Executive Order was signed Feb. 18 creating the Governor’s Cabinet on Children and Youth, or the “Children’s Cabinet,” that will be charged with streamlining education and youth-related efforts in Illinois.
By bringing together experts in areas of state government with a focus on children, the Children’s Cabinet will seek to better consolidate services and programs helping Illinois’ youth and families. The Children’s Cabinet will work with health and human service providers, early childhood programs, elementary schools, high schools and post-secondary institutions, and seek to facilitate strategic partnerships not only within the public sector, but also with private organizations, to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
The Children’s Cabinet is one way the Rauner Administration is working to streamline state government in order to improve the quality of education for Illinois’ children, in addition to fully funding state schools and reducing burdensome and costly mandates on Illinois school districts.