Illinois Awarded $80 Million In Federal Funding For Early Childhood Education

(CBS) -- The state of Illinois has won $80 million in federal funding for early childhood education and experts say the impact down the road will be significant, reports WBBM's Mike Krauser.

Illinois will receive $20 million a year for the next for years.

"If we could invent a vaccine to prevent some of the biggest and most troubling problems that impact children and families, we would inoculate every child with early childhood education learning because we know from 30 years of science that this really works," said Nancy Ronquillo, the president and CEO of Children's Home and Aid.

Research by Nobel Prize-winning economics professor James Heckman of the University of Chicago found that investment in early childhood education pays for itself seven times over.

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• Mike Krauser