CHICAGO – State Senator Emil Jones, III (D-Chicago) is encouraging parents who might need a little extra help preparing their young children for school to enroll in the Illinois State Board of Education’s new educational text program.

“Oftentimes, we can get so wrapped up in our day that we could forget to do something as small as asking our kids how their day went,” Jones said. “However, providing parents with a reminder via text and prompts to engage with their children is a useful tool in encouraging parents and children to prioritize those conversations.” 

The Chat2Learn Program — spearheaded by ISBE and the Behavioral Insights and Parenting — will engage up to 50,000 parents and caregivers of preschool-aged children in Illinois Preschool For All and Preschool For All Expansion programs. Program administrators are encouraged to sign parents up on their behalf. However, parent-enrollment will open at a later date.

Through conversation prompts given to parents through the program, future students will build literacy, mathematics, and social-emotional skills for kindergarten readiness. The messages are based on research evidence collected by the BIP Lab.

An example message is: "Part of being a parent is getting to know your child better every day. Ask your child, 'If you had a day to do whatever you wanted, what would you do?'"

Text messages begin on Dec. 6 and continue through June 30, 2021.

For more information, visit https://biplab.uchicago.edu/