Illinois has made progress on K-12 education in recent years, but there’s still more to be done in early childhood and higher education. We look at one report from the education non-profit Advance Illinois. We also talk about what it takes to help more Latinx community college students get the support they need to earn a degree. Plus, houses of worship have been closing all over the state. Now, there’s a movement of people who want to make sure that these buildings are still being used by their communities.

A report released Tuesday by the Illinois State Board of Education shows most kindergarteners in the state start school unprepared.

Raising, supporting and teaching very young children is an awesome responsibility that takes all kinds of skills, patience and access to resources.  If you are in the midst of doing this work, you are helping lay the foundation for a child’s lifelong learning, and WILL wants to thank and support you.

For almost two weeks, there were reports of at least 8 tornadoes across the country. Many of those were here in the Midwest. Why this is happening, and how can we talk to kids about it? Plus, a new report from the Erikson Institute looks into early childhood well-being. And, we'll speak with Alex Pancoe, a Highland Park native who recently got back from climbing Mount Everest during a deadly climbing season.