The Office of Early Childhood Development extends a warm welcome to Dr. Beth Purvis, Ed.D., as the State's new Secretary of Education.  Governor Rauner created the position and appointed Dr. Purvis to lead the state's efforts to ensure every family in Illinois has meaningful choices from early childhood through post-secondary education. The OECD staff looks forward to working with Dr. Purvis.

Dr. Purvis brings several years of experience in early childhood, K-12, and higher education to this post. She has a Bachelor's of Science from Bucknell University in educational research, a Master's in special education from Teachers College at Columbia University, and an Educational Doctorate in special education from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Purvis began her career by teaching preschool for children who were blind or visually impaired. She fondly recalls these years as a time in which she was able to watch children learn; she considers young children to be "the most exciting and pure problem solvers" and thinks we can learn quite a bit from them. She later worked at the University of Illinois at Chicago as Associate Director of the Early Intervention Center and provided research on urban education. Since 2003, Dr. Purvis has been the CEO of the Chicago International Charter School, adding nine new campuses and implementing a successful performance review system.

ICTC encourages parents to "look through their eyes..."

It is difficult to talk about childhood trauma, but the Illinois Childhood Trauma Coalition is doing just that--and more. "Look Through Their Eyes," a statewide, bilingual ad campaign and online resource, seeks to prevent, recognize, and treat trauma in young children and teens by educating parents and providers on the causes, signs and treatment of childhood trauma. The Coalition, created in 2005 in response to Chicago Metropolis 2020's collaborations with city and state agencies, is a voluntary organization of 80 public and private organizations committed to preventing and treating childhood trauma. Its latest initiative is co-sponsored by Voices for Illinois Children, the Bright Promises Foundation, and the Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Grant. 

The campaign's website provides parents with information on childhood trauma, including its causes and the American Psychological Association's list of tips for preventing it. The site also provides information on the signs and symptoms of trauma by age group, so parents can identify trauma in their children--whether they are infants, toddlers, young children, or teens. The campaign uses the acronym SCARED to remind parents to be alert for unusual behaviors in their children: Sudden changes in sleep habits, Crying, Afraid of things not feared before, Refuses activities once enjoyed, Easily startled, or Displays disruptive, violent, bullying, or aggressive behaviors. The site provides suggestions on how to help a child who is experiencing trauma and an interactive, statewide map of organizations that offer trauma-related services to children. Also featured on the website are Stories for Children that Grownups Can Watch--a series of videos with companion coloring books that identify 

the warning signs of trauma and provide the first steps for how to talk with a child. The first video, "A Clingy Thing," focuses on the insecurity that comes from exposure to violence, and the second, "Inside Him," helps children understand and process feelings or memories that are difficult to discuss. A third video currently in production, "Mobile," will focus on identifying trauma experienced by infants.