Alignment. Quality. Access.
OECD leads the state's initiatives to create an integrated system of quality, early learning and development programs to help give all Illinois children a strong educational foundation before they begin kindergarten.
Learn more.
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November 20
| Early Learning Council Full Meeting
See
calendar
for more events and details.
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Dear Early Childhood Community,
We have much to be thankful for this month. T
he Home Visiting Task Force and the Illinois Interagency Council on Early Intervention hosted a joint convening to collaborate on goals from the
the joint ED/HHS Recommendations.The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has released the FY19 Request for Proposals (RFP) for Preschool for All and Preschool for All Expansion. Additionally, Senator Murray and Representative Scott introduced S 1806/HR 3773, the Child Care for Working Families Act in Congress.
As always, thank you for your hard work in service of Illinois children and families!
Best Regards,
Cynthia L. Tate, Ph.D.
Executive Director, OECD
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November is Adoption Awareness Month
November is
National Adoption Awareness Month
. For over two decades, this month has been designated as a time to shine a light on adoption and to bring attention to the number of children and youth in foster care waiting for permanent families. It is also a time to thank the thousands of families across the state of Illinois for giving children in need the love, nurturing and security that comes from being a part of a family; and encourage others to join them in making a life-changing difference for a child.
Read
Governor Rauner's Proclamation regarding adoption awareness
Read President Trump's Proclamation
regarding adoption
awareness
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HV/EI Joint Convening:
On November 1st, the Home Visiting Task Force and the Illinois Interagency Council on Early Intervention hosted a joint convening to bring together representatives from the home visiting and Early Intervention systems in order to:
- Build cross-awareness of the home visiting and early intervention systems;
- Meet and enhance relationships with prenatal - 3 colleagues from different sectors;
- Hear effective and promising practices happening in Illinois;
- Identify opportunities to improve coordination and collaboration to support our children and families; and,
- Develop concrete ideas to move forward with a joint action plan.
The meeting was attended by over 40 representatives from the two systems. A report is being prepared that will be distributed for feedback and additional input. If you are interested in participating in future discussions and/or in reviewing the report, please contact Anna Potere:
apotere@theounce.org.
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A new overview of the
Illinois B-3 Continuity Project
has been posted to the project's website. For those just beginning their birth-to-third grade alignment work,
this video
gives an overview of the projects mission, goals, and best strategies for creating a quality B-3 system.
The mission of B-3 state supports is to strengthen Preschool Expansion communities' ability to develop a high quality, intentionally aligned education system from birth through third grade.
Several webinars and regional networking events are being planned for the fall of 2017. Questions can be sent to Ashley Long the Director of the B-3 Continuity Project at
amlong3@ilstu.edu.
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ISBE Releases FY19 Request For Proposals
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has released the FY19 Request for Proposals (RFP) for Preschool for All and Preschool for All Expansion.The first step in applying for these grants is to submit a Notice of Intent to Submit form. The form for Preschool for All can be
found here, while the Preschool for All Expansion form
is here.
The final proposals are due to ISBE by
January 12th, 2018 at 4pm.
For more information,
click here to be directed to ISBE's RFP page. Otherwise, please contact ISBE's Division of Early Childhood Education at (217) 524-4835 or earlychi@isbe.net.
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Community and Program Planning for ISBE's Early Childhood Funding Proposals Workshops
Come find out more about the recent release of ISBE's
Preschool for All
and
Preschool for All Expansion
RFPs which are due
January 12, 2018
. Some basic information about the upcoming
Prevention Initiative (PI)
RFP will also be presented. Time will be allowed for technical assistance to discuss key topics within the RFP and to network with others across the state also preparing. Professional development will be provided about accessing and using data in your community, collaborative planning, and supporting the Birth-to-Third-Grade pipeline.
Topics will include:
- Exploring key priorities of ISBE's RFPs
- Preparing your program's budget
- Understanding how to use community data (provided by IECAM)
- The B-3 Pipeline: community planning, community systems and comprehensive services.
- Topical discussion groups
- Question and Answer session
Please choose from December 5, 2017 in Decatur, IL or December 12, 2017 in Chicago Heights, IL. These workshops will run from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. and are hosted by the
B-3 Continuity Project
with support from Robert R. McCormick Foundation and Irving Harris Foundation. Lunch is on your own, plan on bringing yours or a list of area options will be provided.
Registration is now open
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2017 ILLINOIS KIDS COUNT Data Book Shows That Despite Progress, The State Must Work Harder To Address The Barriers Facing Low-Income And Minority Children
Voices for Illinois Children has released the
2017 ILLINOIS KIDS COUNT Data Book finding that Illinois children's educational success drastically varies based on the county in which they live. The data proved that large gaps in achievement and attainment, across the state, disproportionately impact low-income and minority children in communities that lack funding for quality educational programming.
Through recent policy and budget changes - specifically affecting early childhood education programs, K-12 funding, school breakfast options, after school program access, high school and post secondary alignment - Illinois has taken steps to reduce educational inequities for children across the state. However, the 2017 findings indicate that our work as a state is not done; and in order to build on the State's foundation and continue the progress of these policies, Illinois must raise additional revenue. The 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book concludes Illinois will only make systemic gains in education for all groups of students by:
- Increasing investments in quality early childhood education programs for low and middle-income children;
- Examining and addressing inequities in school resources, teacher and principal distribution, course rigor and discipline practices;
- Coordinating support services so that every child has access to food, safe after-school programming and mental and health services
To download a copy of the 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book as well as detailed fact sheets for the 40 large
st counties in Illinois, visit:
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New Study Shows Traumatic Experiences Widespread Among U.S. Youth
A troubling new survey finds at least 38% of children in every state have had at least one Adverse Childhood Experience or ACE, such as the death or incarceration of a parent, witnessing or being a victim of violence, or living with someone who has been suicidal or had a drug or alcohol problem.
Research shows ACEs increase an individual's long-term risk for smoking, alcoholism, depression, heart and liver diseases, and dozens of other illnesses and unhealthy behaviors. However, ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) and other traumatic events affect more than the individual child; families, neighborhoods and communities all bear the brunt of these difficult circumstances, which add up over time.
Practitioners and policymakers should respond to these new data by advancing strategies that can both prevent ACEs in the first place and support families and communities as they learn and heal, via
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Early Learning Council Meeting Calendar
 The committees and subcommittees of the Early Learning Council meet several times a year to work towards each of their goals and priorities. You can find a calendar of all Early Learning Council meetings on the OECD website on the
ELC Meeting Calendar, which lists the date, time, location, and links to any meeting materials. Some upcoming meetings are:
December 7, 2017 10:00am-12:00pm
December 13, 2017 11:00am-1:00pm
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Don't Miss the next P-20 Council Meeting
The Illinois P-20 Council is working to improve birth to adulthood education in Illinois, to maximize students' educational attainment, opportunities for success in the workforce, and contributions to their local communities. The P-20 Council
invites you to join in the work of improving our Illinois education system:
Monday, December 11th
12:00 - 3:30 PM
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MIECHV and CHIP
Despite legislation that has been moving through the process in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Congress has not yet extended the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), both of which provide vital services to children and families across the state. Health and early childhood advocates developed a joint letter that was distributed to the Home Visiting Task Force and other key stakeholder groups calling on members of the Illinois Congressional delegation to voice their support for quick action on MIECHV and CHIP. The letter will be sent to the Illinois Congressional delegation on November 13th.
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Children First Act
Congress Representatives Joe Crowley and Lois Frankel reintroduced the
Children First Act (H.R. 3643)
which would expand mandatory funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to families with children under age 4 living at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Read the
full legislation
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Child Care for Working Families Act Introduced
Last month, Senator Murray and Representative Scott introduced
S 1806/HR 3773, the Child Care for Working Families Act in Congress. This bill seeks to radically overhaul the child care system in the U.S., as it would essentially change child care assistance into an entitlement program, where everyone who qualifies, would receive services. It would greatly increase access to services by expanding income eligibility to families earning less than 150% of state median income.
Other crucial provisions of the bill include:
- A tiered co-pay system that would include a max co-pay of 7% of family income
- A tiered system of quality dependent on provider type and the ages of children cared for
- A prioritization of children with disabilities
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Regional Public Policy Caucus
Illinois Action for Children convenes early childhood community leaders and advocates every year for an early childhood policy caucus. At each regional caucus, you'll learn about upcoming state and federal early childhood policies, including the status of: p
reschool expulsion legislation, C
hildren's Health Insurance Program, and the
Child Care for Working Families Act.
You will get to talk about policy issues that matter to you and help inform Illinois Action for Children's policy agenda for FY2019. The Regional Public Policy Caucuses are also a great way to network with other early childhood professionals!
The content for each caucus will be the same - simply pick the one that works for you! Registration is $15 to cover the cost of a meal.
Register for a policy caucus near you:
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Promoting the Inclusion of Preschoolers with Special Needs
Illinois Early Childhood Least Restrictive Environment (ECLRE) Stakeholders Consortium promotes inclusion of children with special needs with typically developing peers in all environments where they learn, grow and have appropriate supports to succeed.
In February 2017, The
Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities (ICDD) is funded Early CHOICES to convene an Illinois Early Childhood Inclusion Summit. The Summit provided a unique and critical opportunity for leaders across all Illinois early childhood systems to advance the priorities in the United States Departments of Education (ED) and Health and Human Services (HHS) jointly released
Policy Statement on Inclusion in Early Childhood Programs. Outcomes of the summit include
priorities for improving policy to support inclusion of young children across all agencies and stakeholders in Illinois.
ECLRE Consortium is currently working to ensure public awareness of the federal policy statement on the inclusion of children with disabilities. Please take the time to check out the following state tools & resources:
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ECE/Immigration Webinar
Every child and family deserves to feel welcome, safe and valued regardless of their actual or perceived immigration or citizenship status. Unfortunately, anti-immigrant policies, rhetoric and uncertainty are increasingly impacting the overall well-being and development of young children and families living in Illinois and across the nation. In response, early childhood and immigrant advocate organizations are partnering to present a webinar geared toward the early learning provider and administrator community.
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
12:00pm-1:30pm
To register for the webinar in English click
here and for Spanish
here.
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Opening Minds Early Childhood Education Conference
Meet the top people in the field of early care and education from all industries: education, administration, health & wellness, medicine, nursing, justice, social service, policy, government, parks & recreation, tech, business, library science, and more. Hear the latest developments in research. Get proven ideas to return to your job with renewed enthusiasm and the practical edge you need to create results.
The Opening Minds Early Education Conference will take place at:
Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park
200 N Columbus Dr, Chicago, IL 60601
Wednesday February 7, 2018 through
Saturday February 10th, 2018.
Opening Minds is the early childhood education conferences 2018 gathering place for all industries serving young children and families. Credit Hours are available for educators as well as allied professionals.
Opening Minds is a GATEWAYS Registry Verified Conference. Detailed information about sessions and presenters can be found
here
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