Early Learning Insights
Newsletter of the Illinois Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development
In This Issue
About OECD
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.
Upcoming Events
9/27/2017  ELC Integration & Alignment Committee Meeting

10/2/2017 ELC Executive Committee Meeting

10/3/2017 ELC Home Visiting Taskforce Executive Committee Meeting

10/5/2017 ELC All Families Served Subcommittee Meeting

See calendar for more events and details.
New Resources
Supporting Immigrant, Refugee, Undocumented, or Mixed Status Families
CDC Child Obesity Fact Sheet 
Infant Immunizations
OECD Initiatives

Additional Resources
Contact OECD
Stay Connected
September 14, 2017
Dear Early Childhood Community,
 
Over the summer, several important pieces of early childhood legislation were passed. Most recently, the Governor signed HB3213, expanding access to CCAP. In this month's newsletter you'll find more information about that legislation, some webinars and resources from our various partners, including a webinar about the recently-passed Early Childhood Expulsion Bill, and much more.

It's an exciting time for our office as we welcome four new staff members who started this month. You can learn more about them below. Our ever-growing team looks forward to supporting the important work you all are doing.

Best Regards,

Cynthia L. Tate, Ph.D.
Executive Director, OECD
Top Stories
Governor Signs Legislation Increasing CCAP Access

HB3213,  sponsored by State Representative Litesa Wallace and State Senator Toi Hutchinson,  was signed into law by the Governor on 8/25/17 . The bill restores access to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) for families enrolled full-time in non-TANF education and training programs. 

Those qualifying include families with all parents pursuing some level of higher education full-time, and families with one parent working and the other enrolled in non-TANF education or training activity (and income-eligible). The bill add these families to the list of CCAP's priority populations, which ensures that these families they will continue to receive CCAP services even if similar restrictions are enacted in the future.
  
National Preparedness Month
National Preparedness Month is an annual campaign to encourage Americans to prepare for emergencies in their homes, schools, organizations, businesses, and communities. 

Preparedness-related tips and resources for early care and education (ECE) providers can be found on the following websites:
GOECD says "Farewell" to Secretary Beth Purvis

Secretary of Education Dr. Beth Purvis has been a strong supporter of early childhood care and education. Under her leadership, the Governor's Cabinet on Children and Youth tackled the challenges in early childhood workforce development. She co-chaired the Early Learning Council, continuing its long history of public/private partnership in early childhood. Beth was determined to maintain the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development after the ending of the Race to the Top federal grant, and brought state child-serving agencies together to provide continued funding for the office. We want to express our sincere appreciation to Beth for her support, and wish her well in her new endeavor.

Announcement of ICDD Investment



The Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities (ICDD) has funded projects with Illinois State University and Legal Council for Health Justice to improve Illinois systems to better serve young children.

ICDD's mission is to promote systems change for services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. ICDD sponsored the February 2017 Early Childhood Inclusion Policy Summit as a means to bring partners together to focus on seeking solutions to issues in early childhood. These new investments provide the opportunity to further improve early childhood systems.

Illinois State University will lead a team to increase capacity for inclusive teaching. Gateways to Opportunity competencies will be aligned with standards and guidelines reflecting inclusion evidence base. The project team will identify gaps in Illinois' professional development system and disseminate strategies to fill those gaps. Resources will be developed for higher education faculty and Gateways trainers to support incorporation of competencies into professional development systems.

The Legal Council for Health Justice will bring resource together for state systems to connect children exposed to lead to quality Early Intervention services and supports. Stakeholders will recommend eligibility threshold, referral, data tracking, and service delivery models. Data will be analyzed to model feasibility of automatic eligibility for lead exposed children for Early Intervention services. Guidelines for services appropriate for children with lead exposure will be written. Two Child and Family Connections regions will pilot provision of Early Intervention services and their experience will provide guidance for statewide implementation.

GOECD Welcomes New Staff

The Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development is excited to welcome four three new staff members this month:

Lori Orr  is joining OECD as  Preschool Expansion Policy Implementation Director .  Previously, Lori managed the operations of DayOne PACT's Child and Family Connections of DuPage program, which is part of the Early Intervention program under the umbrella of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS).  In this role, Lori worked to ensure that families served by the Child and Family Connections of DuPage program receive high quality services focused on best practice standards. Lori also completed an internship with Erikson Institute's Leadership and Policy Program, which provider her a broader view of macro level policy that impacts early childhood. She also has previous experience working in the child welfare system with teen parents.  Lori holds a BSW degree from UIC's Jane Addams College of Social Work and a M.S. in Child Development from Erikson Institute. You can contact Lori at Lori.A.Orr@illinois.gov.

Julia Zhu  joins OECD as  Community Systems Policy Director . Most recently, Julia was the early childhood programs analyst at Children's Home + Aid and also interned with the Ounce of Prevention's Illinois Policy Team. She was previously a community coordinator with FIRST 5 California, focusing on underserved populations. Julia held an associate teacher permit and has experience in both infant/toddler and preschool classrooms. She received her Master's in Public Policy and Bachelor's degrees from the University of Chicago. You can contact Julia at Julia.Zhu@illinois.gov.

Tom Layman is joining OECD as QRIS (ExceleRate) Policy Director. Previously, Tom served as Executive Director of North Avenue Day Nursery in Chicago, Executive Director of the Chicago Metropolitan Association for the Education of Young Children, and most recently as Vice President for Program Development at Illinois Action for Children. He has a Master's degree in Early Childhood Leadership and Advocacy from National-Louis University. You can contact Tom at Tom.Layman@illinois.gov.

Monique Hovinga is joining OECD as our Erikson Intern. Monique also works as an Education and Disabilities coordinator for a Head Start program in the city of Chicago. She has worked in the field of child development for 9 years, and during that time her interest in policy and advocacy has grown tremendously. She hopes her time at the OECD will equip her to make a meaningful impact for children and families at the systems level. Monique holds a Bachelor's degree in Child Development from Point Loma Nazarene University and is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Child Development from Erikson Institute. You can contact Monique at Monique.Hovinga@illinois.gov.

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 below:

September 27, 10:30 am - 1:00 pm
ELC Integration & Alignment Committee Meeting

October 2, 1:00 - 4:00 pm
ELC Executive Committee Meeting

October 5, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
ELC All Families Served Subcommittee Meeting


Policy Corner
Early Childhood Expulsion Webinar

Join Illinois Action for Children and the Ounce of Prevention Fund to learn more about Illinois' recently enacted legislation and efforts to prevent expulsion in early childhood. 

September 19th, 2017
12pm-1pm
Last month, HB 2663 was signed into law, prohibiting the expulsion of children 0-5 due to child behavior in licensed child care and programs receiving Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) funds. The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is currently drafting specific guidelines for licensed child care providers through the rulemaking process.

This legislation provides critical protections for Illinois' youngest children, as well as promising opportunities to connect early childhood providers with more resources and supports to help them address challenging behaviors and meet children's needs. Join the webinar for more information!

In this webinar, we will cover:
  • Key provisions and intent of the legislation (HB 2663) 
  • Anticipated process and timeline moving forward
  • Information on resources available to help early childhood providers address children's needs and challenging behaviors
Feel free to send us any questions you may have ahead of time, so we can be sure to answer them during the webinar! Please send your questions to advocacy@actforchildren.org. 

The Why and How of State Early Childhood Data Systems

Elliot Regenstein, chair of the Early Learning Council's Data, Research, and Evaluation subcommittee, has authored An Unofficial Guide to the Why and How of State Early Childhood Data Systems, the latest in the Ounce Policy Conversations series. The goal of this Guide is to help advocates navigate the process, with practical advice on how to organize the work and how to overcome common roadblocks. The Guide outlines:
  • why unified early childhood data systems are so important,
  • how to build capacity to use data effectively, and
  • dealing with privacy and security.
Partner Spotlight
KIDS Community Support Webinars



Advance Illinois and The Ounce of Prevention invite members of community and education advocacy organizations from around the state to join an upcoming webinar to learn more about KIDS - the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey - which is being implemented statewide by ISBE this fall. KIDS is an observational tool designed to help teachers and families deepen their understanding of each student's skills and development.

There are two opportunities to experience the webinar:

September 14 from 1pm - 2pm (Register here)
September 22 from 9am to 10am (Register here)

On the webinar, you will have the chance to learn about the KIDS tool, view the latest resources, and hear how communities across Illinois are utilizing KIDS to better identify what individual children already know and the areas where more support is needed as each child transitions into kindergarten. You will also receive resources that you can use to communicate with your members and partners about this important initiative.

In the News
Healthy Gender Development and Young Children

Healthy Gender Development and Young Children: A Guide for Early Childhood Programs and Professionals, draws on decades of research on child and gender development to offer practical guidance for all those who work with children and families.

The guide includes the following sections: What we know, what programs can do, what you can do, children's books that support healthy gender expression, related resources, and selected references.

You can find the guide here.
Available Resources
Resource for Providers on Supporting Immigrant, Refugee, Undocumented, and Mixed Immigration Status Families

All children have a right to access early childhood programs, regardless of their actual or perceived immigration or citizenship status or that of their parents. Given recent concerns expressed by families regarding recent immigration activity, the following resource provides some general guidance on how early childhood programs and providers can support children and families who are immigrants, refugees, or undocumented, or are members of a family with mixed immigration status. It also includes information on state-wide legal and mental health resources. This guide is now available in English & Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin. In addition, early child programs and stakeholders are encouraged to review and understand additional resources and supports, which include Know Your Rights and legal assistance.

Webinar on Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health



Allison Lowe-Fotos, Policy Manager with the Ounce of Prevention Fund, will facilitate an introductory webinar that is designed for early childhood leaders and community partners. Participants will learn about infant and early childhood mental health, ways to address it within programs, resources, as well as statewide initiatives focused on the issue.

Tuesday, September 26th
12pm-1pm
Goals:
  • Provide an overview of Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health (I/ECMH)
  • Provide examples of best practices
  • Share resources with more in-depth information
Participants will:
  • Be able to define I/ECMH
  • Learn statistics around I/ECMH
  • Learn some signs and contributing factors (individual, family, and community)
  • Learn about specific topics within I/ECMH, such as trauma and early childhood expulsion
  • Learn ways to address I/ECMH within programs
  • Learn about professional development supports for staff
  • Learn about statewide initiatives focusing on I/ECMH and current legislation
If you have any questions about the webinar, please contact Edna Navarro-Vidaurre, Assistant Director of Community Systems Development (e.n.vidaurre@actforchildren.org or 773-564-8874).

Partnerships for Inclusion: Professional Development to Support Effective Inclusion Practices Webinar

In this webinar, learn how to use professional development and technical assistance (TA) to support the workforce in implementing effective research-based inclusive practices. This is the last in the four-webinar series designed to support early childhood programs in building high-quality inclusion.

Monday, Sept. 25, 2017
2-3 p.m. EDT

Topics for the webinar include:
  • Information about who comprises the early childhood workforce and their needs related to inclusion
  • Framework for understanding professional development on inclusion as part of a broad early childhood system of support for programs
  • Federal strategies and free resources to support the workforce in implementing effective research-based practices

Target Audience includes  Head Start disabilities coordinators and directors,  Mental health consultants,  Head Start State Collaboration Office directors,  Local preschool disabilities coordinators, pre-k specialists and early interventionists,  Child care TA specialists,  State 619 and Part C coordinators,  Higher education faculty in two and four-year early childhood/early childhood special education programs

Questions?  Contact the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning (NCECDTL) at ecdtl@ecetta.info or call (toll-free) at 1-844-261-3752. 

Illinois Association for Infant Mental Health Annual Conference


The Neurorelational Framework: Translating Brain Science into Clinical Practice

October 20, 2017, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
The UIC Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Rd., Chicago, IL 60608
Connie Lillas, Ph.D., MFT, RN, Keynote Speaker

The Harvard Center on the Developing Child has identified core concepts that organize neurodevelopment: 1) the different effects of toxic and adaptive stress, 2) the process of "serve and return" interactions that fire and wire the brain architecture, and 3) individual differences in brain architecture. The Neurorelational Framework's (NRF) three clinical steps align with the three core concepts of neurodevelopment. The NRF provides a common language and shared practices for clinicians that ensures a neuroprotective approach. The three clinical steps support assessment and intervention and are applicable to high risk populations and children who have experienced abuse and neglect. The three key steps will be introduced through video-based case examples. Participants will be encouraged to apply these three clinical steps to themselves and a current case they have, in support of reflective practice. Participants will be guided through the three clinical steps using the framework of shared decision making and evidence based practice. Demonstrations will provide participants with processes and tools that can be used with families immediately.

For details and to register, see the conference website.
Illinois Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development | earlychildhood.illinois.gov
160 N. LaSalle St. Suite N-100
Chicago, IL 60601
312-814-6379