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
September 5 |
Inclusion Subcommittee Meeting

September 7 | 
Data, Research, and Evaluation (DRE) Subcommittee Meeting

September 13 |
Community Systems Development Subcommittee Meeting

September 13 | 
Mixed Delivery Service Ad Hoc Committee Meeting

September 14 | 
Health Subcommittee Meeting

September 18 |
Access Committee Meeting

September 20 |
Integration and Alignment Committee Meeting

September 20 |
ExceleRate Subcommittee Meeting 

September 25 |
Kindergarten Transition Advisory Committee Meeting

October 1 |
Early Learning Council Executive Committee Meeting 

See the 
calendar for more events and details.
OECD Initiatives
Resources
Stay Connected
Greetings Early Childhood Community,

This month we have good news to report on the progress of Illinois toward building our early childhood system. Legislatively, three bills were passed and signed into law by Governor Rauner that benefit the families who participate in the child care program, and the teachers of our youngest children. (Please see the "Legislative Updates" section below for details on SB1829, SB3536, HB4965, and additional early childhood bills signed into law.)

We appreciate our early childhood champions in the House (Representatives Litsea Wallace, Jehan Gordon-Booth, and Lisa Hernandez) and Senate (Senators Toi Hutchinson and Jacqueline Collins) for supporting these bills in the spring, and Governor Rauner for signing them into law this summer. We also want to acknowledge the work of the Early Childhood Workforce Project of the Governor's Cabinet on Children and Youth, and the Quality Committee of the Early Learning Council. This cross-system, public/private effort did the very detailed work necessary to bring SB1829 and SB3536 to fruition. This work speaks to the necessity of working in partnership on behalf of our youngest children and those that do, and will, educate them.

The Illinois State Board of Education released the first ever data from KIDS (Kindergarten Individual Development Survey). The link to ISBE's snapshot is  here. We now have a way to measure how we are doing as a State in preparing our children for success in kindergarten and later in elementary school. We see from this initial data that we have more work to do and need to invest in more resources to reach the national averages of kindergarten readiness. We know that disparities exist, and we will look more closely at those disparities as the data is further analyzed. KIDS will give us a data-informed way to advance our values for an equitable early childhood system that prepares all Illinois children.

In closing, we want to keep in our hearts, and on our advocacy and policy agendas, the children who continue to be separated from their families at facilities at the border and, now, relocated throughout the country. As the national outrage diminishes, we cannot forget these traumatized children and their family members. The trauma these children have experienced, and continue to experience, does not just go away. Even as some children are reunified, families are coping with the effects of the trauma: children who are not able to re-establish the trusted attachment to their parents; children who suffer with sleep disturbance, crying, fears, and other evidence of trauma. They need trauma-informed approaches in order to heal from this travesty.

Best Regards,
 
Cynthia L. Tate, Ph.D.
Executive Director, GOECD
Legislative Updates
Several Early Childhood Bills Signed into Law 

Governor Rauner has signed several pieces of legislation affecting early care and education in Illinois.
 
SB1829 (PA 100-0645): This law expands the number of educators eligible to teach in Preschool for All and Preschool for All Expansion classrooms without lowering the standard of certification. Educators with a Gateways ECE Credential Level 5 will now be eligible to teach in these classrooms while working toward their Professional Educator License (PEL).
 
SB2527  (PA 100-0792) : This law improves post-secondary education opportunities by allowing high school students to enroll in an unlimited number of dual credit courses in which they can earn both high school and college credits. ( Read the press release .)

SB3536 (PA 100-0822): This law remediates an existing oversight in the educator licensure process to ensure that educators in alternative licensure programs teaching in community-based settings can receive appropriate supports during their education and training without having to leave their current role. The law aligns with SB1829 to help alleviate the shortage of early childhood educators in Illinois by supporting current workers to advance their careers.
 
HB4885  (PA 100-0860) : This law ensures that families of children under age 5 with open intact family services cases with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) are eligible for child care assistance under the Illinois Department of Human Services' (IDHS) Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). This law helps to stabilize families whose children are at risk of entering the child welfare system. ( Read the press release. )

HB4965 (PA 100-0909): This law provides greater stability to at-risk and low-income families by expanding eligibility redetermination for the Illinois Department of Human Services' (IDHS) Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) from six months to twelve months.
 
HB5771 (PA 100-0819): This law requires programs receiving Preschool for All or Preschool for All Expansion funds to collect and review chronic absence data, which will be made public in 2020. The data will help determine the support and resources needed to engage families and lower the chronic absenteeism seen in many communities.
 
Click here to read the press release for SB1829, SB3536, and HB5771. 
Featured Resources 
Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS)  

This month, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS) data, the first-ever statewide snapshot of kindergarten readiness in Illinois. The KIDS data reinforces the importance of high-quality early learning experiences for children beginning at birth. 
Child Trends Research Brief: Parenting Knowledge among First-time Parents of Young Children 

Approximately 4 million babies are born each year in the United States alone and the responsibilities of parenthood are extraordinary. This research-to-practice brief highlights findings from Child Trends' study of first-time parents of young children (under age 3) and their knowledge about parenting and child development. Researchers have rarely examined what parents know, and want to know, about parenting and child development, how they prefer to receive such information, and how their knowledge and preferences may vary across different groups of parents. The focus is especially on parents' perception of their knowledge of children's social-emotional and physical development.
Partner Spotlight
Illinois Attendance Commission's Attendance Awareness Campaign

The Illinois Attendance Commission was created within the State Board of Education to study chronic absenteeism and make recommendations for prevention strategies across the state. Their PSA, "Every Student Counts, Every Day Matters" features Merri Dee, an author and Chicago Broadcaster (50 years). Please view and share the PSA and the Attendance Tip Sheet
Pilot to Address Childhood Lead Poisoning Hiring for New Positions 

The Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation awarded $600,000 to Legal Council and Erikson Institute to innovate and evaluate new approaches to childhood lead poisoning. Read more about this groundbreaking pilot and the promise of Early Intervention to address the devastating effects lead exposure has on children in the Legal Council Press Release and the Georgetown Center for Children and Families Say Ahhh! Blog.

If you work with medical providers that serve children in Cicero, Berwyn or Rockford (the locations for the pilot work), please contact:
- Amy Zimmerman, 773.988.8058, azimmerman@legalcouncil.org
- Sheila Black Haennicke, 708.214.4933, shaennicke@erikson.edu

Additionally, if you or anyone you know might interested in participating in this work, Legal Council is growing and hiring for a number of positions, specifically: 

Collaboration for Early Childhood Appoints John Borrero as Executive Director

John Borrero, early childhood leader and educator, has been named executive director of the Collaboration for Early Childhood.View the full press release
Building a Coordinated Data System to Support Early Childhood Education 

Bethany Patten, GOECD's Workforce Policy Director, was recently featured in a blog post for the U.S. Department of Education's Regional Education Laboratory Program. Patten and Northern Illinois University's Charlie Rosemond discuss coordinated data systems and how they can support systems building in early childhood education.
Upcoming Conferences 
Illinois AEYC Growing Futures 2018 Conference

The Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children (Illinois AEYC) Growing Futures 2018 Conference will be held October 18-20, 2018, at the Pere Marquette Marriott Hotel in Peoria, IL. Registration is now open. GOECD's Lori Orr, Preschool Expansion Policy Implementation Director, and Donna Nylander, Pyramid Model Implementation Director, will be presenting on, "Current State Initiatives: What You Need to Know... Suspension & Expulsion Pyramid Model and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)." 

Illinois Association for Infant Mental Health Annual Fall Conference in Chicago 
The Illinois Association for Infant Mental Health is hosting its 37th Annual Fall Conference on October 19, 2018, from 9:00am-3:30pm at the UIC Forum. Dr. Cynthia Garcia Coll, Ph.D. from the Albizu University in Puerto Rico, will present on "Infant Mental Health: The Role of Enculturation in Promotion and Prevention."  In the USA, there is a profound demographic shift, whereby the majority of children born are non-white. What are the implications of this change in our view of infants and their caretakers? What are the implications for programs and services for these populations? What are our own personal values as professionals?  What do we consider right or wrong for a caretaker to do? Register for the conference here.
Prevent Child Abuse Illinois Statewide Conference

The 24th annual Prevent Child Abuse Illinois Statewide Conference will be held October 25-26, 2018, at the Wyndham Springfield City Centre in Springfield, Illinois. This year's theme is "Courage, resilience, healing... a shared commitment to children." 

Learn more about the conference. 
Illinois Association of School Social Workers Annual Conference
The Illinois Association of School Social Workers (IASSW) will be holding their 48th annual conference on October 25-26, 2018, at the Holiday Inn-Chicago, Tinley Park Convention Center. The theme for the conference is "ARe YOU Trauma INformed?" This is an opportunity for professional development and networking between school social workers and other school-based professionals from early childhood through high school settings. CEUs and PDHs will be available for those who register and attend. Keynoter, Dwayne Williams, will present on "Begin with their Culture: A Culturally Responsive Approach to Trauma in Schools." There will be over 70 breakout sessions covering a variety of topics on trauma, mental health, educational and cultural issues, and other hot topics. Allison Lowe-Fotos (Ounce of Prevention Fund), Lori Orr and Donna Nylander (GOECD), and Deborah Chalmers (Illinois Action for Children) will be presenting on "Suspending Early Childhood Expulsion." Visit iassw.org for more information.
Illinois Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development | earlychildhood.illinois.gov
160 N. LaSalle St. Suite N-100
Chicago, IL 60601
312-814-6379