Alignment. Quality. Access.
GOECD 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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Full Early Learning Council Meeting
February 27 |
February 28 |
Inclusion Subcommittee Meeting
March 6 |
Integration & Alignment Committee Meeting
March 7 |
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Illinois Loses a Champion of Early Learning
 GOECD is saddened by the passing of Gloria Harris, a longtime champion of early learning, a fearless advocate for parents and families, and a steadfast leader of COFI/POWER-PAC Illinois. Ms. Harris was a dedicated co-chair of the Family Engagement Subcommittee of the Early Learning Council's Access Committee, which created a historic framework for building meaningful family engagement into the Early Learning Council. As we prepare to put this framework into practice, we remember Ms. Harris and her legacy of empowerment and action on behalf of Illinois children and families.
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GOECD is Hiring for Several New Positions
GOECD
leads the state's initiatives to create an integrated system of early learning and development programs to support Illinois' vision that access to a continuous, equitable, and high-quality early childhood system enables children, with the support of their families and communities, to grow up safe, healthy, happy, and ready to succeed. We are hiring for several positions to assist in the coordination, management, and implementation of activities for the Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five (PDG B-5).
Cover letters and resumes should be sent to the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development c/o [email protected].
Please share these job postings widely!
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RFSPs Posted for the PDG B-5
We are excited to announce the availability of 3 Request For Sealed Proposals (RFSPs) for the Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five (PDG B-5). Click on the links below for information on each RFSP.
Per the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA), GOECD cannot reply to personal inquiries about any of the RFSPs. However, interested applicants are free to bid on the work via the links provided above.
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Joanna Su Returns to GOECD!
 GOECD is thrilled to welcome Joanna Su back to the GOECD team. Joanna serves as the Manager of Strategic Planning for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV).
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Separated Children Placed in Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Care
On January 17, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Inspector General (OIG) published an issue brief on family separation at the border. According to the brief, thousands of children were separated from their families long before the announcement of the Zero Tolerance Policy. Then
"On June 26, 2018, the court in
Ms. L v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
directed the Federal government to stop separating parents and children at the border (except in limited circumstances) and to identify qualifying children in ORR care on that date and reunite them with their parents
." Though HHS has reunited many families on this list, the lack of a requirement to track separated children before the court order and current data system limitations are creating ongoing barriers for family reunification. Furthermore, ORR still continues to receive children separated from their parents by immigration officials.
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Dr. Shonkoff Testifies at Hearing on Migrant Family Separation Policy
On February 7, 2019,
Dr. Jack P. Shonkoff, Director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, presented testimony for the Hearing on Migrant Family Separation Policy. Dr. Shonkoff testified that, "Sudden, forcible separation of children from their parents is deeply traumatic for both the child and the parent. Above and beyond the distress we see 'on the outside,' this triggers a massive biological stress response 'inside' the child, which remains activated until the parent returns and provides comfort. Continuing separation removes the most important protection a child can possibly have to prevent long-term damage-a loving adult who's totally devoted to his or her well-being."
Click here to read and/or watch Dr. Shonkoff's full testimony.
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2020 Census: Will Your Kids Count?
Unfortunately, certain populations groups-referred to as "hard-to-count" are at a higher risk of not being fully counted in the decennial census. Young children - defined as children under age five - have been undercounted for decades, disadvantaging their families, communities, and neighborhoods. In the 2010 Census, the net undercount rate for young children was 4.6 percent, and more than 2.2 million in this age group were not included in the census results. Even among other children, those under five years old are more likely to be missing from census data. While the census accuracy for adults has been improving over time, the undercount for children under age five has been getting progressively worse.
When young children are undercounted, their communities are denied a full voice in policy decision making. Each year more than $600 billion in federal funds is allocated to states and localities based on census data. Following are programs whose funding is based in whole or in part on census counts that impacts children's lives:
- State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
- Special Education Grants (IDEA)
- Head Start
- Foster Care
- Child Care and Development Fund
Children in lower-income families can also benefit from resources that provide financial security and is based on census-derived data:
- Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments Program
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Medicaid
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Updated DHS Part 132 Rules
The Illinois Department of Human Services revised their Part 132 Rules for the Medicaid Community Mental Health Services Program. Throughout the years long process, advocates were able to participate and provide feedback. Much progress was made for the birth to five population:
- Language was included to promote "culturally relevant, evidence-based, developmentally appropriate, and trauma-informed mental health programs across the lifespan,"
- Early care and education programs were included as a natural setting for service provision,
- And the use of developmentally appropriate diagnostic tools were included: "For clients under age 6, DC 0-5 may be utilized to develop an age appropriate diagnosis, then the crosswalk between the DSM 5/ICD-10/DC 0-5 shall be used to identify which DSM-5/ICD-10 condition will be the main focus of treatment."
The previous rules were repealed and the new rules went into effect January 1st, 2019. The entire Administrative Rule may be viewed here.
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Illinois' Pyramid Model for Promoting Social Emotional Competence Initiative
In 2018, twenty-two programs (79% of all federally funded Preschool Development Grant/programs) signed on to launch the implementation of the Pyramid Model
to Promote the Social Emotional Competence of Young Children initiative. The Illinois State Board of Education and the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development applied for and were awarded supplemental funding through the federal Preschool Development Grant for this initiative. Beginning last May, these programs developed Leadership Teams to support workforce development in the Pyramid Model's three modules with targeted trainings in Practiced Based Coaching, Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT), Teaching Strategies for Inclusion, Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Young Children (PTR-YC) strategies for challenging behaviors and Culturally Sensitive Implicit Bias training to reduce Suspension and Expulsion. Over 300 staff attended these trainings. These 22 programs have also been assigned an individual coach, known as a Process Coach, who has been trained to fidelity on the Pyramid Model components. They meet monthly with a program's Leadership Team to support them and offer professional development in universal and secondary strategies and interventions.
If interested in learning more about the Pyramid Model training, contact your program's professional development system for Head Start, Childcare, or ISBE, or go to the GOECD website to see the mission, vision, and agencies participating in the Pyramid Model State Leadership Team.
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Illinois Early Learning Council FY18 Annual Report
 Each year, the Early Learning Council (ELC) reports to the Governor and the General Assembly on the Council's progress towards its goals and objectives. The FY18 ELC Annual Report highlights the goals, accomplishments, and challenge for each standing committee and subcommittee of the ELC, as well as GOECD's major accomplishments in 2018.
Click here to read the report.
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States achieve better outcomes for infants, toddlers, and families when they work collaboratively across systems and when services are coordinated and connected. ZERO TO THREE developed four case studies and a companion brief to share examples of how Illinois, Colorado, New Jersey, and Washington are connecting systems to collaboratively meet the needs of babies, young children, and families. Click here to access the overview brief and the four profiles.
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 One of the five priorities identified in the National Black Child Development Institute's (NBCDI) Action Agenda is to ensure Black children are no longer excluded from learning environments due to suspensions and expulsions that are all too commonplace in early childhood education settings. NBCDI's "Delivering on the Promise of Effective Early Childhood Education" examines policy solutions for ending disproportionate discipline practices in classrooms serving Black children. Also included is a comprehensive review of best practices and policy opportunities at the state and local level.
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 What can kindergarteners gain from play-based learning? Kindergarten: Where Play and Learning Can Meet is a documentary that explores the advantages associated with a play-based approach in kindergarten and features stories of how two Illinois school districts-Valley View School District 365U and Elgin Area School District U-46-made the transition to play-based learning. Produced in partnership with WTTW Channel 11 and the Midwest Early Childhood Research Alliance at REL Midwest, the documentary includes scientific findings about the cognitive and social-emotional benefits of play from experts Dr. Roberta Golinkoff (University of Delaware), Dr. Christina Weiland (University of Michigan), and Dr. Eboni Howard (American Institutes for Research).
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13th Annual Family Conference in April
Illinois Family Leaders Collaboration is presenting the 13th Annual Family Conference: Resources and Inspiration for Adult Family Members and Caregivers of Children with Disabilities. Keynote speaker, Kathy Morris, will present, "Help, What Do I Do with this Child Now that we have a Diagnosis?" The event is taking place on Saturday, April 6, 2019, from 9:00am-3:00pm at the Spalding Pastoral Center in Peoria, IL.
Click here
for more information about the event.
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