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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July 31 |
Quality Committee Meeting
August 2 |
August 6 |
ELC Executive Committee Meeting
August 16 |
ExceleRate Subcommittee Meeting
August 28 |
Kindergarten Transition Advisory Committee Meeting
September 5 |
Inclusion Subcommittee Meeting
See the
calendar
for more events and details.
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Dear Early Childhood Community,
The Illinois Early Learning Council (ELC) is committed to working towards racial equity for children and families throughout the state. This month, the ELC Executive Committee members engaged in a full-day racial equity retreat to develop action plans that will guide the work of the ELC committees and subcommittees moving forward. I am personally invested, both as Executive Director of GOECD and as a member of the Illinois BUILD Team, to lead this effort to shift Illinois' early childhood system into one that is more equitable for all children and families.
Meanwhile, our country is still amid a humanitarian crisis. We must keep talking about the irreparable damage caused by the forcible separation of children from their families, as well as the inhumane detainment of those young children and the trauma it continues to cause. A reunification plan that keeps over 2,000 children in intolerable living conditions until their parents' deportation proceedings are complete is unacceptable. The grave reality of this situation cannot be ignored, normalized, or accepted.
We will continue to raise this issue and keep it visible for as long as it takes for these young, innocent children to receive the help and protection they deserve regardless of their country of origin.
Best Regards,
Cynthia L. Tate, Ph.D.
Executive Director, GOECD
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Reminder: September 30th CCAP Deadline
Personnel in all child care centers and homes that receive Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) payments must complete the required child development, health and safety trainings by September 30, 2018. This includes all Licensed and License-Exempt programs receiving CCAP. Click here for more detailed information.
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Update on the Early Childhood Block Grant
The Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Human Services are collaborating to provide funding for additional Prevention Initiative and Preschool for All Expansion programs. This funding will support, at the per child amount, qualified programs that scored 60 or above and did not initially receive FY 2019 funding as part of the Early Childhood Block Grant re-competition.
The State Board will provide more information to eligible applicants as soon as the agreement and funding amounts are finalized.
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Summer Food Service Program
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), was created to provide nutritious meals to children when school is not in session. SFSP is currently being held throughout the state of Illinois. ISBE would like to invite parents to
visit this website
for location and site information. If anyone is interested in opening a Summer Food Service Program, please contact Amy Bianco at 800/545-7892 or 217/782-2491.
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Illinois Early Childhood Expulsion Policy
In 2017, Illinois passed Public Act 100-0105, which prevents licensed child care centers, homes, and group homes, as well as programs receiving Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG) funds, from expelling children 0-5 due to child behavior. Specific requirements and details on enforcement of this policy will be outlined in administrative rule.
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development (GOECD), and other state agencies have been working collaboratively to coordinate rulemaking and policy development in order to ensure consistent implementation of the expulsion policy across programs and funding streams.
The proposed rules are not yet published, but the state agencies expect to publish them in the near future. Once the proposed rules are posted, there will be a public comment period for stakeholders to weigh in on the proposed rules, and the state agencies may make changes before adopting the final rules. Watch for updates on when the proposed rules have been posted and how to submit public comments.
In the meantime, check out these resources for more information on Illinois early childhood expulsion legislation:
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Ajay Chaudry Proposes New Strategy to Address Gaps in Achievement at McCormick Foundation Luncheon
Researcher Ajay Chaudry, co-author of Cradle to Kindergarten: A New Plan to Combat Inequality, spoke July 10 to Illinois early education leaders at a McCormick Foundation luncheon about a new strategy to effectively address gaps in academic and developmental achievement that emerge well before a child reaches kindergarten. Chaudry promoted a four-pronged strategy to advance a stronger national early learning system. To address these deficiencies, Chaudry outlined an overhaul that begins with a federal paid parental leave policy that provides both mothers and fathers with time and financial support after the birth of a child. He advocates increased public benefits, including an expansion of the child care tax credit, and a new child care assurance program that subsidizes the cost of early care for low- and moderate-income families. He and his co-authors also propose that universal, high-quality early education in states should start by age three. A fourth proposed strategy, reform of Head Start, would include more intensive services at the earliest point for highest need very young children and their families living in areas of concentrated poverty and experiencing multiple adversities.
Chaudry concluded with an implementation plan and contends that these reforms are attainable within a ten-year timeline. "Before 1900 less than 5 percent of children had exposure to early childhood experiences outside the home," he said. "We're 33rd out of 34 countries in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) in spending on early childhood and education," Chaudry said. "We spend half of what Mexico spends." Currently a Senior Fellow and Visiting Scholar at New York University, Chaudry served in the Obama Administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Services Policy at the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
Click here to view Chaudry's presentation. |
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2018 KIDS COUNT Data Book: State Trends in Child Well-Being
The Annie E. Casey Foundation released their annual report,
2018 KIDS COUNT Data Book: State Trends in Child Well-Being. This year's report begins with a call to address the shortcomings that could lead to a dramatic undercount of children under the age of five in the 2020 census. This decennial measure determines how much federal funding and political representation is allocated to each state for the following decade. The report estimates that in Illinois, 152,000 children under the age of five (19%) were living in hard-to-count census tracts between 2012-2016. An inaccurate count of children could result in the underfunding of programs that "help young children in low-income families get a healthy start in life" and an inaccurate assessment of Illinois' needs for education, health care, transportation and utilities. As for the past year's trends, Illinois ranked 22nd in the state-to-state comparison of overall child well-being; 27th in economic well-being; 13th in education; 24th in health; and 27th in family and community.
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Putting Children First: Tackling Water at Child Care Facilities
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) recently conducted a pilot project to examine new approaches to testing and remediating lead in the water at child care facilities. EDF identified and removed lead sources in the drinking water that posed significant risk at 11 child care facilities located in Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, and Ohio. Young children and formula-fed infants are most vulnerable to the harm from lead because it can impair brain development; however, the majority of schools and child care facilities are not required to test their drinking water for lead. This report,
Putting Children First: Tackling Water at Child Care Facilities
, outlines key results, lessons learned, and best practice recommendations for how child care facility operators and regulatory agencies, the EPA, public health departments, drinking water utilities, and parents can seize this critical opportunity to reduce lead exposure from water.
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