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.
|
|
January 29 |
Access Committee Meeting
February 3 |
Executive Committee Meeting
February 12 |
Family Engagement Implementation Subcommittee Meeting
February 14 |
Data, Research, and Evaluation (DRE) Subcommittee Meeting
February 20 |
ExceleRate Subcommittee Meeting
February 24 |
Full Early Learning Council Meeting
February 27 |
Inclusion Subcommittee Meeting
March 4 |
Integration and Alignment (IAC) Committee Meeting
March 10 |
All Families Served Subcommittee Meeting
March 11 |
Family Engagement Implementation Subcommittee Meeting
March 19 |
Community Systems Development Subcommittee Meeting
March 19 |
ExceleRate Subcommittee Meeting
March 25 |
Access Committee Meeting
|
|
 |
|
 GOECD is thrilled to announce that from 2020 through 2022 Illinois will receive $13.4 million per year from the PDG B-5 Renewal Grant, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education. Activities proposed in the three-year grant will expand upon work conducted in 2019 through the Initial PDG B-5 grant and will enable Illinois to increase access to quality programs in multiple settings and to strengthen programs' support of children's social/emotional development, kindergarten transitions, the early childhood workforce, cross-system data, and family voice in the system.
|
Governor Pritzker Commits to Universal Home Visits for Eligible Families by 2025
Following historic investments in early childhood, Governor Pritzker builds on his commitment to making Illinois the best state in the nation to raise a family. On January 22nd, he announced a plan to reach universal home visits for eligible families in Illinois by 2025. Click here for the full press release.
|
Governor Appoints 29 Members to Newly Created Illinois Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Funding
Governor Pritzker created the Commission to improve access to quality early childhood programs for all Illinois families. Tasked with taking a fresh look at the state's entire ECEC system, the group met for the first time on December 16, 2019, and its work will center around establishing funding goals and funding mechanisms to provide equitable access to high-quality early childhood education and care services for all children birth to age five. The group will meet monthly through January 2021 and is comprised of child care providers, advocates, educators, and legislators from around the state. Learn more about the Commission, including a list of upcoming meeting dates,
here.
|
FY21 Request for Proposal opportunities for Preschool for All (PFA), Preschool for All-Expansion (PFAE) and Prevention Initiative (PI) funds are available. Proposals are due in the ISBE offices no later than 4 p.m. March 23, 2020. Click here for more information on all three RFPs, as well as for FY21 RFP Resources.
|
Rate Increase for Child Care Providers Aims to Reduce Tuition Burden for CCAP Enrolled Families
Effective January 1, 2020, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) is increasing the maximum child care payment rates for providers. Early childhood programs who provide services for families enrolled in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) will be reimbursed at higher rates. To reduce the burden on families, the new policy also urges programs who charge the general public a rate higher than the maximum rate to accept the state maximum rate as payment in full when serving CCAP enrolled families. Click here for full policy and reimbursement rates, as well as additional information in both English and Spanish.
|
CPS Commits to Providing Transportation for Young Children with Disabilities
After many months of advocating by The Ounce, Legal Council for Health Justice, and Legal Aid Chicago in collaboration with Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) legal staff and an ISBE board member, an important policy change for thousands of our youngest children with disabilities in Chicago was achieved. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has committed to ensuring that preschool-aged children with Individualized Education Program (IEPs) can receive transportation to, from, and between their home, their CPS school, and the community-based preschool they attend (including Head Start and child care programs). Families and early childhood programs needing to arrange transportation services can access the policy and relevant forms here on the Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services (ODLSS) website. For children currently going through the special education evaluation and eligibility process, transportation should be considered when the IEP is developed.
|
GOECD Publishes Consensus Statement on Early Childhood Educator Compensation
Supported by a grant from the National Governors Association, GOECD convened a group of stakeholders to study promising practices, analyze implementation costs, and seek input and feedback from dozens of external stakeholder organizations on how the state can support increased compensation for early childhood educators across the field. Findings from the report have supported or will support PDG B-5 cost modeling, PDG B-5 Renewal quality improvement pilot projects, and the Governor's Early Childhood Funding Commission.
|
New MIECHV Website Launched!
A new Illinois Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program
website is now available. The site includes a section for the public that explains what home visiting is and how to find a home visiting program in a specific community. It includes a section highlighting the robust statewide home visiting system in Illinois that cuts across agencies and funding streams, reaching from the highest levels of government to the providers on the ground. State home visiting programs funded by MIECHV can find administrative and other programmatic resources on the site as well.
Much of the information that was available on the previous MIECHV site is still available; however, the look and feel of this site is more contemporary and it is more user friendly. What pages should you check out initially? See below!
|
Revised Report: Ensuring Equitable Access to Funding for all Birth-To-Five Classroom-Based Early Childhood Programs
The Mixed Delivery System Ad Hoc Committee, a subcommittee of the Integration and Alignment Committee of the Early Learning Council, has issued a revised report. The report examines challenges programs experience as they try to braid and blend multiple funding streams to provide high-quality early learning services. The Committee identified nine overarching barriers to implementing and accessing a Mixed Delivery System in Illinois. The report includes the Committee's recommendations and rationale, a vision for the future of Illinois, and proposed next steps. Access the report here.
|
Parent Engagement and Leadership Assessment Guide and Toolkit
Developed by the Center for the Study of Social Policy and the EC-LINC Outcomes and Metrics Initiative, this resource is designed to help agencies, systems, and collaborations working with young children and their families to reflect on and develop an expanded approach to family engagement. It includes three versions of an assessment tool that help redefine how families experience early childhood systems and the role parents can play in reshaping these systems to be more equitable, responsive, and accountable. Collaborations can use both the comprehensive and abridged versions to self-assess where they are engaging parents and where they may want to go.
|
Supporting Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness
The Office of Head Start's Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center has a new training series to help early care and education professionals connect with families experiencing homelessness. The eight training modules include information on reaching out to families experiencing homelessness, enhancing program access and participation for children, building relationships with families, and connecting with community partners.
|
Practical Guidance for Teachers: Supporting the Families of Gender Nonconforming Children
Teachers may be interested in practical guidance for engaging with families who are concerned about their child's gender expression. Families will have different feelings given their experiences, identities, communities, and histories of access or marginalization. For families who have experienced racism or other forms of interpersonal and institutional violence, fear for their child's safety may be a priority. For families who are part of some religious communities, social acceptance may be a concern.
Interactions between educators and families may be complex. In the November 2019 issue of the National Association for the Education of Young Children's Young Children journal, the author provides a set of strategies for opening up conversations and offering support when children's gender identities or expressions do not conform to their families' expectations. Click here to read the full article.
|
|
|
