The Collaborator
NEWS & UPDATES
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I took a little time off to reflect on 2020-2021 at my mom's in Blowing Rock, NC. As you can see from the newsletter, EPEL has been busy freshening things up a bit with a new logo, website, and annual report. A bonus of having family on the East Coast is visiting other parts of the country to see how they are engaging families, changing systems and ideas to possibly bring back to our community and vice versa. I took a field trip to the local library in Boone, NC where Appalachian State University resides. I checked out initiatives that I read about in a literacy magazine to learn more about how business partners jumped in to support their youngest learners. NC also learned about our communities and is following along to gain ideas as well. It takes a village near and far!
When in North Carolina, I hear, "how ya'll, over yonder, I'm fixing to, you don't say, bless your heart, give me a holler" and other phrases that we don't frequently hear in the Midwest. The mountains and beaches look different from what we experience, but what is the same is how people love children BIG just like we do!
Summer has offered engagement opportunities, early learning fun, and resources in neighborhoods that needed our community to "show up" most. EPEL convened partners at the beginning of 2020, and coordination has been in progress since. There have been weekly early learning visits to five neighborhoods, pop-ups in neighborhoods with two different libraries and two laundromat sites, soon to be three, and even supporting families at mobile food pantries while they wait in cars. This engagement allows time to build relationships and learn from parents what they need most. We don't want to make decisions about them without them. We are working toward a "no wrong door" approach with families. By Fall, we will have a comprehensive list that parents shared as wishes and dreams for their families who love their children BIG!
EPEL acts as a convener or conductor of a fantastic orchestra of partners listed on our new website, and some are featured in our just-released 2020 Annual Report. Like a conductor would do with musicians, EPEL works alongside partners to ensure all systems for children and families are cohesive. We lead work not to duplicate but rather a "better together" scenario to mobilize the community in change and meet families where they are. Our collaborative partners bring unique talents to our community to support EPEL's mission of building a connected community dedicated to having young children thrive. EPEL's partners keep all the balls in the air while we all continue to learn from the parents and caregivers. If you have been out to the neighborhood sites, you have observed collaboration and partnership at its finest. The power of partnership is astounding.
Thank you for showing up for families and loving them BIG!
Together We Can,
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Amber Peters
Executive Director
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EPEL's new logo has a fresh look by integrating the three intersecting systems of Early Learning and Development, Family Leadership and Support, and Health that our partners work in while always keeping children and families at the center of all work. The single person in the middle with a child represents a parent, caregiver, grandparent, teacher, or support person.
*If you have EPEL's old logo and need the updated logo email EPEL.
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EPEL's new website is easier to navigate, and the mobile version is more user-friendly. If you have suggestions for the website, please send them our way. www.elginpartnership.org
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EPEL is excited to share our first Annual Report. With the help of a designer, Lindsey Sweeney, from California, EPEL has a fresh new look, logo, and Annual Report. Lindsey's in-kind services saved the collaboration over $10,000. When asked why she picked EPEL's project, Lindsey said she has young children and realizes the importance of preparing children for Kindergarten.
Thank you, Lindsey! You will always have a special place in our community and collaboration.
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Community Engagement refers to EPEL's efforts to involve the entire community and partners in supporting and building a strong system of care for children birth to five and their families. These efforts of community mobilization work to prepare children for school and life. |
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Community Partners Build Relationships & Support Families |
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This summer has been about engaging the community to help support families and offer resources. EPEL partners came together to serve families of young children by meeting them where they are at mobile food pantries. |
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This dynamic group at the mobile food pantry offers new books, Getting Ready for Kindergarten Calendars, early learning materials, home visiting opportunities, preschool sign-up, library cards, and health services. |
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MOVEABLE STORYWALK COMING SOON |
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-Would you like to help move the StoryWalk to different locations?
-Would you like to host the StoryWalk at your site?
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A StoryWalk is an innovative way to enjoy a book that has been taken apart and presented page by page around a path to promote literacy, exercise, and family time. Please join us for kick-off at Lord's Park on August 5th at 11:30 near the zoo and new equipment. Thank you Elgin Kiwanis and Kane County Fit for Kids for funding this project to support early learning and movement.
We look forward to sharing the 4 stories below.
Featured Stories
- We’re Going on a Bear Hunt/Vamos a Cazar un Oso
- From Head to Toe/ De la Cabeza a Los Pies
- Lola Plants a Garden/LOLA PLANTA UN JARDÍN
- I Got the Rhythm/Tengo Ritmo
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Early Learning refers to quality experiences and interactions in the first 2,000 days of a child's life. This is a critical time when 85% of brain growth occurs while educators and families prepare children for Kindergarten. EPEL partners to strengthen the pipeline, birth to Kindergarten through our home visiting, director, and in-home care provider networks. Learning opportunities at home and in the community are vital to entering Kindergarten ready. Policies and partners work together to ensure that children have the best opportunities for success. |
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READ WHILE CHILDREN WAIT
Do you have a book basket that you had out for families to enjoy in your business and had to put in the closet during COVID? Families are out and about and it is time to take the basket out, dust the books off and see if your basket needs a refresh. Click below to refill your basket or let us know if you would like one for your business waiting room.
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FAMILY ENGAGEMENT/SUPPORT |
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Family Engagement refers to EPEL's work as a collaboration to build trust, collect family voice, empower parents to be their child's first and most important teacher, and offer resources ensuring all families have the support needed for best outcomes. Our family engagement collaborates with partners to build capacity to support the efforts of meeting families where they are in neighborhoods, ensuring support is offered in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner for the journey of preparing their child for school. Family support needs to be tailored to our diverse communities' needs as this is a critical part of our early childhood system. |
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Partners have held true to Together We Can this summer to serve children in five neighborhoods across Elgin and Streamwood/Hanover Park. A dedicated group of bilingual educators and partners mobilize Monday through Friday by grabbing their wagon of early learning materials, books, giveaways and head into the neighborhoods to meet families where they are. A typical day starts with storytime, songs, fun early learning activities that support needed Kindergarten readiness skills, lots of giggles, and making friends while teachers model to parents' best practices. The libraries are on-site for checkouts and food is provided from Northern Illinois Food Bank or School District U-46.
Goals: ENGAGE and BUILD relationships with families, Sign up children for SCREENINGS, SUPPORT caregivers, and ENROLL children for programs!
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CORNERSTONE PARK/MULBERRY NEIGHBORHOOD |
GAIL BORDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY |
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CENTURY OAKS
NEIGHBORHOOD
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POPLAR CREEK PUBLIC LIBRARY
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RIVER'S LANDING NEIGHBORHOOD |
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July Calendar Pages and Videos |
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EPEL partnered with Kindergarten teachers to film monthly calendar videos to compliment the Getting Ready for Kindergarten calendar. The videos are added to social media at the beginning of each month in English and Spanish. Check out July's videos. You can share them with families from YouTube under Elgin Partnership for Early Learning or from our social. |
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The 2022 Getting Ready for Kindergarten Calendar is in the design phase. Stay tuned for the new cover! The calendar offers families easy daily tips to get children ready for school. Are you interested in helping fund this annual project or other early learning initiatives?
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Getting Ready for Kindergarten Tip Sheets |
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The first five years of life are critical to success for a child's future. EPEL collaborates with partners to assure developmental screenings and preventative care are available for healthy development so all children's needs are met.
Vision: Our Children are Happy, Healthy, and Ready for Kindergarten.
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Developmental Screenings Available in Neighborhoods/Laundromats/Parks |
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Children develop skills and reach milestones at their own pace. EPEL, School District U-46, and community partners are working together to meet families where they are to offer free developmental screenings, support, and enroll children in programs birth to five. Ages and Stages (ASQ) screening tool helps guide and keep track of a child’s growth and development during these first five years. All children enrolling in programs, birth to five, are screened as part of the enrollment process. To sign up for a free screening, click the links. |
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EPEL's June Key Piece Partners
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Congratulations to Key Piece Partners, Tanya Whitfield and Katie Clausen, from Gail Borden Public Library. These partners helped pick stories and design pages for the four new Learning On the Go Storywalks going live at parks near you. Thank you, GBPL, for having like-minded goals to serve our youngest learners and always be ready to jump on board.
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Shout-Out St. Paul's United Church of Christ |
Thank you St. Paul's for helping continue the diaper pop-ups for families who need a little extra support. Your dedication to the families of our youngest learners makes a difference. If you know a family who is in need of diapers you can contact St. Paul's through EPEL here
or call 844-KID-INFO.
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Shout-Out Community Resource Partners |
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Thank you, resource partners, for showing up for children and families this summer in parks, laundromats, mobiles, neighborhood pop-ups, committees, and more. Thanks for loving children BIG!!! |
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Elgin Partnership for Early Learning (EPEL)
847-452-2457
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