The Collaborator
NEWS & UPDATES
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EPEL Partners,
Illinois is in full fall mode with fantastic weather, festivals, and many pumpkin spice products. ;) While enjoying the weather, I noticed a beautifully designed spider web. I stopped to investigate the intricacy, and right in the middle was a spider enjoying the safety of the web. What is fascinating about a web is there aren't missing connections, or the spider would fall through.
The web reminded me of our community and role in helping build these connections to spin a web of support with our children and families in the center, where families have awareness and access to needed services and resources to help children become Kindergarten ready. A ready child includes a ready family and a brain built by experiences and opportunities in the first 2,000 days of life. This critical time is an opportunity for our community to be a part of building young brains, connecting strong webs of support, and creating a community of opportunities that support EPEL's vision that All Children are Happy, Healthy, and Ready to Learn.
EPEL is a collective impact organization that works with the entire community to come together to solve problems that aren't solved alone. As we work together as a community, awareness, and access to resources and high-quality opportunities must be full steam ahead to make the needed impact for children and families.
If you are reading this newsletter, you are vital to helping build strong, connected systems and support webs that families depend on. What is your part of the interconnected web? Your collective connections and actions help spin strong webs, so there are no wrong doors or holes for families and children. Thank you for being a part of the impact!
Together We Can,
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Amber Peters
Executive Director
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EPEL's mission is to partner with the community to build connections dedicated to helping young children thrive. We serve as an early learning community resource hub and connector for families and the community.
EPEL is a group of organizations that work collaboratively to meet the early childhood care and education needs of families with young children, from pregnancy through age five.
We create a connected, unified system of supports for families with young children so community resources for children are accessible and easy to use.
- We increase professional and community knowledge of the importance of the first 2,000 days of a child's life.
- We connect families to services including developmental screening, early intervention, preschool, child care, medical and dental services, early literacy programs, among other family and child supports.
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EARLY CHILDHOOD COMMUNITY COLLABORATION MEETING |
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EPEL's community partners gathered on October 5th to learn more about poverty's effects on our young learners' brain growth. Keynote speaker, Frank Kros, delivered data that solidified the need for collaborative work in the community.
To learn more, see the PowerPoint shared, "Responding to Poverty."
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BIRTH TO FIVE ILLINOIS UPDATES |
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EPEL proudly announces Birth to Five Illinois local investment in our collaboration. EPEL will continue our work to meet families where they are, build connections and work collaboratively as a community to strengthen the early care and education system.
Kane County B-5 is standing up two councils. If you are interested in being a part of these councils to represent our community, click the interest form. Let's ensure our communities have a strong representation and voice. Please help us make sure there are no barriers for families to participate. Translation will be available. If you have a family needing support filling out the interest form, don't hesitate to contact EPEL here.
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FREE 844-KID-INFO PHONE LINE
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EPEL has a FREE phone line available in Spanish and English for families or organizations to call for early childhood support. EPEL can connect families to early care and education resources, child care assistance funding, or support. |
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LEARNING IN THE LAUNDROMAT:
MEETING FAMILIES WHERE THEY ARE
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Our family engagement specialists build relationships and support families in various ways. Meeting families in neighborhoods, laundromats, mobile food pantries, or the community offers opportunities for families to connect and access resources where they are. We continue to see more children with families in laundromats. EPEL is looking for laundromats to expand this program in Elgin, Hanover Park and Streamwood. Contact us if you have connections. |
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PLAY, LEARN, GROW, THRIVE
BIRTH TO THREE PLAY GROUPS
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We love continuing our connections with the birth to three families from summer and adding new friends each week to build relationships and support each other. Children and caregivers learn through play and connect with resources and organizations that support thriving families. Thank you Elgin Township for funding this opportunity for young families to connect. |
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Click to connect a family to a group in Elgin. |
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SUMMER: LEARNING ON THE GO WRAP-UP
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Thank you to our funders, Elgin Township, Seigle Foundation, United Way Metropolitan Chicago, Kiwanis Club of Elgin, Grand Victoria Foundation and School District U46 for making this deep level of collective impact happen in our community. We almost doubled our impact from 2021 by serving 1,446 children this summer by meeting families where they are in the neighborhoods. These children spent 8 weeks, Playing, Learning, Growing, and Thriving. Thank you partners and volunteers for showing up in a BIG way for children and families. |
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ECACE Early Care Education Workforce Scholarship |
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In response to the shortage of early care and education teachers, the ECACE scholarship is available to support building a high-quality workforce.
The Vision: Create a consortium to streamline, coordinate, and improve the accessibility of degree completion pathways for the incumbent early childhood workforce and employers. To learn more about this scholarship, contact a specialist below or click the image for the website.
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Illinois Cares for Kids has a new website that connects families to (CCAP) child care assistance funding to offset the expense of child care and connections to early care and education sites. This website can be accessed through the EPEL Website www.elginpartnership.org under the FIND CHILD CARE tab or www.illinoiscaresforkids.org
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EPEL's vision is, All Our Children are Happy, Healthy, and Ready for Kindergarten. The first five years of life are critical to a child's future success. EPEL collaborates with partners to assure children are supported, developmental screenings and preventative care are available for healthy development, so children's needs are met.
The CDC has updated milestones that children should reach to thrive. Click the links below to check out the CDC Milestone Tracker and Vroom Brain Building App, both FREE for families to download in English and Spanish. To access the websites and learn more see the links below.
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THANK YOU EPEL BOARD MEMBERS |
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You are one in a million!!!
Thank you for all you do for EPEL and the community.
EPEL Board members with keynote speaker, Frank Kros.
Front Row
- Jennifer Bueche, Gail Borden Library
- Kris Young, YWCA Elgin
- Amber Peters, EPEL Executive Director
- Karina Nava, City of Elgin
Back Row
- Fran Teti-Teal, Advocate Sherman Hospital
- Irma Figueroa, VNA Health Care
- Felicia Ellis, Parent and U46 Parents As Teachers
- Michael Issacson, Kane County Health Department
- Pat Chamberlain, Chamberlain Educational Consultants
Missing Board Members
- Katie Cox, School District U-46
- Dr. Jennifer Schening, Next Generation Pediatrics
- Joy D'Amico-YWCA Metropolitan Chicago
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Elgin Partnership for Early Learning
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