The Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development (GOECD) is currently hiring for three exciting positions.
The Director of Communications is responsible for developing and implementing communication and dissemination strategies to maximize the effectiveness of GOECD’s funded initiatives.
The Project and Communications Coordinator will provide support to the Director of Communications and is responsible for content creation and implementing dissemination and communication strategies to maximize the effectiveness of GOECD’s funded collaborative efforts.
The Executive Assistant provides administrative support to the Executive Director and is responsible for office operations to ensure a safe and efficient work environment. The Executive Assistance also supports GOECD's varied initiatives and programs.
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Don’t Miss Out on Scholarship Funding for Early Childhood Educators! |
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Scholarships are available for this school year (2021-22)! If you work or have worked in early childhood education and you are interested in getting additional credentials and/or a degree in the field, you may be eligible for an Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship!
Scholarships are still available for this school year (2021-22) at participating Illinois colleges and universities and can cover up to the total cost of attendance after other financial aid received. Recipients must be a member of the Gateways to Opportunity Registry and enrolled either full or part-time in a participating Illinois college or university, among other criteria.
The priority consideration date for the 2021-22 ECACE Scholarship application is March 1, 2022. Applications received after that date will be given consideration if funding remains available after all timely, qualified applicants have been awarded.
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Maria Whelan Leadership Institute Early Childhood Emerging
Leaders Fellowship Information Sessions
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The Maria Whelan Leadership Institute’s Early Childhood Emerging Leaders Fellowship application is now open for its inaugural cohort. We are seeking 20 diverse, mid-level early childhood professionals who are deeply committed to advancing systemic change for Illinois’ youngest children and the adults who serve them. This 9-month, part-time paid fellowship will give participants the chance to build their career and advocacy leadership skills. Join one of our information sessions to learn more about this groundbreaking opportunity. Applications are due April 1, 2022.
Information Sessions will be held:
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The Early Childhood Transformation Team (ECTT) is hiring! |
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The Early Childhood Transformation Team (ECTT) is currently hiring for two exciting positions. The Communications Manager is responsible for establishing the brand, identity, and messaging and outreach strategy to communicate the teams’ work to transform the State’s early care and education governance and financing structures.
The Equity Impact Manager's responsibility is to ensure the work of the ECTT is authentically, consistently, and transparently designed and implemented through an equity lens.
The ECTT was established by Governor JB Pritzker in June 2021 in order to lead further investigation of the recommendations that emerged from the ECEC Funding Commission (April 2021). In partnership with Northern Illinois University, the ECTT works closely with the ECEC State-administering agencies, philanthropy, advocates, educators, and other stakeholders. All staff at the ECTT are employees of Northern Illinois University.
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IDHS-DEC Home Visiting Funding Opportunity
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IDHS-DEC oversees the Healthy Families Illinois (HFI) program as well as the Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting program (MIECHV). In past years, these initiatives have been managed separately, with separate deliverables, performance standards, and benchmark data collection.
In alignment with the recommendations from the Governor’s Early Childhood Funding Commission, IDHS-DEC is consolidating HFI and MIECHV, with the goal of better targeting funding to at-risk communities and increasing funding rates to support higher quality programs. Starting in SFY23, there will be a single IDHS-DEC Home Visiting program that will be supported by MIECHV and State funds. The deliverables and performance standards will be the same for state-funded and MIECHV-funded IDHS-DEC home visiting.
The IDHS-DEC Home Visiting NOFO is a competitive NOFO that is targeting its limited dollars to communities that are most at risk as identified in the 2020 MIECHV Needs Assessment. NOFO eligibility is limited to the following:
- “At-risk communities” which currently have HFI funding: Champaign, Clay, Cook, DuPage, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Kane, Lake, Livingston, Rock Island, Sangamon, Stephenson, Vermilion, Will.
- “High consideration communities” for funding due to high need and low capacity, which currently receive HFI funding: Adams, DeKalb, Lee, Macoupin, Ogle, Whiteside, Williamson.
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Communities currently served by HFI programs which do not appear in the above two categories: Bond, Carroll, Clinton, DeWitt, Logan, Madison, McLean, Menard, Perry, Piatt, Woodford.
Service providers using any of the following home visiting models are eligible to apply: Early Head Start Home-Based (EHS); Healthy Families America (HFA); Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP); and Parents as Teachers (PAT).
A non-binding letter of intent is required by March 4, 2022. The full application is due on April 15, 2022. Please see the NOFO for details, including dates of the Technical Assistance webinars. Please send questions to DHS.HomeVisiting@illinois.gov.
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Changes in IDHS-DEC All Our Kids Networks Funding Opportunity |
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In alignment with the Governor’s vision to make Illinois the best state in the country to raise young children and recommendations from the Early Childhood Funding Commission, IDHS-DEC has made changes in the AOK Networks funding opportunity, with the goals of better targeting funding to at-risk communities through a statewide needs assessment; and increasing funding rates to support higher program quality.
Current publicly-funded community systems development initiatives include the AOK Networks, MIECHV Coordinated Intake (CI), and the Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five (PDG B-5) CI IRIS projects. All three initiatives have had limited funding and have experienced related challenges in sustainability or staff retention.
In SFY23, with increased dollars, eligibility has expanded to include the following:
- Communities with an established AOK Network;
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At-Risk Communities in the 2020 MIECHV Needs Assessment with current MIECHV funding; and
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At-Risk Communities in the 2020 MIECHV Needs Assessment with a current PDG B-5 IRIS Project.
Specifically, the following communities are eligible to apply:
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Cook and Collar Counties: Chicago South Side,* Chicago West Side,* Chicago Southeast Side,* Cicero, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Will *See NOFO for details.
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Downstate Counties: Adams, Kankakee, Macon, McLean, Rock Island, Sangamon, St. Clair, Stephenson/Carroll/Jo Daviess, Tazewell/Peoria/Woodford, Vermilion, Wabash/Edwards, Winnebago.
Community systems development initiatives in the above communities are encouraged to apply. Twelve (12) total awards are anticipated. Applications are due on April 15, 2022.
Interested applicants are invited to the Technical Assistance (TA) Conference on March 9, 2022 from 1-3 p.m. TA questions should be submitted to dhs.aok@Illinois.gov with the subject header: AOK Networks NOFO TA Questions.
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New Opportunities from Birth to Five Illinois |
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Birth to Five Illinois is hiring a Regional Action Council Manager in each of the 39 regions, excluding the City of Chicago. Each Regional Action Council Manager will be responsible for establishing a Birth to Five Action Council to support expanding access to affordable, accessible, high-quality Early Childhood Education and Care services that meet the needs of families, especially those furthest from opportunity. The ideal candidate is comfortable in a “start-up” environment with the skills to learn in real-time, pivot quickly, and effectively engage a broad spectrum of community members.
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Join Your Regional Action or Family Council!
Birth to Five Illinois is working to stand up one Birth to Five Action Council and one Family Council in each of the State’s 39 regions, excluding the City of Chicago. Each region’s Action Council will have around 15 members with varied experiences. Each region’s Family Council will have around 15 family members with young children and/or experience with Illinois’ Early Childhood Education and Care services. Please visit their website for more information on both of these councils and to complete an Interest Form! Information and Interest Forms are now available in Spanish and English and will soon be available in Polish.
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Participate in Community Engagement Townhalls in March and early April
Community Engagement Townhalls will be an opportunity to learn more about the
Birth to Five Action and Family Councils and to answer any questions. Please
The Community Engagement Townhalls will be held via Zoom on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6-7pm between March 8 – April 5, 2022.
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Provide Input on the Draft Children’s Mental Health Plan |
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The Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership (ICMHP) is inviting partners, stakeholders, and communities to provide input on the Plan. To learn more about ICMHP and the children’s mental health plan, click here. You can view a copy of the draft executive summary as well as access the link to the Input Form. ICMHP is also holding three community webinars. All webinars will follow the same agenda, so please choose based on your time preference.
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Thursday, February 24th from 5pm – 6pm, click here to register.
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Friday, February 25th from 12pm - 1pm, click here to register.
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Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five: Education Reimbursement Final Report |
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The Illinois early educator community has asked for support to reduce barriers to pursuing degree, certification, and credential completion. This program supplied a $600 reimbursement directly to early educators as they attempted to address barriers such as tuition, fees, and outstanding student debt.
This opportunity was made available statewide, with priority given to early educators either currently enrolled in coursework at an accredited Illinois institution of higher education or blocked from future enrollment at an accredited Illinois institution of higher education because of an outstanding balance due. A total of 296 people applied for debt relief with the mean debt of $1,787.92 and the median debt of $978.50. The cumulative debt was $497,042.53.
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Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (I/ECMHC) Is Now an AMCHP Best Practice! |
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Increased research affirms that Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (I/ECMHC) is a high quality and best practice to support the early childhood education and care workforce. I/ECMHC has been accepted as a Best Practice by the Association for Maternal and Child Health Programs. The AMCHP Innovation Hub is a forum for sharing and promoting both new and well-established programs along a continuum of evidence. |
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Oakton Community College 25th Annual Infant Toddler Conference: Our Virtual Jubilee! |
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Join Oakton Community College for their 25th Annual Infant Toddler Virtual Conference. Professional development will be focused specifically on infants, toddlers and their families. Three outstanding keynote presenters will provide approved professional development sessions.
This year will be an event to remember! The conference will be hosted on Zoom, opening at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 5, 2022.
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IECAM Announces New Website |
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The Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map (IECAM) is proud to announce its new website—designed with its users in mind! The site streamlines access to the online database and easy-to-use data tools so you can hone in on what's most important: community early childhood data.
The new website also improves the organization and display of IECAM's maps and visualizations, early childhood news and blog posts, and other resources. What's more, now users can search much of the website content by topic.
Need help navigating? This guide to the website outlines what's new, and what's changed.
Update your bookmarks and explore the site. And please let IECAM know what you think!
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What Head Start Can Teach Illinois as We Transform Our Early Childhood Education and Care System? |
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The Early Childhood Transformation Team is charged by the Governor to help Illinois build a more equitable funding system to ensure all children have equitable access to high quality early childhood education and care (ECEC). As Illinois works to transform its system with families and children at the center, we look to Head Start as the example.
The structure and design of Early/Head Start centers equity in who it serves and how it is funded. Through comprehensive education, health, and parent supports, Head Start knows that 'it takes a village' to raise young children.
Programs' adherence to Head Start Program Performance Standards confirms children are served in high-quality environments. Periodic community assessment ensures programs meet families' needs and preferences, and like the new Birth to Five Action Councils, Early/Head Start elevates the voice and experiences of parents. Head Start parents are not just engaged, their voice is central to decision-making. Empowering parents is both a process and a product of Head Start and for the Birth to Five Action Councils.
Early/Head Start is central to Illinois' ECEC system, and we will continue to engage and learn from grantees as together, we make Illinois the best state to raise a young family.
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Mission: Readiness Illinois Report: Investing in Illinois’ Child Care Sector Can Improve National Security |
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Seven out of ten young Illinoisans cannot qualify for military service due to factors that early childhood investments could help correct. According to Investing in Illinois’ Child Care Sector Can Improve National Security, these factors range from educational deficits and behavioral problems to health issues — particularly obesity, which continues to contribute significantly to our armed forces’ recruiting struggles. Mission: Readiness is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of more than 750 retired military leaders across the country. Its members are retired admirals and generals who call for strengthening national security by ensuring kids stay in school, stay fit, and stay out of trouble.
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Erikson Institute Podcast on Early Childhood in America Launching February 28th |
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The Erikson Institute is pleased to announce a new podcast series looking at the history of early care and education, with an eye to what a more equitable and just system could look like for the future. The series is titled, “1,800 Days: the story of early childhood in the US” because the first 1,800 days of every child’s life – the time from birth to entering kindergarten – is the most intense period of development in every person’s lifetime.
Hosted by Natalie Moore—renowned author (The South Side) and reporter (WBEZ public radio) specializing in race, class, and communities--“1,800 Days” will feature experts in the field—from national figures like Barbara Bowman to dedicated professionals working on the front lines. The series will inform early childhood educators, caregivers, and students; policy makers, advocates and parents.
Episodes begin February 28, 2022, wherever you get your podcasts.
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Bridging the Data Gap: Diverse Delivery Requires 21st Century Technology |
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Successfully scaling Early Childhood Care and Education hinges on tapping services available in a wide range of locations, including schools, community-based settings, workplaces and private homes. Implementing this important goal will require linked, 21st century data systems that include a wide array of services in diverse settings. This issue brief underscores the challenges and opportunities of forging a new approach to strategic, comprehensive and linked ECE data. |
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March Is Illinois Poison Prevention Month |
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Each year, poison centers across the U.S. manage more than 2 million cases about poisoning exposure. Of those cases, almost half involve children 5 years old and younger.
Illinois Poison Prevention Month raises awareness about poisoning hazards and risks, especially for children.
Be proactive by adding the Illinois Poison Center (IPC) to the contacts in your phone. The free, confidential helpline is 1-800-222-1222 and available around the clock.
IPC handles a variety of cases, ranging from minor to severe. Poisonings can occur after exposure to medication, vitamins/supplements, plants, household chemicals, automotive products, insect stings, animal bites, lead, carbon monoxide, etc. The My Child Ate resource allows you to search over two dozen substances and find out how toxic the substance is, symptoms and what you can do about it.
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Quarantine and Isolation Guidance in Restore Illinois Licensed Day Care Guidance & License Exempt School-Age Guidance |
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Early Childhood Care and Education programs serve many children who are not yet eligible for vaccination. Therefore, this guidance emphasizes using multiple prevention strategies together to protect people, including vaccination of staff, families, and eligible children. On January 31, 2022 the guidance for isolation and quarantine were adjusted to align with new CDC guidance for child care. |
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Mask Usage Associated with Fewer Child Care Closures |
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A new article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that home- and center-based child care programs that implemented mask wearing early in the pandemic had fewer closures due to exposure to COVID-19. |
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The Conversation/La Conversación - Video Series on Pregnancy, Fertility, and the COVID-19 Vaccines |
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately one in three people currently pregnant are not fully vaccinated, a higher rate than in the general population. Earlier data indicated Black and Hispanic pregnant people were less likely to have received a COVID-19 vaccine.
These lower rates of vaccination have raised concerns, as pregnant people may face more serious complications if infected with COVID-19, including an increased risk of miscarriage and pre-term birth. The messaging also reinforces the benefits of getting vaccinated in protecting the newborn. As Dr. Crear-Perry, who founded and leads the National Birth Equity Collaborative, says in a video, “If you're thinking about what can I do to really be healthy, because I'm nervous about COVID and I want my baby to be healthy and I want to be healthy, the vaccine is the best way for you and your baby to be healthy.”
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