Table of Contents
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Guidance & Resources for Child Care Providers
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Guidance & Resources for Early Intervention Providers
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Guidance & Resources for Head Start/Early Head Start Programs
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Guidance & Resources for Home Visiting Programs
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Resources for All Early Childhood Professionals
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Mental Health Resources for All Providers
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a recent urgent warning to consumers and health care providers about hand sanitizer products that are labeled as containing ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but that have tested positive for methanol contamination. Please check the FDA webpage (which lists products to avoid) on a regular basis to stay fully informed regarding this important health issue.
Restore Illinois: A Public Health Approach to Safely Open Our State is a five-phased plan guided by health metrics to safely and deliberately reopen Illinois. Illinois entered Phase 3 of Restore Illinois on May 29, 2020. Chicago entered Phase 3 on June 3, 2020. Every region of the state met the health benchmarks to advance into Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan on June 26, 2020.
Guidance & Resources for Child Care Providers
Child Care Restoration Grants
The Governor and the Illinois General Assembly have directed at least $270 million of the state’s allocation of the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) established through The CARES Act to support the economic health of child care providers as our economy reopens in the coming months through the Business Interruption Grants (BIG) Program. The BIG Program is specifically designed to support businesses who endure lost revenue due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in partnership with the Illinois Department of Human Services were charged to develop the grant program for licensed child care. The Child Care Restoration Grants are administered by the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (INCCRRA).
The first round of applications were available July 24 - August 31, 2020. Applications for the second round will be made available soon. Please visit the Child Care Restoration Grants web page for the most up-to-date information and resources, including application materials, monthly expense reporting documents, technical assistance webinars, and regularly updated FAQs. Please email any questions to ccrg@inccrra.org or call 1-855-939-4858.
State of Illinois Guidance & Resources
- IDPH - Guidance for Pre-K-12 Schools and Day Care Programs for Addressing COVID-19 (8/18/2020)
- IDPH - Guidance for Evaluating a Child's Medical Tolerance for Use of Face Coverings in Schools (8/17/2020)
- DCFS, IDPH & GOECD - Restore Illinois Licensed Day Care Guidance & License Exempt School-Age Guidance (8/17/2020)
- DCFS, DHS, & GOECD -
Printable signs in Chinese, English, Korean, Polish, Spanish, and Tagalog for programs following the emergency rules, executive orders, and guidelines issued by the state of Illinois in adherence with the Restore Illinois Plan (7/7/2020)
- Rules 406 (Emergency) Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes (6/12/2020)
- Rules 407 (Emergency) Licensing Standards for Day Care Centers (6/24/2020)
- Rules 408 (Emergency) Licensing Standards for Group Day Care Homes (6/12/2020)
- GOECD, DCFS, IDHS, & ISBE - Comprehensive Health Guidance for Those Providing Child Care to Essential Workers During the COVID-19 State of Emergency (4/20/2020)
- Guidelines for Caring for Children in Group Settings, Including Children with Disabilities or Other Special Needs (3/21/2020)
- Cuidado infantil en entornos grupales, incluidos niños con discapacidades u otras necesidades especiales (3/21/2020)
- For a chronological listing of updates and resources from State Agencies, visit the COVID-19 for Early Childhood page.
CDC Guidance
CDC Printouts for Classrooms
Resources to Support Children & Their Development Under New Health & Social Distancing Requirements
GOECD partnered with the IDHS and Erikson Institute's Policy and Leadership department to produce a webinar series to support the provision of child care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Business Resources
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IDHS - Guidance for CCAP Billing Certificates: Centers and Licensed Homes (5/15/2020) Spanish version on pages 3-4
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IDHS - Webinar Recording: CCAP Updates for Centers and Licensed Home Providers (5/26/2020)
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IDHS - Guidance for CCAP Billing Certificates: License-Exempt Homes (5/15/2020) Spanish version on page 2
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IDHS - Webinar Recording: CCAP Updates for License-Exempt Home Providers (5/26/2020)
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FAQs for Child Care During Phases 1 & 2 (updated 5/11/2020) contains answers to frequently asked questions submitted by child care providers during Phases 1 and 2 that may be useful to providers who are opening up as we enter Phase 3.
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The
City of Chicago's Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market, powered by Rheaply, provides small businesses, community-based organizations, and not-for-profits a streamlined way to secure affordable supplies from verified sources.
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IDHS & GOECD - Child Care Business Resources COVID-19: Webinar Slides, Webinar Slides in Spanish, Toolkit of Child Care Provider Resources, Webinar Recording (4/6/2020)
- IDHS & GOECD - COVID-19 Child Care Business Practices and Resources: Webinar Slides, Webinar Recording (3/23/2020)
- MBST Solutions, Tom Copeland, & Early Learning Policy Group, LLC - Tips to Navigate Federal Relief Options for Family Child Care Providers: Webinar Slides, Webinar Recording (4/23/2020)
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BPC - Unemployment Compensation: the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) (specifically for child care providers)
- Early childhood small business owners: for questions about U.S. Small Business Administration loans, call 1-800-252-2923 or email CEO.support@illinois.gov.
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NAEYC - Programa Paycheck Protection (PPP): Lo que los programas de cuidado infantil deben saber
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NAEYC – Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): What Child Care Programs Need to Know
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NAEYC - Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL): Lo que los programas de cuidado infantil deben saber
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NAEYC - Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL): What Child Care Programs Need to Know
Resources for Family Child Care Providers
General Resources for Child Care Providers
Resources for Early Intervention Providers
State Guidance (most recent on top)
State Resources (listed alphabetically)
National Resources (listed alphabetically)
Resources for Head Start/Early Head Start Programs
Resources for Home Visiting Programs
- MIECHV, DHS, IHSA, & Chicago DFSS - Revised Restore IL Guidance for Home Visiting, Doula, and Coordinated Intake Programs (8/31/20)
- MIECHV, IDHS, ISBE, IHSA & Chicago DFSS - Restore Illinois Recommendations and Guidance for Home Visiting, Doula, and Coordinated Intake Programs (6/9/2020)
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MIECHV & IDHS - Home Visiting is Essential—Referral Guidance for Providers Supporting Families During COVID-19 (6/1/2020)
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MIECHV & IDHS - Home Visiting is Essential—Information for Families During COVID-19 (6/1/2020)
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Survey of Illinois Home Visiting—Impact of COVID-19 (April 2020)
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MIECHV & IDHS - Illinois Home Visiting Guidance for Breastfeeding During the COVID-19 Pandemic (5/6/2020)
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MIECHV & IDHS - Illinois Home Visiting Guidance for Addressing Intimate Partner Violence, Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Concerns During the COVID-19 Pandemic (4/22/2020)
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MIECHV & IDHS - UPDATED Illinois Guidance for Virtual Home Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic (4/22/2020)
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MIECHV & IDHS – Frequently Asked Questions for Virtual Home Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic—Illinois (4/3/2020)
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MIECHV & IDHS - COVID-19 Update: Home Visits Suspended (3/13/2020)
Share Your Story Initiative—Home Visiting Inspiration in Illinois During COVID-19
Through its "Share Your Story" initiative, the Illinois Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program in the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development has provided an opportunity for home visitors to share on-the-ground stories of their experiences, including the bright spots as well as challenges. The focus of these stories is to bring attention to the amazing work they do, to share what has been working in serving families, and to illustrate how home visitors can be supported to continue carrying out their work.
Resources for All Early Childhood Professionals
Social-Emotional Toolkits for Early Childhood Education & Care Providers and Birth to Five Leaders
GOECD, in partnership with the Illinois Pyramid Model State Leadership Team, has developed Social-Emotional Toolkits early childhood providers and leaders can use to manage stressors and promote wellness during challenging times.
Social Emotional Learning Parent Resources
The Illinois AfterSchool Network and the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership were funded by the Bright Promises Foundation to support the After School Parent Engagement and Social Emotional Learning Project. The collaborative project focused on providing support to After School and Family Child Care Providers through the use of mental health consultation. It is essential that program staff and families collaborate and connect to support the social and emotional development of their youth, which leads to academic success and the development of career and life skills. The manuals offer resources, ideas and activities to support programs and families in this process.
Additional Resources (listed alphabetically)
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Brazelton Touchpoints
Center is offering a series of free webinars and an online learning community
that will explore how to manage the challenges posed by virtual service
delivery and share strategies providers have found for building and sustaining
strong relationships with families virtually. In partnership with Parents as
Teachers and the Rapid Response Virtual Home Visiting (RR-VHV) Collaborative, they will build on lessons learned from virtual home visiting, adapted for all
family-facing providers.
- Dear Colleague Letter sent to PDG B-5 grantees on 6/1/2020 and signed by the Administration for Children and Families' Offices of Early Childhood Development, Head Start, Childcare, Children's Bureau and by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau in the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to encourage family support, maternal and child health, and early childhood programs (including Head Start, home visiting, early intervention, and other early care and learning programs) to promote family strengthening and prevention strategies via virtual, electronic, telephonic, or other safe means during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Early Childhood Professional Learning (ECPL) - Resources for Programs & Families During COVID-19
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Live Virtual CLASS Trainings
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National Alliance to End Homelessness - Coronavirus and Homelessness
- National Association of School Psychologists - Countering COVID-19 Stigma and Racism: Tips for Parents and Caregivers
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National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations - The Leadership Team's Guide for Re-Opening Programs
- National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) Videos - YouTube Channel featuring webinars on reopening
- New America - Digital Resources for EL Students
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ZERO TO THREE - Coronavirus Resources for Early Childhood Professionals
Mental Health Resources for All Providers