The Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five (PDG B-5) grant targets comprehensive statewide birth through five needs assessment, strategic planning, parent choice and knowledge about mixed delivery systems, and sharing best practices prior to implementation of any quality initiatives states identify in a strategic plan developed based on what is learned from their thorough, statewide B-5 needs assessment.
Click here to read Frequently Asked Questions about the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and Illinois’ proposal.
Click here to read Illinois’ full PDG B-5 proposal.
The publication of the National Academy of Medicine’s 2015 report, Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8, was a clarion call for early childhood policymakers nationwide. Illinois was one of the first states selected by the National Academies to implement these recommendations. Illinois’ report, Transforming the Early Childhood Workforce: A Call to Action for the State of Illinois, was published in November 2018 with leadership from GOECD and the UIC College of Education. The report’s guiding principles inform recommendations on qualifications, pathways, and knowledge base of the Illinois early childhood workforce.
Read the report, executive summary, and one-pager.
Read the interim 2017 Illinois Early Childhood Workforce Survey Report here.
The Kindergarten Transition Advisory Committee was established by the General Assembly in 2017 (HJR0024) to review and report on the transition into kindergarten. On September 28, 2018, they submitted a report to the Governor, State Board of Education, and General Assembly that includes recommendations to help streamline the transition for children, families, communities, educators, districts, and the state. Check out the report here!
On June 8, 2018, Erikson Institute’s Policy and Leadership Department and the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development hosted a breakfast symposium on the Transforming the Financing of Early Care and Education report. Featured speakers included Elizabeth E. Davis, Ph.D., professor of applied economics at the University of Minnesota and Harriet Dichter, J.D., fellow at ICF International. Our panel of representatives from local early childhood partner organizations included: Jennifer Alexander, Director of Early Learning Programs, Metropolitan Family Services; Theresa Hawley, Senior Vice President for Policy and Innovation, Illinois Action for Children; Cathy Main, Senior Lecturer and Program Coordinator, University of Illinois; and Sam Aigner-Treworgy, Chief of Early Learning, City of Chicago.
View the Transforming the Financing of Early Care and Education: Executive Summary Full Report PowerPoint Presentation
The Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA) released a workforce report that provides rich, descriptive data about Illinois’ early childhood education workforce, as shown by analysis of the data within the Gateways Registry. INCCRRA’s hope is that this report will be a valuable resource for leaders and policymakers to inform conversations that will further support and advance the early childhood education workforce in Illinois.
Read the Executive Summary Read the Full Report View the PowerPoint Presentation Joellyn Whitehead, Director of Data & Research at INCCRR, gave at the June Early Learning Council meeting.
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