The Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program builds upon decades of scientific research showing that home visits by a trained professional during pregnancy and in the first years of a child’s life improves the lives of children and families by preventing child abuse and neglect, supporting positive parenting, improving maternal and child health, and promoting child development and school readiness.
GOECD is hiring an Assistant Project Director to provide programmatic and operational leadership for the MIECHV grant. Click here for the MIECHV Assistant Project Director job description.
Cover letters and resumes should be sent to the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development c/o lesley.schwartz@illinois.gov. Please share this job posting widely!
The Illinois Early Learning Council Integration and Alignment Committee’s Mixed Delivery System Ad Hoc Committee was convened in 2018 and charged with addressing issues programs and families face when developing and accessing a robust early childhood Mixed Delivery System (with services delivered in both schools and community-based settings like child care and Head Start centers) in Illinois. The report provides more detail on the process of inquiry, the findings, and the recommendations. The Committee has included a detailed rationale for each recommendation, a vision for the future of Illinois, and proposed next steps. Implementing the recommendations proposed is a first step in developing a fully functioning, accessible, and reliable Mixed Delivery System which is vital to the future of Illinois, its children and its families.
Click here to read the full report.
The Illinois Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development (GOECD) was established by Executive Order in 2010 to advance a comprehensive, statewide early childhood system. Our office put together an Issue Brief that identifies five major issues in early childhood development in Illinois, describes work that GOECD is doing to move the State forward, and highlights opportunities to build on that work toward the achievement of our vision: Every young child develops to their maximum potential and thrives with the support of their families and communities.
Click here to read GOECD’s Issue Brief.
Click here to read GOECD’s 2019-2021 Strategic Plan Overview.
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!
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