Meet the Recipients / Conozca a los Beneficiarios
Birth to Five Illinois Funding Recipients
Scroll and click below to learn more about the Birth to Five Illinois funding recipients and the great work they are doing within their communities!
Arcola Community and Economic Development (ACED)
FY24 DETAILS
Establish a new legal entity, including governance structure and board.
Launch Arcola Kids in Development Foundation and conduct community outreach.
Promote community awareness on the importance of early education.
Develop an Action Plan around the goals of: 1) development of a 0-3 prevention program, 2) encouraging the establishment of more licensed child care providers in the community, and 3) exploring the feasibility of a child care facility in our community.
Birth to Five Forum of South Cook County
FY23 DETAILS
Launch an Every Child Screened Campaign.
Screen 300 children ages 0-5.
Increase enrollment in early childhood programs by 25%.
Bureau Henry Stark Early Childhood Collaboration
FY25 DETAILS
$12,500
Purchase postcards for distribution to saturate the three-county region.
Purchase and distribute engagement stations. Each engagement station will consist of an informational poster providing knowledge on early childhood development, a table, two chairs, books, and an activity for the children.
Distribute disposable activity placemats and crayons to local restaurants.
Clay and Effingham County Childcare Collaborative
FY24 DETAILS
Create a Coordinated Intake System utilizing the IRIS software and offer education to agencies using the platform. This will be measured by having 40 agencies trained and using the IRIS platform.
All ECEC programs participating in the collaborative will be at 90% enrollment or higher within six months of implementing this approach and maintain that metric on a monthly basis thereafter (based on current staff available).
Marketing of programs with open slots will be distributed monthly via email to all Collaborative members. The Collaboration will also compare Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map (IECAM) data to local Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) enrollment data to look for targeted outreach in the community.
Staff will monitor and track when families are referred to a service. If there has been a referral in the system more than five working days, staff will contact the agency to see about access to the system and if additional information is needed.
Coles County Child Care Collaboration
FY26 DETAILS
$12,500
Establish the Collaboration as a nonprofit.
Further develop sharable resources describing the project, as well as marketing tools.
Promote awareness of the Collaboration and early childhood needs.
Explore barriers for recruitment and retention of early childhood teachers/staff.
Jersey/Calhoun Early Childhood Collaboration
FY26 DETAILS
$12,500
Align Coordinated Intake and referrals across systems.
Facilitate conversations around Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) needs and developing actionable strategies for solutions.
Serve as a resource and thought partner for families and other ECEC Collaborations and community partners.
LEAD Chicago
FY25 DETAILS
$12,500
Hold regular Steering Committee meetings and strategic planning sessions to develop a comprehensive and long-term collaborative project charter.
The project lead will complete four modules from Illinois Action for Children's Partner Plan Act resources to support their professional development.
Measure and evaluate cross-sector representation in LEAD Chicago by monitoring the number of sectors represented in collaboration meetings.
Monitor stakeholder engagement by tracking the number of organizations actively participating in LEAD Chicago meetings, with a target of maintaining consistent engagement from at least eight organizations.
Measure community reach by identifying the number of families and children potentially impacted by collaboration initiatives by conducting annual geographic and demographic analyses to understand the scope of influence.
Livingston County Childcare Coalition
FY26 DETAILS
$12,500
Collaborate with neighboring counties-Grundy to the north, McLean to the south, and Iroquois to the east- to support regional coordination around child care access. Host meetings within each county to focus on shared workforce, facility, and economic‑development strategies that strengthen child care availability across the region.
Facilitate quarterly coalition meetings in Livingston County to allow subcommittees to share updates and coordinate next steps. Host an annual stakeholder meeting to engage all participating parties in reviewing progress and identifying future priorities.
Hold two focus groups: one with current child care providers and one with local business leadership to gather input on child care access needs and opportunities.
Distribute an interest survey through social media and in printed form at meetings, ensuring it reaches concerned organizations and community partners.
Use social media platforms to raise awareness about child care deserts and key child care issues, sharing regular posts that inform and engage community members and stakeholders.
Pike County Child Care Task Force
FY26 DETAILS
$12,500
Establish a Collaboration Coordinator position.
Launch Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) for Pike County Early Childhood providers.
Strengthen cross-sector engagement and community awareness of Early Childhood needs.
Regional Office of Education #35 Early Childhood Collaboration
FY24 DETAILS
Create an Early Childhood Collaboration that will identify challenges and potential solutions to improve the services and programs available to families with young children in the area.
Create a study to discover how lack of child care impacts the local workforce and economy of La Salle, Marshall, and Putnam Counties.
Develop branding/logo and website for the Collaboration.
Resource Hub Collaboration
FY25 DETAILS
$12,500
Creation and launch of the online Resource Hub.
Identification of service gaps.
Collaboration with partners to expand the Resource Hub.
Saline County Early Childhood Collaboration
FY26 DETAILS
$12,500
Obtain a larger space for the Collaboration to provide education, resources, and support services.
Host outreach events.
Promote our services and resources within child cares centers, online, and to other agencies.
Scott County Collaborative
FY25 DETAILS
$12,500
Compile and publish Community Needs Assessment Report.
Host four or more stakeholder engagement meetings.
Create an Early Childhood Resource Map showing the available early childhood programs, providers, and services in Scott County.
Develop a written strategic plan for service expansion.
United Palatine Coalition
FY26 DETAILS
$12,500
Identify gaps in Early Childhood services through facilitate discussion at six Early Childhood Action Team meetings.
Host two family-facing outreach events.
Facilitate provider coordination and quality planning.
Increase Kindergarten Readiness.