See what local families and community members say they need for their children across the State
Family & Community Stories
Birth to Five Illinois has created a space for families and community members in every Illinois Region to share their experiences with local Early Childhood programs and services. Through stories about challenges and successes, we can identify the issues and work collectively to mend what is broken, while also celebrating what is working.
Region 48: What Families Say They Need
"I gave up my career to stay home because I couldn't find affordable care, waitlists, and my children having special needs…"
Region 47: What Families Say They Need
"The question is how do parents know they are eligible for services?..."
Region 45: What Families Say They Need
“When programs are not housed in our community, parents and even educators are unaware of the services they provide.”
Region 44: What Families Say They Need
"We can't open the economy until we open the child care centers…"
Region 41: What Families Say They Need
"We need an intervention plan in place before children are identified with a disability."
Region 40: What Families Say They Need
"There is already a staff shortage… It is beginning to take its toll on me and how I interact with my students and families."
Region 39: What Families Say They Need
"We have a hard time recruiting qualified people to work in ECEC. We have to grow them into teachers…"
Region 35: What Families Say They Need
"We are a two-income household, working in education, and it is still a struggle. There are not a lot of options for child care centers and most home child care providers are filled."
Region 34: What Families Say They Need
"Raising kids costs money! Families cannot afford to raise children in our Region without assistance."
Region 33: What Families Say They Need
"There needs to be a better way to spread resources to families!"
Region 32: What Families Say They Need
"It's not easy to find information…the topics are too broad and the options too few."
Region 31: What Families Say They Need
"When you don't quality for help, there isn't anything out there for you. You have to be able to pay for it on your own…"
Region 28: What Families Say They Need
"…how well do up-and-coming district administrators with no Early Childhood background understand the unique needs of State Board of Education Preschool for All and Prevention Initiative programming?"
Region 26: What Families Say They Need
"We have to make compromises based on what resources are available."
Region 24: What Families Say They Need
"…the bottom line here is that the threshold for income qualifications should be increased to fit the needs of families."
Region 21: What Families Say They Need
"As a staff person from a child care center, the $1 copay (for staff that would quality for the Child Care Assistance Program) has allowed me to reenter the workforce in a profession that I love."
Region 20: What Families Say They Need
"Early Intervention services are extremely limited, because there are currently no professionals in some of our communities…"
Region 19: What Families Say They Need
"The system needs to adapt to the needs of families, and logistical barriers should not be a reason a child misses accessing needed services."
Region 17: What Families Say They Need
"Transportation is a big issue. A lot of programs in districts are half day and parents work full-time. What do parents do?"
Region 16: What Families Say They Need
"It's so hard to find good care for an affordable price that covers actual working hours for the average person… not just 9:00am – 5:00pm, but all shifts."