Spreading the Word as We Strive for Equity
Scroll down to read all Birth to Five Illinois news coverage, or you can click to read the coverage from your Region.
New Day Care and Academy Fills Former Rockford Day Nursery
A new child care and Early Childhood Education academy has filled the former Rockford Day Nursery!
CommunityVotes Rockford 2025 - Birth to Five Illinois Wins Platinum in the Child Care Services Category
Birth to Five Illinois was voted Platinum (first place!) as part of the CommunityVotes Rockford 2025 campaign! Congratulations to our Region 4 Team and Council members in Boone and Winnebago Counties!
GUEST COLUMNIST - Early Childhood Programs: A Smart Business Investment with Real Returns
Livia Bane, Region 4 Council Manager (Boone & Winnebago Counties) is a featured Guest Columnist in the December 2025 issue of the Voice from the Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce.
Advocates Push for Protecting Preschool as Harlem School District Considers Cuts
“Moms and early childhood education supports sound the alarm on possible major reductions.” Hear what Birth to Five Illinois: Region 4 Council Manager (Livia Bane) and Family Council member (Olivia Carstens) had to say.
Alignment Rockford Awarded $49,000 Birth to Five Illinois Subcontractor Award to Advance Early Learning in Winnebago County
Highlighting Birth to Five Illinois funding in Region 4 awarded to Alignment Rockford.
Ready to Learn Expands Early Learning Support in Rockford
Alignment Rockford has secured a $49,000 subcontract from Birth to Five Illinois to enhance early childhood coordination efforts in the Rockford area and Winnebago County.
Birth to Five Illinois Awards Funds to Local Childhood Programs
Highlighting Birth to Five Illinois Early Childhood Collaboration Funding in Region 4 (Boone & Winnebago Counties) awarded to Ready to Learn and the Boone County Maternal Child Health (MCH) Advisory Council.
Talk 122 - Episode 408: Summer Shout-Outs & Community Connections
Birth to Five Illinois: Region 4 (Boone & Winnebago Counties) Family Council member (Olivia Carstens) and Action Council member (Shannon Scheffel) discuss the importance of Early Childhood Education and Care with the D100 Superintendent.
A 100-year-old Rockford Childcare Center Abruptly Closed. If There's Such a Need for Childcare, Why Can't Centers Stay Open?
Two Action Council Members from the Birth to Five Illinois: Region 4 (Boone & Winnebago Counties) Councils were interviewed for this NPR article about the dire need for child care in the area but the challenges in keeping these critical businesses open to serve children and families.
The Rockford Day Nursery Had Been Around Over 100 Years. It Just Abruptly Closed.
Region 4 Council Manager, Livia Bane, was interviewed by NPR about the abrupt closure of the Rockford Day Nursery.
Rockford Day Nursery Abruptly Closes
After 100 years, the Rockford Day Nursery is closing its doors. Birth to Five Illinois: Region 4 Council Manager, Livia Bane, says in a statement the ‘abrupt’ closure will have a significant impact on the community.
Birth to Five Illinois and Alignment Rockford
“A robust Early Childhood infrastructure, similar to adequate housing or a favorable job market, is not merely a social concern but an economic imperative.” - Livia Bane, Birth to Five Illinois: Region 4 Council Manager
'It's Very Sad': Reports Detail the Lack of Mental and Behavioral Health Providers for Northern Illinois Kids
NPR’s Peter Medlin interviews the Birth to Five Illinois Regional Council Managers from Region 4 (Boone & Winnebago Counties) and Region 8 (Carroll, Jo Daviess, & Stephenson Counties) about the mental and behavioral health gaps and needs in northern Illinois.
Birth to Five Illinois: Region 4 Interview on SOAR Radio
Watch the Birth to Five Illinois: Region 4 Team talk about the important work they are doing in this SOAR Radio interview (available on Facebook).
THE INCROWD815 PODCAST Interviews Birth to Five Illinois: Region 4
All three members of the Birth to Five Illinois: Region 4 Team (Boone and Winnebago Counties) are interviewed on THE INCROWD815 PODCAST (formerly the Saturday Morning Stateline Show).
Teacher’s Lounge Podcast: Some of Our Best Education Stories of 2023
This highlight of the best education stories of 2023 includes the work of Birth to Five Illinois in identifying systems barriers and access challenges for families!
'It Can Implode and Our Families are Suffering': What are Northern Illinois' Early Childhood Needs?
Peter Medlin with NPR talks with State and Regional Birth to Five Illinois staff about the needs identified in the Early Childhood Regional Needs Assessments for Boone, Winnebago, and DeKalb Counties.
Birth to Five Illinois Helps Families as Their Child Develops - On-Air Interview with 23 WIFR News
Watch two members of the Region 4 Team in an on-air interview with WIFR News!
Illinois Just Made Big Early Childhood Investments. But Services Like Daycare and Preschool are Nearly Impossible for Many Families to Access.
We know this from neuroscience and from brain development that the better start we can give children, the better the outcomes for children. For many in early childhood, it’s refreshing to see the state begin to take it seriously.
Birth to Five Illinois Opens New Headquarters
“This community has a great early childhood support system … there’s always room for improvements.”