PRESS RELEASE: Birth to Five Illinois Awards $2.5 Million in Implementation Grants
PRESS RELEASE
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For more information, contact:
Maggie Koller (she/her)
Communications Manager
(309) 233-0434
mkoller@birthtofiveil.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2022
BIRTH TO FIVE ILLINOIS AWARDS $2.5 MILLION IN IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS
Funding Reaches 35 Counties Across Illinois
Birth to Five Illinois has issued $2.5 million in Implementation Grants that will reach 20 Local Early Childhood Collaborations and 35 counties across the State. The purpose of this funding is to help collaborations apply systemic strategies to the challenge of regaining and increasing enrollment into early childhood program and services. Grantees will employ various methods to reach this goal, including hiring dedicated staff, equipping community members with hotspots and laptops to serve as paid family liaisons, and improving coordinated intake processes to ensure families are connected to the programs and services for which they are eligible.
In April 2022, Birth to Five Illinois published the eligibility requirements for the Implementation Grants to Local Early Childhood Collaborations. The application opened in June and closed on August 5, 2022, after a two-week extension. The ample lead-time for the application process was intended to allow time for some collaborations to solidify the SAM.gov registration, secure a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), and become Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) certified, per the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) requirement.
Angela Hubbard, Grants and Relationship Manager for Birth to Five Illinois, said, "As we develop this new statewide system with a focus on racial equity, our team worked hard to limit the barriers that often prevent early childhood collaborations from accessing available funding." As part of this process, the application and all supporting resources were provided in Spanish and English. Birth to Five Illinois responded to over 200 email inquiries about the Implementation Grant. Hubbard also said, "We continue to improve this process and are grateful for all our partners who have provided guidance."
Birth to Five Illinois will follow this round of funding with a Planning Grant opportunity this fall aimed at helping newly forming collaborations become fully established. Information about the Implementation Grants and other funding opportunities from Birth to Five Illinois may be found at www.birthtofiveil.com/grants.
Birth to Five Illinois FY23 Implementation Grant Recipients
Boone County Maternal and Child Health Advisory Council: $106,150
Champaign County Home Visiting Consortium (CCHVC): $127,950
Chicago Head Start Collaborative: $133,840
Collaboration for Early Childhood: $133,840
ConnecTeen: $133,840
DeKalb County Collaborative for Young Children (DCCYC): $103,290
Early Childhood Coalition of the Illinois Quad City Area: $111,150
Early Childhood Forum of Central Illinois: $117,050
Elgin Partnership for Early Learning: $133,840
Evanston Early Childhood Council: $106,150
Glenbard Early Childhood Collaborative: $133,840
Greater East St. Louis Early Learning Partnership: $106,150
Little Village Education Collaborative: $128,840
Madison County Coordinated Intake: $106,650
Niles Township Early Childhood Alliance: $124,010
North Lawndale Early Learning Collaboration: $128,840
Sauk Valley STARS Early Childhood Education Coalition: $107,220
Southern Illinois Coalition for Children and Families: $111,150
The Village Early Childhood Collaboration: $106,150
Willowbrook Early Childhood Coalition: $106,150
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About Birth to Five Illinois
Birth to Five Illinois’ mission is to create a statewide regional infrastructure that will amplify input from communities in the development of policies and funding priorities. We mobilize communities to build and sustain equitable access to inclusive, high-quality early childhood services for all children and families in the state of Illinois.