“Both Action and Family Councils are busy gathering and analyzing data. After the New Year, we will be hosting focus groups and interviews with families, school officials, businesses, child care providers, state and local officials, and other local stakeholders to gather more information to make Illinois the best state for children and families.”

“This community has a great early childhood support system … there’s always room for improvements.”

Listen to Region 12 on the radio!

Buenos Días Aurora, the first bilingual podcast in the second-largest city of Illinois, interviewed Alicia Hann and David Quiroz.

An effort is underway in Boone and Winnebago counties to study the strengths and shortcomings of early education here in order to build a more equitable and accessible system.

Tammy Pollitt from Birth to Five Illinois mentioned that throughout the county there are over 6,000 children under the age of six, but only about 1,200 are in some kind of early development or pre-K program.

Birth to Five Illinois also is looking for parents/family members caring for a child under the age of 8. People who are passionate about creating more opportunities for young children and families are invited to explore joining a Family Council.

In combination with statistical data, Birth to Five Illinois: Region 53 is gathering parents from Tazewell, Mason and Woodford counties to form a Family Council, in which they can share critical input regarding the needs of their children.

Listen to interviews with the Regional Council Manager for Region 32!

Listen to an interview with the Family and Community Engagement Specialist for Region 16, DeKalb County!

This equity-driven statewide regional system is comprised of staff and local councils that will amplify family, provider and community voices in the state policy-making process and give local and state leaders a more accurate understanding of the early childhood gaps in each region.

"It is our goal to make sure racism no longer plays a part in child success so we want to remove those barriers and harness information directly from families and providers as we move forward…”

“We want to make sure families and communities are at the center of our decision-making. We hope for big things.”

"We need to hear from everybody so we can make sure that we're partnering with you to really advocate for what you need.”