Background

Illinois has a strong history of systems building efforts and support for families with young children. A major step was taken toward establishing a statewide early childhood system when the Illinois Early Learning Council was created. The Council will build on recent and ongoing early childhood planning efforts and initiatives as well as lessons learned and input from parents and local communities. Key recommendations and priorities already identified through the following initiatives related to families with children under five provide a foundation for the important work of the Illinois Early Learning Council: Illinois Preschool Task Force Report, Illinois Child care Strategic Plan, Illinois Children's Mental Health Task Force, Professional Development Advisory Committee, Born Learning, Chicago Partners for Children, License-Exempt Home Child Care Conference and the Birth to Five Project (Build Initiative), among others.

Long-Term Outcome

All Illinois children are safe, healthy, eager to learn and ready to succeed by the time they enter school.

Vision

The Early Learning Council is committed to developing a high-quality early learning system that will be available to all children birth to five throughout the state by enhancing, coordinating and expanding programs and services for young children - including PreKindergarten, child care, Head Start, health care and parental support programs.

Broad Purpose of the Illinois Early Learning Council

• Review recommendations of previous/ongoing early childhood efforts and initiatives and oversee implementation
• Develop multi-year plans to expand programs and services to address gaps and insufficient capacity and to ensure quality
• Reduce or eliminate policy, regulatory and funding barriers
• Engage in collaborative planning, coordination and linkages across programs, divisions and agencies at the state level
• Report to the Governor and General Assembly on the Council's progress toward its goals and objectives on an annual basis

Major Issues to Come Before the Illinois Early Learning Council

• Oversight and Coordination - How can Illinois help to ensure effective implementation of Preschool for All birth to five services and program quality components and Early Leaning Council recommendations? How can we support both individual children's learning and development and programs' continuous improvement through systems focusing on standards, assessments, systems-level program evaluation, and quality assurance? How can Illinois improve integration across early childhood programs and systems to address the comprehensive nature of children's healthy development and readiness for school?
• Space Capacity - How can Illinois increase the space capacity in communities to serve children in high-quality classrooms, infant-toddler care, and education settings, especially in areas of greatest need?
• Special Populations - How can Illinois expand access to high quality early learning programs to children who face the greatest challenges, such as children with disabilities, children who are homeless, and children involved in the child welfare system?
• Infant and Toddler services - How can Illinois expand access to high quality early childhood development programs for all at-risk children under three years of age, and improve the quality of services offered to very young children and their families? How can Illinois improve coordination across infant and toddler programs and services at the state and local levels?
• Public Awareness - How can Illinois increase participation in high quality early learning programs by providing consistent, high-quality information, outreach and technical assistance to families, early childhood providers, and other stakeholders?
• Linguistic and Cultural Diversity - How can Illinois meet the varied needs of culturally and linguistically diverse families and young children to ensure that they are well-prepared for school?
• Workforce Development - How can Illinois develop a statewide workforce development system to enable more early childhood practitioners to improve their skills through training and higher education?

Membership

Council members serve on a voluntary, unpaid basis; represent both public and private organizations; and reflect the regional, cultural, and racial diversity of Illinois. Members serve three-year terms, except for the initial appointments; half of the initial members were appointed to a two-year term so that terms are staggered. The President of the Senate, Minority Leader of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives each appoint one member to the Council. All other Council members are appointed by the Governor.

For more information, contact the Governor's office at (217) 782-0244 or Ounce of Prevention Fund at ddurica@ounceofprevention.org