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.

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Guest User 8/13/24 Guest User 8/13/24

Home Visitation Services Fill Gaps in Mental Health Care in Rural Communities

Felicia Farden (Region 53 Council Manager) and Kari Clark (Region 48 Council Manager) discuss some of the findings in their Regional Early Childhood Needs Assessments: Focus on Mental & Behavioral Health.

Guest User 7/30/24 Guest User 7/30/24

Advocates Identify Ways to Improve Youth Behavioral Health Services in Peoria Area

WCBU interviews Birth to Five Illinois: Region 48 Family Council member, Flo James, Council Manager, Kari Clark, and Region 53 Council Manager, Felicia Farden, about what families say they need to improve local access to mental and behavioral health supports.

Guest User 9/1/23 Guest User 9/1/23

Baby Steps: Here’s What We Can Do to Make Child Care More Available, Affordable

This article in Community Word connects recent federal child care policy to state Smart Start funding to findings in the Early Childhood Regional Needs Assessment for Region 48 (Peoria County) to local families’ needs and recommendations for improving early childhood services.

Guest User 9/1/23 Guest User 9/1/23

Crisis in Child Care: How Can We Leave These Kids Behind?

“KJ and Jennifer are two of more than 15,000 families in metro Peoria coping with the two main obstacles for parents with jobs outside the home: affordability and availability of child care.” See how data from the Region 48 Early Childhood Needs Assessment pairs with challenges for local families.

Guest User 8/14/23 Guest User 8/14/23

New Report Identifies Key Needs to Improve Childcare Access in Greater Peoria

Read and/or listen to a WCBU interview with Kari Clark and Felicia Farden, the Regional Managers overseeing Peoria, Mason, Tazewell, and Woodford counties for Birth to Five Illinois!

Guest User 8/7/23 Guest User 8/7/23

New ‘Birth to Five’ Report Highlights Gaps in Central Illinois Child Care

Watch and read the interview with Kari Clark, Region 48 Council Manager, and Felicia Farden, Region 53 Council Manager, on 25 News Now!

Guest User 2/17/23 Guest User 2/17/23

WMBD 1470’s Greg and Dan Show

Listen to Regions 48 and 53 on the radio!

Guest User 8/2/22 Guest User 8/2/22

A New Statewide System Seeks to Improve Access and Equity around Early Childhood Education and Care

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