Improving Early Childhood Education in Forgottonia with Birth to Five Illinois: Region 26

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Written By Guest User

“Our job is to find out what the needs and barriers are around early childhood care and education… and help align goals so we’re all working on the same thing.”

Shannon McKee, Family & Community Engagement Specialist, Birth to Five Illinois: Region 26


On This Episode

We had the privilege of speaking with Paul Larson, Lacie McGraw, and Shannon McKee from Birth to Five Illinois: Region 26. Their mission is to address early childhood education challenges in rural areas by collaborating with schools, families, and local organizations


What You’ll Learn in this Episode

  • Barriers to Access: From transportation to workforce shortages, families in rural areas face unique challenges in finding affordable and accessible childcare.

  • Innovative Solutions: Birth to Five Illinois: Region 26 is working to increase the number of licensed home childcare providers, partner with schools to utilize unused classroom space, and promote all-day preschool options.

  • Workforce Development: Addressing workforce shortages by creating pipelines for high school students to explore careers in early childhood education.

  • Mental Health Support: Expanding resources for mental and behavioral health services, recognizing their importance for children, families, and communities.


Questions for Discussion

  • How can schools in your community support childcare efforts, such as providing space for care centers?

  • What strategies might help address workforce shortages in your region?

  • How can rural areas advocate for increased funding and support for early childhood education?

“We have to really figure out a way to bolster the teacher pipeline… as a community, we’ve got to figure out this workforce thing and retain those staff workers here locally.”

Paul Larson, Regional Council Manager for Birth to Five Illinois: Region 26

About Our Guests

A headshot of Paul Larson. Paul has short light brown hair and is smiling. Paul is wearing a white shirt with a navy blue suit jacket on top and black eyeglasses.

Paul Larson (he/him) is the Regional Council Manager for Region 26.

Photo of Shannon McKee, a light skinned person with short brown hair smiling with a closed mouth from the chest up. Shannon is wearing a teal top with teal earrings and a silver necklace.

Shannon McKee (she/her) is the Family & Community Engagement Specialist for Region 26.

A headshot of Lacie McGraw. Lacie has short curly dark hair and is smiling while wearing a beige shirt with black flowers.

Lacie McGraw (she/her) is the Region 26 Administrative Support.

Front side of flyer about helping families connect to resources in McDonough, Fulton, Schuyler, and Hancock counties.
Back side of flyer encouraging the scan of a QR code to access community resources.
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