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. 

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