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.
Rotary Hears Program about the Need for Child Care
Birth to Five Illinois: Region 35 talks with the Henry Rotary Club about the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) needs in their Region.
Around Town Interview on 101.5 FM Huntley Community Radio
Listen to Region 44 Council Manager, Nicole Bach, talk on-air about the Birth to Five Illinois work in McHenry County!
Child Care Shortages, Expenses Affecting Sangamon Families' Quality of Life | Community Voices
NPR Illinois covers the presentation Region 51 Manager and Family Council member gave to Citizens Club of Springfield. Watch, read, or listen to what families need in Sangamon and Menard Counties!
Birth to Five Illinois Assessment Shows Local Needs for Early Childhood Education Care
Liz Gibson, Region 32 Council Manager, presented on the ECEC needs in Iroquois and Kankakee Counties, with opening remarks by Kankakee County State's Attorney Jim Rowe.
Birth to Five Illinois: A Focus On Early Childhood Education and Care
Check out this write up about the work in Region 54 (Vermilion County) in October 2023 issue of the Inside Vermilion County Magazine!
Redesigning Early Childhood Education in Illinois
Read and/or listen to this Tri States Public Radio interview with Shannon McKee and Paul Larson from Birth to Five Illinois: Region 26, which serves Fulton, Hancock, McDonough, and Schuyler counties.
Vermilion County First: The Community Connection Podcast - Interview with Tammy Pollitt
Listen to Tammy Pollitt, Region 54 Council Manager, on The Community Connection Podcast!
New Initiative Betters Child Care
See what Candace Gardner, Region 45 Council Manager, had to say about the needs of families in Monroe and Randolph Counties in this interview for the Republic-Times!
FACTS FOR FAMILIES: Birth to Five Illinois Program Addresses Early Childhood Needs
Kayli Bontrager, Region 11 Family & Community Engagement Specialist, talks about the work of Birth to Five Illinois in the Journal Gazette & Times-Courier.
WTYE On Demand - Civic Interest Segment
Listen to the interview with Donna Rardin (Region 12 Family & Community Engagement Specialist) on WTYE!
Birth to Five Illinois in Yorkville Joins Grundy County Chamber of Commerce
Birth to Five Illinois: Region 24 joins the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce!
WHPO On Air Interview with Liz Gibson, Tammy Pollitt, & Caitlyn Scarbro
Listen to this WHPO Radio interview with three Birth to Five Illinois Council Managers!
With Federal Funding Ending, Child Care Advocates Warn of Looming Cliff
Watch or read how the findings from the Birth to Five Illinois Early Childhood Regional Needs Assessments were part of this Chicago Tonight: Black Voices discussion on the looming child care cliff.
Birth to Five Illinois Group Hoping to Build a Future of Equity for Parents, Children in Towns Large and Small
Read about the key findings in the Region 1 and Region 40 Early Childhood Regional Needs Assessments, published in My Journal Courier.
WLDS/WEAI Radio Interview with Bridget English & Keppen Clanton
Listen to the WLDS/WEAI What’s On Your Mind interview with Bridget English (Region 1) and Keppen Clanton (Region 40) from Birth to Five Illinois!
Birth to Five Illinois to Share Study Finding with Community
Birth to Five Illinois: Region 12 Council members and team to hold a World Cafe, a structured conversational process where groups of people discuss a topic at several small tables, to gather additional community feedback on their Early Childhood Regional Needs Assessment.
Why Businesses Should Care about Child Care & Early Education
Read about why businesses should care about child care and early education in the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce September 2023 Chamber Connection issue!
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.
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.
Teachers' Lounge Podcast: The Early Childhood System Could Implode. How Can it Be Improved?
Peter Medlin interviews Cicely Fleming (Director) and Gretchen Sprinkle (Region 16 Council Manager) for this issue of the Teachers’ Lounge Podcast. Listen in!