Advocacy & Policy

Our work helps build strong families and powerful communities in Chicago and throughout the state of Illinois.

 

Our Pledge to Equality and Justice

At Illinois Action for Children, We Advocate for Policies that Make a Difference

It is our experience and our belief that we can transform the lives of children by making sure the voices of families, educators and child care providers are heard at all levels of government.

  • Prioritize equitable outcomes from Black, Latinx, low-income, and rural children and families.
  • Support children by supporting their families.
  • Ensure the system works for families and providers.
  • Support and respect parent choice.

We Advocate for Child Care and Early Education in Illinois

For the next 10 years, we will work to enact changes to advance the following priorities:

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Strengthen governance and funding to make care and early education equitable for all.

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Structure the system to support early childhood teachers.

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Create a better system of support for achieving program excellence across all provider types.

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Expand family access and choice.

All Children, All Families Policy Guide

Download our All Children All Families guide to learn about our proactive and aggressive policy agenda for child care and early education in Illinois.

Learn more about our policy guides

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The Maria Whelan Leadership Institute (MWLI)

Empowering Early Childhood Professionals to Ascend to New Heights 

Illinois Action for Children created the Maria Whelan Leadership Institute to honor the life and legacy of its long-time leader, Maria Whelan. The MWLI offers a nine-month fellowship program offering comprehensive professional development, leadership and advocacy training, networking opportunities, mentorship, and more to early childhood providers.

Learn more about the Maria Whelan Leadership Institute

eAdvocate Newsletter

Don’t miss opportunities to learn about the actions you can take to improve child care and early learning opportunities for all children and all families.

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