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“To solve the systemic causes of injustice, we must learn to both zoom out and zoom in. We have to remain aware of the larger issues at play as we craft on-the-ground solutions that address them.”
—Darren Walker
Community Systems Statewide Supports (CS3)
The Community Systems Statewide Supports (CS3) team has launched its annual Training Needs Assessment. Please take a few moments to complete the survey. The results will drive future content of our On-Demand Learning courses, Partner Plan Act conference sessions, and regional trainings. Share the needs assessment survey with other community collaborations. We want to hear from you!
Collaboration Highlight
Check Out Previous Collaboration Highlights on Partner Plan Act!
Over the last year and a half our monthly Partner Plan Act Newsletter has featured interesting and innovative work by early childhood community collaborations throughout the state. Examples range from Stephenson County AOK’s coordinated services in the northern region to Early Childhood Forum of Central Illinois’ Legislative Happening Hour to Southern Illinois Coalition for Children and Families’ focus on trauma and resilience. We are happy to announce that you can now find these and all other collaboration highlights we have shared in the Collaboration Highlights section under the Events and Resources tab at partnerplanact.org. The highlights are divided by northern, central, and southern regions, as well as by county to make it easy to find those most relevant to you!
If you would like your collaboration’s work to be highlighted in the Partner Plan Act Newsletter, please email us at partnerplanact@actforchildren.org. Partnerplanact@actforchildren.org.
Resources
COVID-19 Resources for Communities
Stay up-to-date with COVID-19 resources. The Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development is the central hub for relevant resources for children, families, providers, and communities. To learn more, click here. You can also visit Illinois Action for Children’s COVID-19 microsite here for the latest updates on CCAP, essential workers, webinars, and more.
RAPID-EC project: Weekly surveys on impact of COVID-19 on families with young children
Beginning on April 6, the University of Oregon’s Center for Translational Neuroscience launched the RAPIC-EC project nationally to conduct weekly early childhood family wellbeing surveys to 1,000 families to find out how they were faring during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each week, the reach team releases a brief with their results. The most recent data suggests that circumstances for low-income households with young children have become increasingly difficult. Other briefs detail the experiences and impact of the pandemic on families with children with disabilities. Visit their Medium blog to learn more about their weekly briefs and surveys.
Chicago Children’s Museum Play-At-Home Resources
Having a tough time keeping the kiddos occupied all day? The Chicago Children’s Museum has you covered! Below are several fun and engaging activities for children and adults to do at home.
Feel free to share with us any feedback on these resources and how you use them at home!
Upcoming Trainings and Events
Partner Plan Act Annual Virtual Summit
June 8, 2020 – June 12, 2020 The Partner Plan Act Conference is launching as a virtual week-long summit! Don’t let the COVID-19 pandemic get in the way of continuing to gather with other community systems leaders and learning how to continue to evolve and deepen your community collaboration work! Join us for this first-ever virtual, weeklong summit!
Throughout the week of June 8, participants can attend virtual breakout workshop sessions and participate in keynote presentations. Many sessions are already full, but spots remain for these sessions at the time of this newsletter’s publication:
- June 10: Communicating Your Early Childhood Data Story
- June 11: Keynote Address with Ijeoma Oluo!
- June 12: Virtual Cafes (Discussion groups limited to 30 participants)
- June 12: What Does an Equitable Early Childhood System Look Like and How Do We Achieve It?
To learn more and register for each of these sessions today, click here.
Engaging Families in Early Childhood Collaborations Virtual Parent Panel
June 23, 2020 from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
The Community Systems Statewide Supports (CS3) team at Illinois Action for Children is committed to supporting early childhood collaborations in developing and strengthening their family engagement efforts. As part of this commitment, we are offering a virtual conversation – Engaging Families in Early Childhood Collaborations Panel. The discussion will consist entirely of parent leaders as they share their own experiences with collaboration work. Join us for this dialogue online!