“You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”
– A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
CS3 Updates
Carry Out COFI’s Parent Leadership Trainings for Your Community with COFI’s Support
We are excited to partner with Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI) and connect you to their unique leadership development and organizing model. COFI aims to build the power and voice of parents to shape the public decisions that affect their lives and the lives of their families.
Through this partnership, participating collaborations can access the following resources and supports from COFI:
- Participation for up to two collaboration members in the COFI Phase 1: Self, Family & Team Train-the-Trainer Workshop Series (includes detailed training manual)
- Recruitment guidance
- Training, coaching, and support
- Team building support
Applications are now open! If your collaboration is interested in applying, contact Janet Vargas to schedule a consultation call and complete the Request for Supports.
Applications will close at 5 p.m. on August 20, 2026.
Complete a Request for Supports
Upcoming Trainings
Beyond Readiness Book Talk: Conversations for Illinois Collaborations
Three-Part Series Starting September, 15, 2026, from 10 – 11:30 a.m.
In his book, Readiness: Preparing State Early Childhood Systems for a Brighter Future, Elliot Regenstein explores the successes and challenges of publicly funded early childhood services among states that have been seeking to create a coherent system, mixing care and education programs.
Join Jaclyn Vasquez and Aziza Hummeid in a three-part series that will explore the contents of the book and how it relates to our early childhood system and services in Illinois. Through open discussion, you will strengthen your relationships with members of early childhood collaborations to identify opportunities for shared learning and partnership.
GIVEWAY: As a special registration giveaway, the first 15 participants to register for this series will receive a complimentary copy of Elliott’s book!
Please note, this series will not be recorded.
Other Events & Updates
Submit Comment: Proposed Head Start Rules
On August 7, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a new rule that would significantly change the Head Start Program Performance Standards. The proposal would rescind and replace the current standards and substantially change how Head Start programs are regulated and operated.
Read Illinois Action for Children’s (IAFC) statement on the proposed rule changes and see how you can take action and submit a public comment. Comments on the proposed rule are due October 6, 2026. HHS is accepting comments from individuals, organizations, families, providers, advocates, and other interested members of the public.
weconnect
WeConnect is designed to bring together members who are dedicated to advancing community systems development in the early childhood education and care world.
WeConnect gives you access to:
- Online Communities: Connect with your collaboration, get early childhood and community systems development news, and meet other collaborations members online.
- Discussions: Ask questions and share your knowledge and ideas.
- Resource Libraries: Share and find the resources you need.
- Member Directory: Get in touch with other collaboration members.
Check your spam folder if you have not received a confirmation email.
On-Demand Learning
Partner Plan Act’s on-demand learning provides Gateway-accredited online courses free of charge to collaboration members, early childhood advocates, and community members.
Some of the available courses include:
- Early Childhood Collaboration Data 101: Building a Data Culture
- Early Childhood Collaboration Parent Engagement
- Fiscal Sustainability 101
- Leading Without Authority 101
Resources
Access Printing Support
The CS3 team is continuing to offer support in partnership with American Color Labs for printing services. If your local early childhood collaboration has marketing materials that you’d like to print, please complete this request for support form.
Printing support can include flyers, annual reports, marketing collateral, stickers, banners, posters, and more. Please reach out to the CS3 team if you have questions about this support.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a service provided specifically to early childhood collaborations. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate requests for individual programs.