“I believe there is power in words, power in asserting our existence, our experience, our lives, through words.”
– Jesmyn Ward
CS3 Updates
Register Now for the Partner Plan Act Conference!
The CS3 team has been busy planning our upcoming training and events calendar! We are excited to offer a range of trainings between now and next spring—from our popular Community Systems Development (CSD) 101 training this fall to a new Action to Policy training and Trauma-Informed Community Engagement training in 2026.
Visit our Upcoming Events page for full training descriptions and registration links.
EduDream: Research and Data Support: Request for Support Deadline EXTENDED!
The CS3 team is partnering with EduDream to provide research and analysis support to early childhood community collaborations. EduDream is a Latina-founded, woman-owned, research consulting firm inspiring transformation within education by bringing together community voice and rigorous research The research and analysis support may include conducting landscape analyses of early childhood services, collecting secondary data, conducting trend analysis, developing data insights, or qualitative research and analysis.
If your early childhood collaboration is interested in receiving research and analysis support, please complete this Request for Supports and submit it to Hannah Miro by 5 p.m., August 22, Once your collaboration has submitted this interest form, we will reach out to schedule a consultation call.
Upcoming CS3 Trainings and Events
CSD Foundation Training 101
New to early childhood collaborations? This training will provide a foundational understanding of community systems development work and strengthen core concepts for those in existing collaborations.
Participants will:
-
Understand the importance of racial equity in early childhood systems
-
Learn about community systems development
-
Understand the role of early childhood community collaborations.
This training will be facilitated by Artishia Hunter.
Location: Virtual
Date: Tuesday, August 19
Time: 10-11:45 a.m.
This training is eligible for Gateways credits and certificates issued in collaboration with The Center: Early Childhood Professional Learning.
Please note, this training will not be recorded.
Leading without authority
Discover how to lead and influence effectively without formal authority in our three-part series, Leading Without Authority. Designed for early childhood community collaboration leaders, this training will help you build trust, communicate effectively, and create a collaborative environment. Learn essential strategies for influence, problem-solving, and conflict resolution to make a meaningful impact in your organization.
Participants will:
-
Understand leadership without formal power and explore different leadership styles
-
Develop practical strategies for effective team leadership
-
Learn conflict resolution strategies and develop personalized leadership plans
This training will be facilitated by Jaclyn Vasquez and Rebecca Halperin.
Location: Virtual
Date(s): Part 1 – Tuesday, September 9
Part 2 – Tuesday, September 16
Part 3 – Tuesday, September 23
Time: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
This training is eligible for Gateways credits and certificates issued in collaboration with The Center: Early Childhood Professional Learning.
Please note, this training will not be recorded.
Collaboration Highlight: Lunch & Learn – Sauk Valley Stars
Get inspired by the groundbreaking work happening across our state in our Community Collaboration Highlights Lunch & Learn series! This series offers opportunities to hear directly from partners who are leading the way in innovation and excellence in early childhood community systems.
In this session, you’ll hear from Sauk Valley Early Childhood Coalition as they introduce their newly launched interactive Resource Hub, O.W.L. This online platform is designed to help families and caregivers easily access local early childhood resources, programs, events, developmental screenings, and child care information across all three counties.
Date: Wednesday, September 17
Time: 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Please note, this session will be recorded.
Rural Voices, Real Data: Tools for Community-led data collection and use
This in-person workshop is designed to address the unique challenges in dealing with data faced by early childhood collaborations in rural communities. Together, we’ll build a foundation for equity-driven decision making tailored to the needs of your community.
Participants will:
-
Understand the importance of disaggregating data by race, income, and other priority population data points.
-
Explore innovative examples and approaches for data collection in rural communities across the U.S.
-
Learn outreach strategies for communities with limited capacity to conduct outreach.
-
Provide actionable tools and strategies to support early childhood community collaborations in data collection, analysis, and utilization.
This training will be facilitated by Jaclyn Vasquez and Rebecca Halperin.
Location: Sterling, Illinois (address provided after registration is complete)
Date: Wednesday, September 24
Time: 10 a.m.-1p.m.
This training series is eligible for Gateways credits and certificates issued in collaboration with The Center: Early Childhood Professional Learning.
Please note, this training will not be recorded.
Enhancing Racial equity in early childhood collaborations and systems
This training is designed to help participants understand and embody equity within the context of Early Childhood Collaborations (ECC) and Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). It aims to empower participants with an understanding of racial equity, providing them with the best practices to integrate these principles into their professional activities and daily lives. Attendees will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to foster and sustain equitable environments in early childhood systems.
Part 1: Foundational Knowledge
Part 2: Application of Knowledge
This training will be facilitated by Artishia Hunter and Dra. Alexandra Escobar.
Date(s): Part 1 – Tuesday, October 7
Part 2 – Tuesday, October 21
Time: 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
This training is eligible for Gateways credits and certificates issued in collaboration with The Center: Early Childhood Professional Learning.
Please note, this training will not be recorded.
Other Events & Updates
join we, the village at next coalition meeting
Join the We, the Village Coalition’s upcoming virtual meeting to hear the latest updates, trends, and opportunities shaping early childhood care and education in Illinois. This is a great opportunity for providers, advocates, and community members to stay connected, informed, and ready to engage in the policies and initiatives impacting our field!
Date: Thursday, September 4
Time: 12 p.m.
has flat funding impacted you or your program? share your story with we, the village
Flat funding for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) for the Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG), Early Intervention (EI), Home Visiting programs, and the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) scholarship continues to fall short of what is needed to ensure program stability and meet the growing demands of these programs.
We, the Village wants to hear from the parents, caretakers, and providers in early childhood education and care who may be impacted by flat funding for these programs. Please fill out this form with your own experiences with ECBG/Early Intervention/Home Visiting/ECACE up to now, and expectations for FY26.
training opportunities in collaboration with the center: early childhood professional learning
September 17 – Administrator Forum Session I- Overview of the Monitoring Process and Compliance Checklist
September 22 – Relationships Matter! Powerful Interactions to Start the School Year
Be sure to visit The Center’s Training Calendar for more opportunities.
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.
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 education and care (ECEC) collaborations. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate requests for individual programs.