“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation and that an act of political warfare.”
– Audre Lorde
CS3 Updates
Introducing Jasmine Harvey, New Program Coordinator of CS3
The CS3 team is excited to introduce Jasmine, our new Program Coordinator! A Chicago native, Jasmine is a passionate administrator and community advocate dedicated to serving communities through an equity-based and restorative justice lens. She holds a master’s in Public Administration from the University of Illinois Chicago, where she specialized in Public Management. Before joining IAFC, Jasmine worked as an administrator and mentor for student leaders at UIC. In her role with CS3, she supports early childhood collaborations across Illinois, working to strengthen families and empower communities.
Upcoming CS3 Trainings and Events
Last Chance to Register! 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. – 1 p.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 two-part training is designed to help participants understand and embody equity within the context of Early Childhood Collaborations and Early Childhood Education and Care. 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 Dra. Alexandra Escobar and Artishia Hunter.
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.
from partnership to leadership: family leadership development peer learning & Panel
Join us and other Illinois early childhood collaborations to reflect on and learn about each other’s family leadership development practices. Our time together will consist of small breakout conversations, full group discussions and a panel on family leadership development featuring collaboration members, including families in leadership positions.
Participants will:
- Explore and understand the concept of leadership development.
- Hear about other collaboration experiences with family leadership development.
- Learn about two existing Illinois community collaboration leadership development efforts.
This training will be facilitated by Janet Vargas.
Date: Tuesday, November 4
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.
Other Events & Updates
Join IDEC for an Early Childhood Workforce Listening Session
IDEC is inviting Illinois’ early childhood workforce members to participate in an upcoming IDEC Workforce Listening Sessions to discuss support, training and professional development, compensation, work environments, and well-being for Illinois’ early childhood education and care workforce.
In these sessions, participants will have the opportunity to share successes, challenges, and opportunities, as well as provide input on priorities related to the early childhood workforce. This feedback will be used to inform the state’s work and opportunities as the early childhood programs and services transition from DCFS, IDHS, and ISBE to IDEC.
IDEC is particularly interested in input from the frontline early childhood workforce (i.e. teachers, assistant teachers, home visitors, therapists, etc.), though anyone is welcome to join.
Spanish translation will be available.
Please register for a session here. Content at all sessions will be the same.
Join We, the Village at our Next Coalition Meeting: Thursday, October 9, at 6 p.m.
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
Save the Date: Fall Into Action – Tuesday, November 11 from 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
It’s time for Fall Into Action! Please join us on Tuesday, November 11 from 11:30 – 1:30 via Zoom to discuss state and federal policies and other timely policy developments with providers, parents, teachers, and advocates. This is a chance to learn about new developments in the early child care field, ask questions, provide feedback, and hear how you can get involved as an advocate for Illinois children and families!
Registration information coming soon!
training opportunities in collaboration with the center: early childhood professional learning
September 24 – Sensory Strategies to Support All Students
September 29 – Lesson Planning for Early Learners: Creating High Quality Plans and Adapting for Individual Students
September 30 – Improving Paraprofessional and Teacher Collaboration for Better Student Outcomes
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.