About Partner Plan Act

Navigating Early Childhood Collaboration Together

Our Vision

We envision a future where local communities work together to provide holistic, equitable support for children from birth to age five, centering family voice and equity. While the early childhood landscape is complex and fragmented, community collaborations and early childhood leaders don’t have to navigate this environment alone.

A Hub for ECEC Professionals

The Partner Plan Act website is a central place for early childhood care and education (ECEC) professionals to learn how to expand, deepen, or build new local early childhood collaborations in their community. We offer resources and insights on how to use a community systems development approach to strengthen and enhance local early childhood services and systems.

Pioneering Statewide Training and Technical Supports

In 2018, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) awarded Illinois Action for Children (IAFC) a grant to develop a statewide training and technical assistance system. Through the Community Systems Statewide Support project, our aim is to empower community collaborations to build and improve early childhood education systems. We provide a comprehensive yearlong program through Collaboration Institute, statewide training opportunities, coaching supports, online resources, and many tools to advance equitable local early childhood systems.

Strategic Alliances: Partnering for Impact

We are not alone in our mission. Community Systems Statewide Supports partners with the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development, the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Early Learning Council, and early childhood collaborations across the state to craft a dynamic support system. We aid communities in developing and implementing impactful strategies to build an aligned, high-quality, accessible early childhood system that supports all children and families.

Community Systems Statewide Support’s Project Goals

Our Plan

Offer foundational supports, including training, access to planning, and collaboration tools, at no cost, to early childhood professionals who are forming and/or strengthening community collaborations focused on improving local early childhood systems.

Provide targeted supports, including individualized coaching, to select communities that wish to receive in-depth support that is focused on increasing the number of children ages five and under who are enrolled in high-quality early learning services.

Collaborate and coordinate with existing statewide providers of early childhood training to align training opportunities across systems.

Implement a data and evaluation process to support continued system improvement at the community and state levels.