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April 1, 2010, is the deadline to apply for STARNET Region II’s “Do-It Yourself” Study Group Grants. The grants of up to $300 are available to small groups of professionals and parents who want to broaden their skills related to young children, ages 3–6, who have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).

How can early childhood education leaders ensure the educational success of Latino children and young dual-language learners? Find out in a new toolkit New Leaders, New Directions:Tools for Advancing an Early Childhood Agenda for the Latino Community.

Looking for information about scholarships, loans, wage supplements, and professional development funds that may be available to you or your early care and education program in Illinois? Check out the list of financial opportunities on Gateways.

A new toolkit from the Ounce of Prevention will help you be a voice for young children, educate key audiences, and encourage elected officials to support early childhood initiatives.

Leadership Development in Early Childhood Care and Education: A View of the Current Landscape, a report of a study funded by the McCormick Foundation, describes how the early care and education field is currently addressing its needs for leadership development.

A Gateways to Opportunity Professional Development Advisor (PDA) will help you explore early care and education career options, professional development opportunities, relevant credentials, and sources of financial assistance for education and training—all for free!

The percentage of Illinois children in after-school programs increased to 16% in 2009, up from 10% in 2004, but a significant percentage of the state’s children are still unsupervised each afternoon according to the America After 3PM study.

Breaking down the walls between health-and-human-services departments and education departments was the focus of a research summit at Georgetown University.

Check out the many career pathways and options for professional preparation within the early care and education field on the Gateways Career Lattice.

Join 5,000 early childhood and school-age professionals at the Opening Minds Conference in Chicago on January 28–30, 2010.

According to Head Start 2008 Program Information Report (PIR) data, of the 8,086 staff in Head Start or Early Head Start programs in Illinois in 2008, 41% had an AA degree, 34% had a BA degree, 10% had a graduate degree, 8% had a CDA, and 7% had no degree or credential.

Find out about early childhood degrees and certificate programs offered by Illinois two- and four-year higher education institutions in the Higher Education Directory.

The fall 2009 issue of Early Intervention, the quarterly newsletter published by the Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse in Champaign, focuses on “natural environments.”

US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan discussed the importance of early learning at the recent National Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference.

Search for—or post—a position in early care and education in Illinois at no cost on the Gateways to Opportunity Job Board.

Learn about the Project Approach and view projects undertaken by young children in child care programs across Illinois on the Illinois Projects in Practice Web site.

Discover resources recommended by higher education faculty to help prepare teachers to work with all children. Post the resources that you find effective in your teacher preparation program on the Gateways ECE Faculty Listserv.

Join the Gateways to Opportunity Registry to help you keep track and update your record of professional achievements—the college coursework and other training you complete for your professional development. The Registry can also help you publicize the training activities you offer to early care and education, school-age and youth development, and family support professionals in Illinois.

Did you know that you can find data on early care and education services (including Preschool for All, Head Start, and child care) and child population by county? Detailed instructions are available to help you create the new IECAM Standard Report "Early Care and Education Services and Child Population by County.”

A Social Policy Report published by the Society for Research in Child Development discusses what researchers, policy makers, and practitioners can do to improve early educational opportunities for young Hispanic children.

Check out the range of career options, program settings, and roles available to early care and education and school-age and youth practitioners in Illinois.

The Early Childhood and Parenting (ECAP) Collaborative at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the new home for the Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse. The EI Clearinghouse includes a free lending library, easy-to-read newsletters, and short resource lists for parents and professionals.

Covering Pre-K? New Investments in Our Littlest Learnersis a primer for journalists, policy makers, and business leaders. Topics covered include “Reporting on Pre-K Research,” “Examining Return-on-Investment Claims,” “Why Pre-K Programs May Leave Hispanics Behind,” and “Should Preschool Teachers Have College Degrees?”

Are you looking for current research reports related to the professional preparation of those who work in early childhood or school-age programs? Do you want to know more about the organizations and initiatives that offer training, advocacy, and policy information in our state? Check out Gateways Resources Links.

Find out about Leadership Institutes, a Speaker’s Bureau, and Quality Advisors available in the Professional Development section of the Illinois AfterSchool Network site. The Illinois AfterSchool Network is the only membership organization in the state that connects after-school professionals.

A new tool from NAEYC provides guidance on implementing culturally competent early childhood practices.

Find out about advanced credentials available to those who achieve specific educational or training milestones in Illinois on the Gateways Web site.

Promising programs, research, and evaluations of out-of-school-time programs can be accessed through Child Trends.

Learn more about the Illinois early care and education professional development network and read “Reflections” by Lilian Katz in each issue of Inside Gateways, our quarterly e-newsletter.

The College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois is offering a Facility Financing and Planning Workshop for Nonprofits on October 15, 2009, which is co-sponsored by the Community Memorial Foundation.

Jerome Stermer, Barbara Bowman, Arthur Reynolds, and Marlene Schwartz are among the speakers participating in the Illinois Summit on Early Childhood and Healthy Beginnings taking place on the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois October 15–16, 2009.

According to a survey of over 5,000 parents and caregivers, lack of information about child care options and transportation barriers are among the reasons why preschool attendance lags among families in low- and moderate-income, racially diverse neighborhoods in Chicago.

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers tips for parents, teachers, and caregivers on how to protect children from the H1N1 flu.

Faculty share their perspectives on quality improvement in early childhood teacher education in an exploratory study published in the spring issue of Early Childhood Research & Practice.

A new report from the National Research Council reviews the research on math learning in early childhood and recommends ways to improve the quality of math experiences for young children. Check out the Illinois Early Learning Project math Tip Sheets for activity ideas to use with young children.

A new paper from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment suggests ways to bridge the worlds of ECE and K–12 teacher preparation.

Check out the many career pathways and options for professional preparation within the early care and education field on Gateways’ Career Lattice.

How does the profile of Illinois Head Start–which includes characteristics of participants, families, and staff–compare to the profile of Head Start in other states?

What does research say about the need for diverse and culturally sensitive staff in programs that care for babies and toddlers?

Find out about early childhood degrees and certificate programs offered by Illinois two- and four-year higher education institutions in the Higher Education Directory.

Endless Possibilities is the theme for the 2009 Sharing A Vision Conference taking place October 7–9, 2009, in Lombard, Illinois.

What are the key components of high-quality inclusive programs? Read a joint statement on early childhood inclusion developed by the Division for Early Childhood and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Search for—or post—a position in early care and education in Illinois at no cost on the Gateways to Opportunity Job Board.

A study of 150 licensed family child care providers in Chicago found that affiliation with a staffed support network was associated with higher quality of child care. Read recommendations for policy makers and family child care networks.

“Improving After-School Programs in a Climate of Accountability” and “Over-Scheduled Is Over-Stated: After-School Activities Are Good for Kids” are among the Social Policy Report Briefs from the Society for Research in Child Development.

Check out the range of career options, program settings, and roles available to early care and education and school-age and youth practitioners in Illinois.

Learn how to implement the Project Approach from experts Lilian G. Katz and Sylvia C. Chard at a summer institute taking place on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana-Champaign on July 16–19, 2009.

Summer is a good time for gardening, studying nature, and taking activities outdoors with young children. Check out the Illinois Early Learning Project Science Tip Sheets for suggestions.

“Reflecting on the Change You Want and the Children Need” is the focus of STARnet Region I and III’s summer camp for early childhood educators taking place on July 29–30, 2009, at Lake Springfield.

Find out how communities around the U.S. are using the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to support professional development, quality improvement, program expansion, and infrastructure development in early care and education.

Find out about advanced credentials available to those who achieve specific educational or training milestones in Illinois on the Gateways Web site.

An updated early childhood program matrix describes key elements of nine publicly funded programs in Illinois that provide services to young children and their families. The purpose of this matrix is to assist policy makers, early care and education professionals, and consumers to better understand the requirements and practices associated with these programs.

June 23 and July 7, 2009, are the respective deadlines for applications for Head Start and Early Head Start expansion funds available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Learn more about the Illinois early care and education professional development network, and read “Reflections” by Lilian Katz in each issue of Inside Gateways, our quarterly newsletter.

June 1, 2009, is the last day to comment on the DCFS proposed changes to the Licensing Standards for Day Care Centers. The proposed amendments include revisions to the educational requirements for child care center directors.

Discover the most recent research-based information in the field of infant and toddler care at the Head to Toe Conference in Chicago, Illinois, on May 30, 2009.

June 1, 2009, is the deadline to apply for Taking Charge of Change, a six-day residential summer institute in Wheeling, Illinois, designed to transform how you think about your role as an early childhood leader. The summer institute will take place August 3-8, 2009, with a follow-up retreat scheduled for November 12-14, 2009.

States will receive $2 billion in new Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funds to provide child care assistance to low‐income working families through the economic recovery act. Learn more about the federal CCDBG requirements.

A Gateways to Opportunity Professional Development Advisor (PDA)will help you explore early care and education career options, professional development opportunities, relevant credentials, and sources of financial assistance for education and training—all for free!

Don’t miss this year’s Leadership Connections, a conference for early childhood leaders. The conference takes place in Wheeling, Illinois, on May 14-16, 2009.

New expansion dollars for Early Head Start are available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Check the Illinois Head Start Association Web site for details about upcoming regional dialog and networking sessions for organizations planning to respond to the Office of Head Start’s Request for Proposals (RFPs).

Funds are available from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation for the creation of a Center for Research in Early Care and Education to focus on dual language learners from birth through 5 years of age and their families. Letters of intent are due May 4, 2009, and applications are due June 15, 2009.

Share and learn about research being done in Illinois to improve education from PreK through higher education at the Illinois Education Research Symposium in Champaign, Illinois, on June 9–10, 2009.

Resources and strategies for using the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to reinvest in child care can be found on the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) Web site.

Have you checked the Gateways Job Board yet? Search for—or post—a position in early care and education in Illinois at no cost on the Gateways to Opportunity Job Board.

“Embracing the Future” is the focus of the 23^rd Annual Spring AfterSchool Conference sponsored by the Illinois AfterSchool Network.The event will take place in Naperville, Illinois, on April 17-18, 2009.

The number of students in public schools who speak English as their second language has increased sharply in recent years. Read a report on how to help dual language learners in the early years get ready for school.

Find out about early childhood degrees and certificate programs offered by Illinois 2- and 4-year higher education institutions in the Higher Education Directory.

Attend the 3rd Annual Family Conference: Resources and Inspiration for Adult Family Members and Caregivers of Children with Disabilities on April 25, 2009, in East Peoria, Illinois.

Check out the Quality Rating System eligibility changes that became effective February 9, 2009. More participating child care programs are now eligible to apply for QRS ratings.

Search for—or post—a position in early care and education in Illinois at no cost on the Gateways to Opportunity Job Board.

A new statewide public education campaign, Say It Out Loud, provides resources to promote good mental health in children and adolescents.

Find out how directors can foster trust among program staff in The Director’s Link.

Check out Careers in Early Care and Education and School-age and Youth fields available in Illinois. This Gateways to Opportunity resource describes typical job settings and types of programs, and lists career roles.

Check out the child care and early education “Community Profile” for your legislative district. The Community Profiles include the number of children and families served by the Illinois Child Care Assistance Program, Preschool for All, and Head Start.

How can coaches serve as effective change-making partners for early care and education programs interested in improving their Quality Rating Scale (QRS) scores? Find out more in a study that appeared in the fall 2008 issue of Early Childhood Research & Practice.

Illinois is one of the states where parents have a good chance of getting their child into a high-quality, state-funded PreK program. Read more about legislative action on PreK budgets in fiscal year 2009.

Looking for professional development resources to use with your students, faculty, and trainers who are culturally and linguistically diverse?

Find out about advanced credentials available to those who achieve specific educational or training milestones in Illinois on the Gateways Web site.

Technical assistance, training, teaching resources, and grant opportunities to support children’s health and learning are available through the Illinois Nutrition Education and Training Program.

A Thinking Guide to Inclusive Childcare offers ideas and strategies for those who care for young children with and without disabilities.

Learn more about the Illinois early care and education professional development network, and read “Reflections” by Lilian Katz in each issue of Inside Gateways, our quarterly newsletter.

Check out the many workshops for early education, child care, and school-age professionals taking place on January 22-24, 2009, in Chicago at the Opening Minds Conference--our region’s largest early childhood conference.

Read Lilian Katz’s Lessons from Far and Near,notes from her presentation to the Professional Development Advisory Council (PDAC) Annual Meeting for Stakeholders in Bloomington, Illinois, on November 14, 2008.

A new policy paper about Title I and early childhood programs reports that Chicago’s Child-Parent Centers (CPC) program, operated by the Chicago Public Schools since 1967, is the longest-running Title-I-funded early education program and the second oldest federally funded early education program in the United States, after Head Start.

“Analyzing Videos to Learn to Think Like an Expert Teacher” and “Early Childhood Educators as eLearners” are among the articles included in a Beyond the Journal issue of Young Childrenaddressing “Early Childhood Educators as Learners.”

Read about innovative programming and partnerships in higher education that help early care and education practitioners in Illinois overcome obstacles to furthering their education.

Illinois is one of the states featured in Credentials for the Infant/Toddler Child Care Workforce: A Technical Assistance Tool for Child Care and Development Fund Administrators.

A series of research briefs summarize the impacts that state-funded PreK, Head Start, Early Head Start, Model Early Childhood Programs, and Nurse Home Visiting have had on children’s cognitive skills and school outcomes.

Check out the many career pathways and options for professional preparation within the early care and education field on Gateways’ Career Lattice.

Preschool for All (PFA)—the Illinois high-quality preschool program for 3- and 4-year-olds—has added 30 new programs this year; and 50 programs, who were already serving children in PFA or in the Prekindergarten Program for Children At-Risk of Academic Failure, have received expanded funding

The recently approved Higher Ed. Act, H.R. 4137 includes provisions for reduced student loan liability as well as for increased funding for training and professional development of PreK teachers and other early education professionals.

Have you checked the Gateways Job Board yet? Search for—or post—a position in early care and education in Illinois at no cost on the Gateways to Opportunity Job Board.

Do you work in a licensed child care center or home in Illinois and need help paying for early childhood education or child development coursework or degrees? Find out how the new Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship Program can help.

Fewer center-based teachers and administrators hold a 4-year college degree today than in the early 1980s. Read more in the report Role, Relevance, Reinvention: Higher Education in the Field of Early Care and Education.

Find out about early childhood degrees and certificate programs offered by Illinois 2- and 4-year higher education institutions in the Higher Education Directory.

STARnet has professional growth grants and study group grants for professionals who work in early childhood special education programs, and family stipends and fellowships for families who have children with special needs under the age of 6. Find out about the application procedures and requirements of the STARnet located in your region of the state.

A new report from Illinois Action for Children describes how children in licensed and legally license-exempt home-based child care are included in the state PreK program.

Search for—or post—a position in early care and education in Illinois at no cost on the Gateways to Opportunity Job Board.

A regional conference on the Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree will be held on October 24, 2008, at Heartland Community College in Normal, Illinois.

Attend “The Child Behind the Numbers: A Conference on Early Childhood Evaluation” at the Erikson Institute in Chicago, Illinois, on October 31, 2008.

Check out Careers in Early Care and Education available in Illinois. This Gateways to Opportunity resource describes typical job settings and types of programs, and lists career roles.

What professional development opportunities are offered in centers, and do these vary by program type or level of education of the director? Read more in a report from the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership.

The National Conference of State Legislatures database allows you to search early care and education legislation by state, topic, status, primary sponsor, bill number, or keyword.

Do you want to know more about the organizations and initiatives that offer training, advocacy, and policy information in Illinois? Check out Gateways ECE Resources.

Learn about intentionality in training and providing technical assistance to teachers at the Southern Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children’s Leadership Day in Carterville, Illinois, on August 1, 2008.

Should after-school programs aim to improve children’s academic outcomes, or will that focus diminish other important goals of after-school programs? Read a summary of the research on after-school programs.

Have you checked the Gateways Job Board yet? Search for—or post—a position in early care and education in Illinois at no cost on the Gateways to Opportunity Job Board.

Strengthening Families Illinois and the Illinois School-Age and Youth Credential were highlighted in the spring issue of Inside Gateways.

What is the state of distance learning in the early childhood field? Find out in a recent report (402 KB)published by the Center for the Child Care Workforce.

Learn more about early childhood degrees and certificate programs offered by Illinois 2- and 4-year higher education institutions in the Higher Education Directory.

Learn more about rate increases for child care providers, co-payment relief for parents, and continued expansion of the Preschool for All program at Action for Children’s Public Policy Caucus in Bloomington, Illinois, on June 19, 2008.

Illinois is one of the states profiled in the Early Childhood Professional Development Systems Toolkit developed by the National Child Care Information and Assistance Center (NCCIC).

Search for—or post—a position in early care and education in Illinois at no cost on the Gateways to Opportunity Job Board.

May 30, 2008, is the application deadline for Taking Charge of Change, a six-day residential summer institute for program directors. This year’s institute takes place in Wheeling, Illinois, from August 4-9, 2008, with two follow-up retreats scheduled in November and May.

Learn more about the professional development interests and challenges of school-age and youth workers in Illinois.

Check out Careers in Early Care and Education available in Illinois. This Gateways to Opportunity resource describes typical job settings and types of programs, and lists career roles.

Find out how to ease difficult transitions, cope with emotional outbursts, implement a continuous caregiving model, and more at the “ Head to Toe: Interactive Infant and Toddler Conference” on May 31, 2008, at Kennedy-King College in Chicago.

Learn about the Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map (IECAM), a new interactive planning and research Web tool. IECAM is the result of a collaboration between the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) and the College of Education at the University of Illinois, along with Chicago Metropolis 2020.

Plan to attend, exhibit, or present at the National Association for Family Child Care Conference taking place in Schaumburg, Illinois, on July 17-19, 2008.

Child care centers, community-based agencies, public schools, and others who serve at- risk infants, toddlers, and their families can apply for new funds for the Prevention Initiative available through the Illinois State Board of Education. The proposal application deadline is May 6, 2008.

Find out about advanced credentials available to those who achieve specific educational or training milestones in Illinois on the Gateways to Opportunity Web site.

Learn more about policies affecting the Infant-Toddler Set-Aside, Home Visiting programs, Preschool for All, capital funding for preschool programs, and more, at the Ounce of Prevention’s Advocacy Day in Springfield, Illinois, on April 16, 2008.

Youth who regularly attend high-quality afterschool programs end up academically ahead of peers who spend more out-of-school time in unsupervised activities, according to an eight-state study of afterschool programs.

Learn more about the Illinois early care and education professional development network and read “Reflections” by Lilian Katz in each issue of Inside Gateways, our quarterly newsletter.

Public schools, community-based agencies, and child care centers are invited to submit proposals for serving preschool children through ISBE's FY 2009 Preschool for All Children FY09 competition. Proposals are due at the Illinois State Board of Education’s Early Childhood Division by 4:00 pm on April 7, 2008.

Embracing the Future: A Focus on Children and Youth in Out-of-School Time is the title of this year's spring school-age conference taking place in Champaign, Illinois, on April 18-19, 2008.

Check out the new Illinois Projects in Practice Website for information on the Project Approach, including research, examples of projects, an online template for teachers to use to submit descriptions of their projects, and Lilian Katz’s blog highlighting aspects of the Project Approach.

What is the impact of after-school programs that promote personal and social skills? Read a new report from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (2.34 MB) at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Read about innovative programming and partnerships in higher education that help Illinois early care and education practitioners overcome obstacles to furthering their education.

A current list of national and Illinois-specific data sources on early childhood services is available on the Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map Web site.

Advocates celebrated the reauthorization of Head Start on December 12, 2007, but according to the National Head Start Association, no new funds were provided for costly new requirements such as increased credentials for teachers and other staff and priority enrollment for homeless children.

Check out the many career pathways and options for professional preparation within the early care and education field on Gateways’ Career Lattice.

Read how the three major national program accreditation systems link to the Quality Rating and Improvement Systems around the U.S. Read more about Illinois’s Quality Rating and Tiered Reimbursement System in the fall issue of Inside Gateways.

Compare the cognitive, behavioral, social, educational, and cost-benefit outcomes from more than 20 preschool education studies, including studies of the Chicago Child-Parent Centers.

Have you checked the Gateways Job Board yet? Search for—or post—a position in early care and education in Illinois at no cost on the Gateways to Opportunity Job Board.

Find out how the Professional Development Advisor (PDA) service at Gateways can help you work toward your career goals during a brown bag lunch discussion at the Opening Minds Conference in Chicago on January 25, 2008.

What is the impact of providing high-quality pre-K programs in Illinois on the state budget, crime costs, and future earnings of pre-K participating children? Find out from a fact sheet published by the Economic Policy Institute.

Find out about early childhood degrees and certificate programs offered by Illinois 2- and 4-year higher education institutions in the Higher Education Directory.

Attend workshops on Career Development, English Language Learners, Equity and Diversity, Family Child Care, Out of School Time, Leadership, Advocacy and Public Policy, and more at the Opening Minds Conference in Chicago on January 24-26, 2008.

What federal programs focus primarily on serving very young children and their families? Find out from an easy-to-use tracking chart developed by Zero to Three.

Search for—or post—a position in early care and education in Illinois at no cost on the Gateways to Opportunity Job Board.

Read more about the Illinois Quality Counts: Quality Rating System in the fall 2007 issue of The Director’s Link (595 KB).

Gateways’ system of Professional Development Advisors (PDAs) is featured in a recent issue of the Child Care Bureau’s Child Care Bulletin (1.32 MB) focused on the status of the early care and education workforce.

Check out Careers in Early Care and Education available in Illinois. This Gateways resource describes typical job settings and types of programs, and lists career roles.

Directors of center-based programs can learn how to use the Program Administration Scale (PAS) to measure, monitor, and improve administrative practices at a 6-day training event in February 2008 provided by the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership. Application deadline is December 14, 2007.

How do infants develop a first language? Does exposure to more than one language in infancy delay children’s language development? How can we respond to parents’ preferences for language use in our infant and toddler classrooms? These questions are addressed in a new resource developed for staff in Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs.

The 31st Annual Statewide Conference for Teachers of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students takes place in Oak Brook Hills, Illinois, from January 8–11, 2008. The first day will feature a workshop strand focused on early childhood education. Registration deadline is December 17, 2007.

A collection of research summaries on out-of-school time is available from the Promising Practices Network.

Learn more about core professional knowledge—what every early care and education professional should know and be able to do at various levels of training and education in Illinois.

Build from core beliefs, not blueprints. Build leadership. Focus on relationships. Take a marathon approach. According to a new publication from the Ounce of Prevention, these are the lessons that advocates can learn from recent efforts in Illinois to raise young children to the top of the state policy agenda.

Why are high-quality after-school programs important? How is quality defined in school-age care programs? Find out in a research summary report from Research Connections.

Find out about advanced credentials available to those who achieve specific educational or training milestones in Illinois on the Gateways Web site.

To find out how 9 community agency programs providing subsidized child care in Chicago created professional development strategies to improve the quality of care for children, attend the session “A Unique Collaboration: Bringing Better Quality of Care for At-Risk Children in Chicago” at NAEYC in Chicago on November 7, 2007. Search keywords “unique collaboration” for more information.

Read about strategies to break down barriers to the challenges immigrant families face in accessing high-quality child care and early education in The Challenges of Change: Learning from the Child Care and Early Education Experiences of Immigrant Families.

Learn more about the Illinois early care and education professional development network, and read “Reflections” by Lilian Katz in each issue of Inside Gateways, our quarterly newsletter.

Workshop sessions will be available in English and Spanish at the 3rd Annual Leadership Summit sponsored by the Illinois Association for Family Child Care on October 26-27, 2007, in Palatine, Illinois.

A policy paper from the Center for Law and Social Policy identifies various strategies that states can use to build a birth-to-5 early care and education system.

Over 68% of school-age children in Illinois live in families where the sole parent or both parents work. What are these children doing when they are not in school? Find out in County Profiles of School Age Care in Illinois.

“The Journey Continues: Giving Our Children a Chance” is the title of this year’s National Black Child Development Institute Annual Conference taking place in Chicago on October 21-23, 2007.

Read about innovative programming and partnerships in higher education that help Illinois early care and education practitioners overcome obstacles to furthering their education.

Higher education faculty are encouraged to attend the Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) Conference on October 5, 2007, at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. The primary goal of this free conference is to encourage collaboration between community colleges and universities to support the implementation, delivery, and marketing of the AAT degree as a path to teacher certification. Download the poster.

A number of research and policy reports on helping early childhood teacher education students succeed in higher education are available through the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment.

Check out the many career pathways and options for professional preparation within the early care and education field on Gateways’ Career Lattice.

Early childhood special education administrators are invited to a forum sponsored by ISBE at a Sharing a Vision Preconference (1.55 MB) in Springfield, Illinois, on October 17, 2007 (see page 2 of the brochure).

“Early Childhood Educators as Learners” is the focus of the July 2007 issue of NAEYC’s Beyond the Journal. This topic was also the focus of the March 2007 issue of Gateways’ e-newsletter.

Find out about early childhood degrees and certificate programs offered by Illinois two- and four-year higher education institutions in the Higher Education Directory.

September 12 is the deadline to register for the 10th Illinois Statewide Collaborative Early Childhood Conference, Sharing a Vision (1.5 MB), taking place in Springfield from October 17-19, 2007.

Challenges in finding child care—after the birth of a child or when moving to a new assignment—sometimes prevent military families from reporting for duty. This is among the findings of a Rand Corporation’s report for Department of Defense.

Have you checked the Gateways Job Board yet? Search for—or post—a position in early care and education in Illinois at no cost on the Gateways to Opportunity Job Board.

Although all children benefit from high-quality Pre-K programs, for children of military families, access to Pre-K may be even more important. This is one of the findings of the report " Pre-K for Military Families: Honoring Service, Educating Children.”

August 31, 2007, is the deadline for early registration to attend a Fall Management Institute to help build “financially fit” families and staff. The Institute will be held on the National-Louis campus in Wheeling, Illinois, on October 12-13, 2007.

Need help in planning your professional development or making a career change in early care and education in Illinois? Free assistance is available from Gateways’ Professional Development Advisors.

A project involving a dual-language pre-k program in Chicago is featured in the latest issue of Early Childhood Research & Practice.

A review of economic analyses (581 KB) of pre-k programs indicates that children who participate in high-quality pre-k programs do better academically, physically, and socially throughout their lives.

Are you looking for research reports related to the professional preparation of those who work in early childhood or school-age programs? Do you want to know more about the organizations and initiatives that offer training, advocacy, and policy information in Illinois? Check out Gateways’ ECE Resources.

Music and Movement is the focus of this year’s Day Camp for Early Childhood Educators taking place in Malta, Illinois, on July 21, 2007.

How do the economic costs and gains vary between a public investment in a targeted, voluntary, high-quality prekindergarten program serving the 3- and 4-year-old children in low-income families and a universal prekindergarten program made available to all 3- and 4-year-old children?

Check out Careers in Early Care and Education available in Illinois. This Gateways to Opportunity resource describes typical job settings and types of programs, and lists career roles.

Higher Education institutions are encouraged to apply for an ISBE RFSP (Request for Sealed Proposal) to conduct a 4-year evaluation of the effectiveness of the Early Childhood Block Grant programs in Illinois. Deadline for proposals is July 9, 2007. To view a copy of the RFSP, visit http://www.purchase.state.il.us and follow the directions for registering.

Read an issue paper (2.35 MB)on the roles, issues and opportunities impacting community colleges and teacher education.

In supporting PreK expansion, are states moving in the direction of system-building or simply adding another program to an unconnected non-system? This question is addressed by Gwen Morgan and Sara Nadig in a recent article published in Child Care Exchange.

Preschool teacher earnings in Illinois increased by 7% between 1999 and 2004. Child care worker earnings decreased by 7% during this same period, according to a state-by-state wage data report for the early childhood education workforce (2.11 MB).

Child Care and Pre-K Collaboration is the focus of Pre-K Now's June 13, 2007, National Conference Call.

A new study from the Harvard Family Research Project looks at factors associated with youth participation in out-of-school programs and activities.

Early childhood professionals interested in furthering their expertise in infant-toddler learning and care should attend the Head to Toe: Midwest Interactive Infant-Toddler Conference in Chicago on June 9, 2007.

Illinois experience with Head Start and State Pre-K collaboration is discussed in a new report by the Center for Law and Social Policy and will be the focus of the upcoming issue of the Inside Gateways newsletter.

Teacher colleges should focus greater attention on child and adolescent development in their teacher preparation programs, according to a report from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

A new evaluation study discusses the impact of Great START and T.E.A.C.H. on program and management practices in early childhood programs in Illinois.

“Reflection for enhanced teaching” is one of the 10 components of effective PK-3 teaching outlined in a recent Foundation for Child Development Policy Brief. Read how some programs incorporate reflection into professional development for teachers in the current issue of Inside Gateways.

In 2005, 71% of Head Start teachers in the U.S. had a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or state equivalent, and about 50% of these teachers were enrolled in either an associate or baccalaureate degree program. Other education and salary data about Head Start programs are the focus of a recent Research Notes publication.

Business plan basics and recruiting teachers are among the topics for the skill-building clinics offered at the Leadership Connections Conference. The conference takes place May 10-12, 2007, at the Chicago Marriott O’Hare.

New and veteran school-age care professionals should attend the 21st Annual Spring School Age Conference on May 18–19, 2007, at Morton College in Cicero, Illinois.

The Taking Charge of Change Summer Institute for child care administrators takes place July 30–August 4, 2007, on National-Louis University’s Wheeling campus. Deadline to apply for the leadership institute is June 1, 2007.

All Project Approach implementers—beginners and experienced—are invited to the spring meeting of the Illinois Project Group on April 28, 2007, on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign, Illinois.

Find out how you can join a national campaign to improve the wages, benefits, professional development opportunities, and working conditions for early childhood educators on May 1, 2007 — Worthy Wage Day.

Center directors’ experiences with Quality Rating Systems (QRS) initiatives in 3 states are shared in an article by Dana Friedman.

Find out about effective practices for teaching and learning online from Chip Donohue, the online guest expert for the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership at National Louis University. Log on to the discussion during the week of April 16 -21.

“Building Better Futures for all Children!” is the theme of this year’s Week of the Young Child taking place April 22–28. Find out how you can increase community awareness of early childhood education, build partnerships in the community, and honor teachers and young children during this national commemoration.

School-age and youth Program Administrators in Illinois are invited to attend an Annual Leadership Institute conducted by staff from the National Institute on Out-Of-School Time (NIOST) at Wellesley College. The Institute will take place on April 26 and 27 in Bloomington, IL.

Join other advocates in Springfield on April 19, 2007, Early Childhood Lobby Day, to promote funding for early childhood programs. Participants will receive lunch, pre-lobby training, and talking points to share with legislators.

Improve your skills in working with linguistically and culturally diverse students at a workshop sponsored by the Chicago Metro Association for the Education of Young Children on April 21, 2007, in Chicago or April 28, 2007, in Rosemont.

Child care center standards and child care oversight in Illinois are among the best in the nation, according to a National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) study. Despite the high marks, Illinois did not meet NACCRRA’s standard for requiring childcare center directors to have at least a bachelor's degree.

Illinois Action for Children’s 10th Annual Public Policy Spring into Action Conference and Lobby Day takes place in Springfield on March 27-28, 2007. Meet colleagues from around the state and visit your legislators.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is accepting proposals from providers who want to create new Preschool for All programs or expand existing PFA or At-Risk programs for children ages 3 to 5. Application deadline is May 3. Providers outside Chicago can find the Request for Proposals at ISBE Providers in Chicago can apply for funding through the Chicago Public Schools by contacting Dr. Christine Ryan.

The American Federation of Teachers and the Center for the Child Care Workforce want to hear about your professional development expectations, challenges, and preferences. Complete their national survey.

“Charting the Course” is the title of the Illinois Head Start Association’s Annual Training Conference taking place February 28 – March 2, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois.

What should principals know about administering high-quality early childhood programs? Find out at the March 30, 2007, workshop “Leading Early Childhood Communities: What Principals Should Know and Be Able to Do” in Peoria, Illinois, sponsored by the Illinois Resource Center and STARnet Regions I & III.

Looking for easy-to-understand and up-to-date information about the federal regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) 2004? Visit IDEA Partnership.

Request For Proposals (RFP) for Prevention Initiative programs for Fiscal Year 2008 (beginning July 1, 2007) are now available from ISBE. Prevention Initiative programs provide early childhood services to at-risk infants and toddlers (ages birth to 3). Both home visiting and center-based models can receive funding through this RFP. Deadline for the proposal is March 15.

The experiences of Illinois and 4 other states with collaborations between federally funded Head Start and state-funded pre-K programs are shared in a new publication (295 KB) by Pre-K Now, in collaboration with the Center for Law and Social Policy.

Hispanic children are the fastest growing segment of the American population. Illinois is among the top 5 states with the largest population of Hispanic children. A new report (1 MB) provides a detailed analysis of some of the key demographic, regional and socio-economic variables related to young Hispanic children in the U.S.

Early childhood practitioners and teacher educators in Illinois work with a culturally diverse, multilingual population. Learn more at a national conference on " Infusing Cultural, Linguistic, and Ability Diversity in Preservice Education" in Asheville, North Carolina, on July 25-28, 2007.

A new report discusses how high-quality teaching in preschool can help to close the achievement gap: Preschool Is School, Sometimes: Making Early Childhood Education Matter.

What is the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s position on standards for programs on preparing early childhood professionals?

Plan to attend Opening Minds: The Chicago Early Education, Child Care and School-Age Conference at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in downtown Chicago on January 25-27.

What should effective PK-3 teachers know and be able to do? How can that core knowledge be incorporated into teacher education, practice and professional development? These central questions were posed at a roundtable of top educators convened by the Foundation for Child Development (456K).

Lack of attention to children’s social-emotional development may explain why expulsion rates for preschool children are three times higher than for children in K-12 classrooms, according to a new fact sheet, Children’s Mental Health: Facts for Policymakers (196K).

RFPs are now posted on the Illinois State Board of Education website for Early Childhood Block Grants. Grants include Preschool Social and Emotional Consultation Services: 3- to 5-Year-Olds (250K) and Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Assistance Planning Grant (194K).

INCCRRA has position openings for a Professional Development Counselor and Professional Development Coordinator. Find out more about these and other positions in early care and education in Illinois, and post your own position openings, on the Gateways Job Board.

What are the characteristics of the programs, faculty, and students in early childhood teacher preparation programs in Illinois? Find out in a new report from the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute.

A new online toolkit for staff in after-school programs includes homework help and sample activities and lesson plans in the arts, literacy, math, science, and technology. The kit was developed by the National Partnership for Quality Afternoon Learning.

Find out how to develop a program improvement plan for your family child care business at a 3-day Family Child Care Institute. The Institute will be held at Heartland Community College in Normal on February 23-24, 2007, and at the Chicago Marriott O’Hare on May 12, 2007. Register by January 15, 2007.

Two new reports from the Erikson Institute examine the effectiveness of four-year colleges in preparing early childhood teachers to meet the educational needs of children with special needs, children of color, children in low-income families, children in immigrant families, and second-language learners. Report I and Report II.

A new online journal, Journal of Youth Development—Bridging Research and Practice, from the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents focuses on the development of school-age youth.

How would an increase in the state’s minimum wage affect families with children and child care workers? A new report from Voices for Illinois Children Budget and Tax Policy Initiative provides the details.

“This year’s most exciting trend was the push by state legislatures in Illinois and Massachusetts to provide high-quality Pre-K for all their children,” according to a Pre-K Now report on states’ efforts in fiscal year 2007 to build continue to build the pre-kindergarten movement.

The Illinois Online Conference for Teaching and Learning will take place on February 14-16. This conference, held entirely on the Web, will help P-20 practitioners learn how the Internet and other distance delivery can enhance student-centered learning.

Providing high quality professional development, working with culturally and linguistically diverse families, and promoting smooth transitions to kindergarten are among the key components of a Recognition and Response system to identify young children at risk of learning disabilities.

The latest issue of Early Childhood Research and Practice (ECRP), an Internet-only journal published by the University of Illinois’ Early Childhood and Parenting Collaborative, includes articles on children’s adjustment to early childhood programs and changing classroom practice to include the Project Approach, and others.

An update on federal issues, 2007 Legislative Priorities, and messaging and outreach Strategies for the upcoming Illinois Legislative Session will be addressed at the Public Policy Caucus taking place on December 7, 2006, in Springfield. Confirm your attendance with Action for Children.

Well-trained and well-paid teachers are among the hallmarks of high-quality preschool programs, according to a new report on how early education can improve the economic growth and fiscal sustainability of individual states and our nation.

Looking for data and demographic information on early care and education in the state of Illinois? The Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map (IECAM) is a Web site that combines data from the private sector and city, state, and federal agencies, including Head Start.

How can your early childhood program environment facilitate appropriate behavior in young children? Dale Borman Fink will respond to questions on this topic during the Illinois Early Learning Web site’s November “Ask an Expert” event.

Having access to good data on the cost of high-quality early care and education programs is essential to making the case for increased investments. A new report from the Finance Project uses a case study of how one community calculated the cost of increasing the quality of early care and education services.

Integrating Standards into Engaged Learning Experiences is the topic of the keynote address given by Judy Helm at the Illinois State Board of Education’s Early Childhood Administrators’ Conference, October 26-27, 2006, in Oak Brook. The conference is for new administrators, coordinators, directors, and principals of continuing and new Pre-K Block Grant/Early Learning Partner/Preschool for All Programs.

A recent report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research addresses pressing issues affecting family child care quality.

Early Childhood Anti Bias Grants of up to $5,000 each are available from the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority (IVPA) for publicly funded early childhood programs serving children 3-5 years, including Illinois Head Start programs. Proposal deadline is November 6, 2006.

Higher education institutions can now apply for mini grant applications to pilot the new Illinois Early Care and Education Core Credential and the Infant Toddler Credential. A bidders conference will be held via webinar on October 17 from 2:00 - 4:00 pm. Webinar registration deadline is October 6th.

Mini-grants are available from STARnet Region VI to explore innovative concepts or develop best practices that benefit children ages 3-6 with identified special needs. Applicants must be a teacher, therapist, or other support staff employed by a public school district in Region VI. Deadline to apply is October 18, 2006.

The Illinois Association for Family Child Care is holding its 2nd Annual Leadership Summit October 27-28, 2006, in Palatine. How to advocate for family child care, accreditation, using the Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale, Preschool for All Children, and tiered reimbursement are among the topics to be addressed.

Join other school-age stakeholders in a discussion about developing a School-Age/Youth Credential at a symposium taking place in Bloomington on October 4, 2006. This day-long symposium is sponsored by the Illinois AfterSchool Network and Gateways to Opportunity.

" Using Research on Early Childhood Development and Education" is a new Web resource from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) intended to help make research more useful and visible.

Staff shortages and declining public funding are among the challenges facing nonprofit early childhood organizations. Public awareness of brain research and recognition by business leaders of the increasing need for educated workers are among the opportunities, according to Roger Neugebauer of EXCHANGE Magazine. What lies ahead?

The Illinois AEYC Symposium: 'Critical Issues Facing Children and Families- Building Resiliency Through Programs' is going to be held at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield IL, October 12-14, 2006. If you are currently participating in INCCRRA programs ( Great Start, T.E.A.C.H., HeadsUP! Reading, Illinois Trainers Network, Gateways to Opportunity credentials), we invite you to our recognition luncheon at the symposium on October 14. Download the symposium registration form and flyer now.

Center directors and their advisory boards are partners in ensuring that program goals are met. Find out how to strengthen your board’s capacity at McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership’s Fall Institute taking place on October 13-14 at National-Louis University’s Wheeling campus.

Early childhood personnel who serve young children ages 3-6 with IEPs in one of the southernmost 38 counties of Illinois included in STARnet Region IV are eligible to apply for Professional/Parent Education Fellowships or funds for Creative Classroom Projects.

Find out about the recent Preschool for All legislation, Every Vote, Every Child Campaign, and DCFS project updates at Action for Children’s Public Policy Caucus. The event will take place in Bloomington on September 14.

Environmental Deficit Disorder: Are You Creating the Behaviors You Want to Prevent? is the title of a workshop presented by Dr. Dale Borman Fink taking place in Chicago and sponsored by STARnet Region V on August 23.

Save the date:Critical Issues Facing Children and Families: Building Resiliency through Programs will be the focus of a 3-day symposium sponsored by the Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children in Springfield, October 12–14. The program and registration form are online.

Early childhood personnel who serve young children ages 3-6 with IEPs are eligible to apply for a mini-grant for up to $1,000 from STARnet Region II. The principal applicant must be a special education or preK teacher who is employed by the public school district. Deadline for mini-grant submission is October 20, 2006.

Early childhood personnel who serve young children ages 3-6 with IEPs in STARnet Regions I or III are eligible to apply for a mini-grant for up to $1000. The applicant may be a special education or preK teacher and must be employed by a public school district. Deadline for mini-grant submission is September 8, 2006.

A recent study, Is More Better?, looks at the effects of additional hours of preschool education offered by the extended day, extended year, public preschool program on children’s learning.

Find out how to develop effective observation tools and strategies at a 3-day workshop on implementing Work Sampling System Illinois (WSS IL) Level 1 in Elk Grove Village, August 3-4 and September 9. Check the Fall 2005-Summer 2006 Schedule for more information.

Are you interested in helping early care and education practitioners in Illinois explore their professional goals and objectives? Gateways is currently accepting applications to become a Professional Development Advisor (PDA). PDAs receive specialized training and are reimbursed for their advising services. Find out more about PDAs and the minimum requirements for application.

A new report sheds light on trends in higher education enrollment, degrees awarded, and early childhood teacher certification in Illinois colleges. Read Pipelines and pools: Meeting the demand for early childhood teachers in Illinois.

An expansion of preschool programs and increases in children’s mental health services are included in the Illinois budget for FY 2007. Long-term, stable funding remains a concern for these and other services for children and families in Illinois.

“Developing a high-quality system of teacher preparation requires the coordination of human and financial resources so that there is equity and quality in the programs offered by institutions within a state.” This is among the lessons shared in an article about New Jersey’s recent experience establishing a new system of early childhood teacher preparation.

The Preschool for All Children Request for Proposals (RFPs) is available on the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Web site. Eligible applicants for this preschool education program serving 3- and 4-year-olds include public school districts, community-based agencies, child care centers, and others. Proposals must be received no later than 4:00 on July 14.

Join a free bilingual conference call (conducted in Spanish and English) on June 27 at 1 pm to learn how your early childhood program can apply for new state resources to improve and expand services for children.

A new Web resource is available to help Illinois early childhood programs think about collaboration models, avoid common “sand traps” that hinder collaboration, and connect with others interested in collaborating.

Alignment of teaching practices, teacher qualifications, learning standards, and curriculum from PreK–3 grade is needed to reduce fade out of positive effects of high- quality PreK programs, according to a new issue brief published by the New America Foundation.

Stability in funding is central to providing high quality preK education. Read a new report on state funding strategies from Pre-K Now.

What kind of child care arrangements are used by immigrant parents? Does immigrant status affect eligibility for early childhood programs? These are among the questions addressed in Reaching All Children? Understanding Early Care and Education Participation Among Immigrant Families.

“School-age behavior management,” Those long summer days!” and “The importance of outside curriculum” will be discussed at a day long workshop for school-age program professionals taking place in Mt. Vernon on June 17.

Engaging Children’s Minds: The Project Approach is the focus of a summer institute (July 5-7) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The institute, led by Lilian Katz and Jean Mendoza, offers a comprehensive, hands-on introduction to the Project Approach.

Looking for information about becoming certified to teach in Illinois? Teach Illinois is a new Web site with information for current teachers and those who want to teach or become a teacher’s aide in Illinois.

" Monitoring Quality in the Pre-K Classroom" will be the focus of the June 14 (1:00 - 2:00 CT) national conference call sponsored by Pre-K Now. The presenters will discuss the process of assessing quality and share examples from states that are building and running quality monitoring systems. Deadline to register for this free forum is Monday, June 12.

The Preschool for All Children Request for Proposals (RFPs) is available on the Illinois State Board of Education Web site. Eligible applicants for this preschool education program serving 3- and 4-year-olds include public school districts, community-based agencies, child care centers and others. Bidders Conferences are scheduled for June 13 in Springfield and June 14 in Chicago Heights.

Links to Illinois data sources related to early care and education services and the demographic make-up of the state—useful for preparing Preschool for All proposals—can be accessed from the Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map Web site.

“Meeting the demand for early childhood teachers in Illinois” is one of the topics at the Illinois Education Research Symposium in Springfield on June 15-16.

Associate degree early childhood faculty who are engaged in the NAEYC Associate Degree Accreditation self study process can attend a full day technical assistance workshop offered at the June 3 National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development in San Antonio.

On May 4, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Governor’s budget for child care and Preschool for All. Additional legislative successes include passage of a bill (SB2202) to eliminate student teaching barriers in early childhood education teacher preparation programs.

There are two opportunities to ask questions of an early childhood expert on line during the month of May. Ask Mary Louise Hemmeter questions about “Strategies for Promoting Children’s Social and Emotional Development” during the week of May 22-27. From May 1 - 21 ask Karen Stephens your questions about “Helping Children Resolve Conflicts”.

Early childhood administrators can learn how to take charge of change in a summer institute offered by the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership from July 31 – August 6 in Wheeling. Deadline for application is May 31.

May 1 is Worthy Wage Day. Check out suggested activities, logos, information, and press materials to help advocate for better wages and benefits for early childhood educators.

Join other early childhood administrators, lead teachers, supervisors, trainers, consultants, and TA specialists at this year’s Leadership Connections: May 11-13 at the Chicago Marriott O’Hare.

In response to recent media discussions of the research base for pre-kindergarten, the National Center for Early Development and Learning (NCEDL) has released a statement on Preschool: Its Benefits and Who Should Teach and The Families and Work Institute has prepared The Economic Benefits of High-Quality Early Childhood Programs: What Makes the Difference? for the Committee for Economic Development.

The Child Care Bureau is currently accepting applications for the Child Care Research Scholar program, which provides up to $30,000 in funds to doctoral students completing their dissertations on a child care policy-related topic. Application deadline is May 23.

An introductory seminar on Defining and Assessing Quality in Early Care and Education will be presented by Debby Cryer, co-author of the ECERS-R and the FDCRS Rating Scales Programs, at Rend Lake Resort on April 29th.

Exploring New Possibilities for Teaching and Learning is the title of a workshop on the Reggio Emilia Approach taking place at Governor’s State University on May 1-2. Amelia Gambetti and Lella Gandini are featured presenters.

Interested in resources that address key areas of early childhood or early intervention content and diversity? Videos, articles, syllabi, and other resources are available through the Crosswalks Toolbox, an interactive database designed to identify resources that address both content and diversity.

Spring Into Action at Action for Children’s annual conference and lobby day on March 28-29 at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center in Springfield.

Why do some program directors choose not to pursue accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)? A recent study published by the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership provides some explanations.

Start planning ways to build better futures for all children during this year’s Week of the Young Child celebrated April 2-8. WOYC resources and activity ideas are available through the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Elevating the School Age Profession is the title of the 20th Annual Spring School Age Conference for new and veteran school age professionals. The conference will take place at National Louis University in Chicago March 31 and April 1.

Join other family support professionals, parents, practitioners and advocates at Family Support America’s 11th Biennial International Conference in Chicago on March 26-29.

Attend Illinois Project Group Leadership Team meeting on March 25 at Heartland Community College to share experiences in implementing the Project Approach.

Read how programs and services for children and families fared in the Governor’s proposed budget for FY2007 in Voices for Illinois Children’s new special report, “Illinois’ Fiscal Year 2007 Budget: Education and Health Care are Top Priorities.”

Providing paid student teaching experiences, advocating for tuition and academic supports for under represented bilingual and minority teachers, and designing systems to match highly qualified teachers with available jobs are among the professional development strategies needed to help Illinois find more highly qualified early childhood teachers, according to Ounce of Prevention.

The Early Learning Illinois policy agenda includes reinforcing parents’ role as children’s first teachers, expanding access to high quality early care and education, improving early childhood’s infrastructure, and building children’s social-emotional foundations for learning.

Learn more about the Children’s Mental Health Summit, Preschool for All, and All Kids Health Insurance plans in the Voices for Illinois’ Children Winter 2006 newletter issue (403K).

Spending Smarter: A Funding Guide for Policymakers and Advocates to Promote Social And Emotional Health and School Readiness explains how to mix and match multiple funding streams to improve access to early intervention services for young children, their families and caregivers.

In his State budget address, Governor Blagovevich announced the details of his "Preschool for All" proposal, an initiative that will provide every 3- and 4-year-old in Illinois access to high quality preschool in a variety of settings, including public and private schools, child care programs, and licensed family child care programs.

Curtis Zimmerman (former Head Start student and founder of The Character Institute), Katie Williams (Team Administrator for Region V Administration for Children and Families), and Sarah Greene (President of the National Head Start Association) will be featured at Illinois Head Start Association’s Annual Conference, March 1-3, in Springfield.

Reconstructing Teacher Education to Prepare Qualified Preschool Teachers: Lessons from New Jersey; Wondering with Children, The Importance of Observation in Early Education, and Project Katrina, are some of the articles which appear in the recent issue of Early Childhood Research & Practice, a bilingual Internet journal on the development, care, and education of young children produced at the University of Illinois.

Responding to the growing need for better qualified teachers of children from birth through age eight, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has approved standards for associate degree programs in colleges that prepare early childhood professionals.

A new study released by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) confirms that four year olds who attend high quality pre kindergarten programs are better prepared to succeed in school. Nearly all of the pre-k teachers in the study’s analyzed programs have four year college degrees and specialized training in early childhood education.

More than 90,000 3-and 4-year old children in Illinois who are at risk of school failure attend preschool, but thousands more lack access to quality early learning opportunities. These are among the findings of the recent Illinois Kids Count report, Invest in Our Future: Strengthening Families by Building Assets, published by Voices for Illinois Children.

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Illinois, the state office of the national, bipartisan nonprofit anti-crime organization, reports that high quality pre-kindergarten programs can cut child abuse and neglect in half. The reduction in incidents of abuse and neglect, the report says, comes from the parent-coaching component of quality pre-kindergarten programs.

“What Science Has to Say About How Children Learn” is the focus of an online discussion with Nina Sazer O'Donnell. Join this expert hosted discussion sponsored by the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership during the week of February 13 – 18.

"... we have made early childhood education a priority and we have put our money where our mouth is. We've expanded funding for pre-school by 50%, given 25,000 more three and four year olds a chance to start school early, and Illinois is now ranked among the top three states in the nation for early childhood education." Read Rod R. Blagojevich's complete State of the State Address.

Select from over 400 workshops with 23 areas of concentration at Opening Minds: The Chicago Early Education, Child Care and School Age Conference. The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, January 26 -28.

Illinois is one of a handful of states recognized for expanding preschool access and making preschool education a cornerstone of state education policies during the 2005 legislative session, according to Stateline.org a news gathering service of the Pew Research Center.

Chicago’s Child Parent Centers and PreK–3 model are highlighted in a report from the Foundation for Child Development. Getting There: PK-3 as Public Education’s Base Camp argues that a PK-3 approach—which aligns standards, curriculum, and assessment across universal, voluntary Prekindergarten, full day kindergarten, and grades 1-3— is needed to maximize society’s investment in early education.

Mentoring, wage increments, and professional development are some of the direct and indirect strategies Illinois uses to improve child care worker compensation. Read about these and other strategies used in other states in Models for Increasing Child Care Worker Compensation.

Teachers will uncover the learning embedded in many art materials and experiences in a workshop on January 11 on art and literacy facilitated by artist/educator Rachel Weaver Riviera. Art Smart: The Power of Art in Classrooms is sponsored by STARnet Regions I & III.

Parents as Teachers will hold a week long Born to Learn Institute for parents and parent educators focused on the stage between two years to kindergarten entry. The Institute will be held at the Center for New Horizons in Chicago from February 6th – February 10.

A new guidebook by United Way of America Success by 6 outlines best practices for creating quality rating systems to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early care and education settings.

Trauma in Early Childhood: The Impact of Exposure to Violence is the title of the Birth to Five Project’s annual meeting. The January 17 free event will be held at the National-Louis University Auditorium in Chicago. Advance registration is required by January 9th.

If you are looking for a position in early care and education within Illinois, check out Gateways to Opportunity resource. There is no fee to post positions or search for positions through Gateways’ Illinois Job Board. Are you looking for a position in early care and education outside of Illinois? Check out the Career Forum service offered by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. There is a fee to post a position. There are no fees to post a resume or search for positions.

Do you have questions about how to welcome Latino families and children into your early childhood program? Send your questions to Illinois Early Learning (IEL) Ask an Expert for January. They will be answered by Cristina Sanchez-Lopez, a consultant at the Illinois Resource Center.

What are the patterns of care for families that utilize subsidized license-exempt child care and how do these differ from families that use subsidized licensed child care? What factors influence families to choose license-exempt child care providers rather than licensed providers? These are among the questions addressed in the recently released study, Illinois Study of License-Exempt Child Care: Final Report.

Achieving Rapport and Building Cross-Cultural Sensitivity is the focus of an online discussion sponsored by the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership. You may log on to this discussion hosted by Marsha Howard, diversity training consultant, during the week of December 12 – 17.

Illinois is one of 8 states included in a new Rand study of efforts to create statewide systems of high-quality Pre-K. The report, Going to Scale with High-Quality Early Education: Choices and Consequences in Universal Pre-Kindergarten, discusses new practices across state Pre-K programs in the development of standards, professional development, technical assistance, and partnerships with diverse providers.

Proposed rule changes are up for comment on the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) website for the Early Childhood Block Grant supported Pre-K Program for Children at Risk of Academic Failure. All comments are due by December 19, 2005.

Learn more about the Illinois Early Learning Standards and how to help children meet Early Learning Benchmarks in everyday classroom activities in a 1-day professional development workshop offered by the Illinois Resource Center. December workshop locations: Mt. Prospect (Dec. 3, 2005) and Peoria (Dec. 14, 2005).

Illinois’ new initiative, Strengthening Families Illinois, brings together more than 20 organizations and state agencies to integrate existing strategies to prevent child abuse and neglect through early care and education programs. Illinois is 1 of 7 states receiving funding for child abuse prevention from the Center for the Study for Social Policy.

Hundreds of child care advocates, educators, and community leaders participated in Pre-K Now’s Nov. 10 interactive satellite conference, to hear from lawmakers from Illinois and other states about how to engage leaders in the Pre-K movement.

A new technical assistance CD-ROM is available at no cost from the Child Care Bureau. “Leading the Way to Quality Early Care and Education.” includes video clips, PowerPoint presentations, handouts, and electronic links available for download on a variety of topics including Professional Development, Supporting Quality, and Financing & Subsidy Administration.

Illinois incorporates the full range of children’s development in its Early Learning Standards. This approach is in line with recent policy recommendations from the National Institute of Early Education Research in their Keys to Effective Prekindergarten Standards.

Looking for a one stop source of news, information and advice on parenting and family life? Parenting 24/7, a new project of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, features articles with research-based information, video clips of parents and experts, breaking news and commentary, newsletters, and recommendations to the best parenting resources on the web.

Parents and those who work with parents are invited to a Parent Leadership Conference in Quincy on November 14-15. Sessions at this Illinois Head Start Association-sponsored conference will focus on connecting with and advocating for children.

“Fostering Young Children’s Friendships” is the focus of a satellite broadcast on November 17 from 4:30–5:00. To view the broadcast or to request a copy of the program on VHS/DVD (available for free loan), contact Apples Magazine Video.

Early childhood providers, community leaders, educators, and advocates are invited to an interactive satellite conference Nov. 10 from noon to 3:30, titled Engaging Leaders in the Pre-K Movement. Co-sponsored by Pre-K Now and Early Learning Illinois, satellite sites are being organized around Illinois, usually including a lunch featuring remarks from local leaders and an update on the Illinois Preschool for All movement. Register early; space is limited.

“Expand and improve the pool of highly qualified educators by supporting the preparation, recruitment and retention of educators with expertise both in content areas and child development” is one of three goal areas in the Illinois State Board of Education’s new five-year Comprehensive Strategic Plan. Early childhood is featured in many of the strategic objectives.

A requirement that 50% of Head Start teachers nationwide will hold bachelor’s degrees by 2011 is one of the highlights of the Head Start reauthorization bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in September. Amendments added to bill and where it is headed are discussed in a recent issue of Early Edition from the Ounce of Prevention.

Join early childhood and community leaders across the nation November 10 from noon to 3:15 for an exciting interactive satellite conference on Engaging Leaders in the Pre-K Movement. The program begins with a lunch discussion about Illinois efforts to make quality preschool available to all 3 and 4 year olds, followed by a satellite dialogue facilitated by Pre-K Now , a national network of early learning supporters.

"Losing Ground in Early Childhood Education," a new report from the Economic Policy Institute, uses population data to examines trends in ECE qualifications and pay. According to the report, teachers’ educational attainment in center and home based settings has declined between 1983 – 2004 largely due to low wages and benefits in the early childhood education field. These trends could reduce the effectiveness of early ECE programs and long-term academic outcomes for children. The national report includes statewide data for Illinois.

If you have completed one or more assessments using the Early Childhood Rating Scale-Revised Edition (ECERS-R), the 2005 Early Childhood Environments Rating Scale Institute is for you. Dr. Debby Cryer, a scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center and co-author of the ECERS, will conduct the Institute November 15-17 in Bloomington, IL. The Institute is hosted by the Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children.

November 1 is the deadline to apply for the Next Generation of Chicago Leaders Project, an 18-month advanced leadership training program designed for seasoned directors and education coordinators of EC programs in Chicago. Funded by the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership, it is offered through National-Louis University.

Harriet Meyer, Executive Director of the Ounce of Prevention Fund, is one of the speakers for Pre-K Now's next National Conference Call Series. In Focus: Winning Legislative Strategies will provide a forum to discuss different issues that state leaders face in securing pre-kindergarten legislation and developing high-quality programs. The call will take place on Wednesday, October 12th, from 1:00 - 2:00 CST and is open to anyone wishing to participate. Registration deadline is October 7th.

The Center for Best Practices
in Early Childhood at Western Illinois University is looking for educators and families who are interested in participating in free online workshops. Topics include Adaptations; Curriculum Integration; Computer Environment; Expressive Arts; Emergent Literacy; Math, Science, and Social Studies; Technology Assessment; Software Evaluation; and Family Participation. Each workshop contains written information, graphics, links to outside resources, and downloadable curriculum activities and articles. CPDUs and CEUs, graduate credit, or certificate of completion provided.

The 2005 Directors’ Salary Survey by the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership found that the mean annual salary for a center administrator of a single site program is $42,765; more than 75% of directors surveyed have at least a bachelor’s degree; 69% of directors surveyed receive health insurance; and 54% have a pension or retirement plan. Center directors’ salary and level of education are positively correlated.

Despite evidence that investing in high quality early care and education pays off, per capita public spending on young children in Illinois pales in comparison to public spending on school- and college-age youths. Find out more about the spending breakdowns by age, and opportunities to close the investment gap in Illinois, in a new report from Voices for Illinois Children.

Transferring coursework between 2- and 4-year institutions will be improved by the proposed Illinois Associate of Arts in Teaching in Early Childhood Education (AAT-ECE) program model developed by a workgroup led by the Illinois P-16 Initiative. This new program model, passed in 2004, can be viewed at the Illinois P-16 Education Initiative Web site: http://www.illinoiseducator.illinois.edu/
special/ aat_ece_Model.html

Families and others who care for young children need to provide comfort, reassurance, and stability during times of national crisis, such as the one caused by Hurricane Katrina. Resources on how to discuss the tragedy with young children as well as suggestions for ways families can assist the victims of Katrina, can be found at the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s web site.

Kindergarten teachers and administrators are invited to attend a focus group meeting and/or a field testing session for the Illinois Early Learning Standards for Five-2-Six. The sessions will provide an overview of the standards development and an opportunity for teachers to become part of an exciting project piloting the standards and benchmarks in their classrooms for five and six year olds. Six workshop locations are offered across the state during the month of September.

Working Together for All Young Children is the theme of this year’s Sharing a Vision Conference, the 9th Illinois Statewide Collaborative Early Childhood Conference, to be held at the Doubletree Hotel (formerly Hyatt Regency) in Oak Brook from October 19–21. Sharing a Vision is an approved Professional Development Provider by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Addressing social-emotional development is critical to improving children’s academic performance, says University of Illinois-Chicago researcher Roger Weissberg, and Illinois has blazed a national trail by including a social-emotional component in its State Learning Standards.

Community colleges are the entry point for 1 out of 4 prospective teachers and half of all underserved minority students in the field of education. Collaborations between 2- and 4-year higher education institutions will be the focus of a Web-based conference on October 25-27, 2005 hosted by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs.

What typical offenses are causing pre-K children to be expelled? How can preschools obtain funding for much needed teacher training? Do you think we are asking preschoolers to spend too much time sitting and listening rather than moving about and exploring their environment? These are among the questions addressed in the transcript of a recent Web chat on the behavior and discipline of preschool children.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s increased financing for state prekindergarten programs, Chicago’s Child-Parent Centers, and the University of Chicago’s Lab School are a focus of this article on states’ efforts to make high quality preschool available to all.

Who should pay for the additional education training and salary costs associated with pending national legislation that would require all teachers to have at least an associate's degree by 2010, and at least 50 percent of all teachers in Head Start centers to have a bachelor's degree by 2011?

Want to learn more about family literacy? Free online courses are available through Verizon Literacy Network, a collaboration of leading literacy organizations. Course titles include Selecting and Sharing Books with Young Children, Culture and English Language Learners, Reaching Out To Homeless and Migrant Families, Family Literacy: The Intergenerational Approach to Learning.

What marketing strategies distinguish early childhood programs that thrive from those that merely survive? The Fall Management Institute for child care directors will address that question. The Institute is scheduled at National-Louis University in Wheeling, Illinois, from September 30 – October 1.

An article in the current issue of Early Childhood Research & Practice (ECRP), a bilingual Internet journal on the development, care, and education of young children published by the University of Illinois, explores issues related to educational requirements for those who teach and care for young children. The article by Debra Ackerman of NIEER concludes with implications for policy makers and researchers on how to optimize implementation of a bachelor’s degree (BA) policy and ensure that policy-related supports are working.

Considering taking courses in early childhood this fall? Check out the searchable Higher Education Directory feature on the Gateways Web site to find out about programs in colleges or universities around the State. Current contact information about department advisers is provided, along with specific degrees, credentials and/or certificates offered.

Looking at Challenging Behavior through a Cultural Lens is the topic of a Web chat taking place on July 27 from 7 – 8:00 pm. Amy Santos, assistant professor of special education at the University of Illinois, will lead the Chat discussion.

Responsiveness to Family Cultures, Values, and Languages in Early Intervention is the title of the lead article in the summer issue of Early Intervention Training News, a publication of the Illinois Early Intervention Training Program.

The Infant Toddler Mentoring Group (ITTM) provides a forum for direct-care professionals for learning, interacting, and growing their knowledge and skills in infant/toddler care through reflective dinners, workshops, seminars, and classes. ITTM, affiliated with the Erikson Institute, serves nonprofit child care center programs who are serving at least 10 infants and toddlers and located within the city of Chicago.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) recently approved new Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Performance Criteria. The new Accreditation Criteria will take effect in September 2006, replacing the current (1998) Accreditation Criteria.

Looking for data on how salaries and benefits of early care and education professionals in Illinois compare with the other 49 states? Check out the Center for Child Care Workforce’s 2004 Education of the Current Data on the Salaries and Benefits of the U.S. Early Childhood Education Workforce.

It’s time to register for the annual Engaging Children's Minds: The Project Approach Institute, from August 7 to 11, 2005, at the Robert Allerton Park and Conference Center, near Monticello, IL. Early childhood educators will acquire an understanding of the Project Approach, and learn how to incorporate it into their own curriculum plans through a simulation of project work.

Understanding and valuing diversity in the workplace, achieving change through staff development, making the most of meetings, implementing an effective performance appraisal system, and center accreditation are some of the topics covered at the upcoming Taking Charge of Change Summer Institute taking place in Wheeling, Illinois, on August 1-6.

Illinois is one of 29 states using a mixed-delivery model to offer prekindergarten programs that includes schools and community-based settings. Find out how states implement the mixed-delivery model in All Together Now: State Experiences in Using Community-Based Child Care to Provide Pre-Kindergarten.

The first report in a series examining state-funded pre-kindergarten programs is available from the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). The report includes data from the National Prekindergarten Study on teacher education, training, experience, compensation and benefits for the 40 states that fund pre-kindergarten, including Illinois.

Read the transcript and accompanying resources for a recent Web Chat with Sallee Beneke on The Project Approach and the Early Learning Standards.

Research conducted at Illinois’ Center for Early Childhood Leadership supports the idea that highly qualified teachers are central to high quality child care programs. What kind of professional development leads to highly qualified teachers? These and other questions are the focus of Defining and Measuring Professional Development in Early Childhood Research.

Conscious discipline, fiscal management, parent involvement, conducting community assessments, developing oral literacy: These are a few of the topics addressed at the Illinois Head Start Association’s six Summer Institutes held in Chicago, Peoria and Effingham during July and August.

See how the wages of directors, teachers and teacher aides in Illinois compare to the wages in neighboring states and regions of the country. View the results of nearly 1,000 participants in the 2004 survey conducted by ExchangeEveryDay.

The Center for the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning, located at the University of Illinois, is working with local child care programs in central Illinois to address young children’s challenging behaviors.

A special report by the Budget & Tax Policy Initiative at Voices for Illinois Children analyzes funding for prek–12 education and child care services contained in Governor Blagojevich’s proposed budget for 2006.

How can high quality professional development systems reduce the need for expelling children from preschool? See how Illinois rates in a recent study led by Yale Child Study Center researcher, Walter S. Gilliam, titled, “Prekindergarteners Left Behind: Expulsion Rates in State Prekindergarten Systems.

Looking for data to support the case for investing in quality early care and education? Early Childhood Education for All: A Wise Investment discusses the economic impacts of child care and early education and offers some financing solutions for the future. Statewide, county and municipal studies conducted in Illinois on the economic impact of quality early care and education are included in this national report.

Do you know a family who is raising or caring for a young child who is enrolled in early intervention or early childhood special education services? Family Day Camp: Encore Performance is for them. This all day camp held at Timber Pointe Outdoor Center on Lake Bloomington on May 21 will include fun activities for children and informative sessions for adults. There is no fee for Family Day Camp, but advanced registration is required.

Professor Joan Test (early childhood development, Southern Illinois University in Carbondale) and other Harvard alumnae talk about why early childhood education matters and share their teaching theories and research in the HGSE Newsletter.

Ounce of Prevention has analyzed how President Bush's proposed budget for FY 2006, which caps discretionary programs at current levels, will affect early care and education programs in Illinois.

Illinois Kids Count 2005, the annual statewide assessment of the conditions facing Illinois children published by Voices for Illinois Children, includes the following among their recommendations to improve learning: "Invest in and improve early childhood education," "provide services for developmentally disabled children," "support families in providing for basic needs," "strengthen mental health supports for children," "protect children from health hazards," and "prevent, protect and support abused children."

Check out the opportunities for center directors at the upcoming Leadership Connections Conference, May 5-7, sponsored by the McCormick-Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership.

May 1 is Worthy Wage Day, a day to highlight the link between levels of quality in child care programs and levels of compensation paid to the teachers and caregivers who work in those programs. Join other teachers, parents and advocates around the country in speaking out about the staffing crisis within the early care and education workforce.

On April 7, 2005, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced that home child care providers in Illinois voted to join their Union. The vote gives SEIU the right to bargain for all 49,000 workers, whether they join the Union or not.