Birth to Five, itself just a child, was born in 2021 and aims to help improve early childhood education and care services for all children throughout the state. The statewide initiative is funded by the Illinois State Board of Education in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Human Services and breaks the state down into 39 regions. Janice Crow, the Region 20 Council Manager dropped by Kiwanis in Carmi Thursday. Region 20 is made up of 9 counties including Edwards, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Pope, Saline, Wabash, Wayne, and White.
While the program doesn’t provide direct services or request funds from the community it serves, Crow says Birth to Five is designed to provide a platform and connect those in need with resources available.
We’re there to be a platform for parents and caregivers of children birth to five to have a voice in the community; so we know what the needs are, what the barriers are in accessing early childhood education and care services.
Each county has an action council. Their initial role was to determine throughout the state what was going well in each region and what the needs and obstacles were. The following year, the region set goals. Through a partnership, region 20 created qr codes with resources available for families with young children. Another recommendation that came out of the council was a CCAP (Childcare Assistance Program). Crow explains.
So if you’re a parent caregiver that has a child needing childcare whether it’s a licensed home, a licensed center, or maybe you fall into that license exempt…maybe you’re a grandparent keeping your grandchildren, maybe you’re an aunt or uncle keeping the neighborhood kids, you could qualify for license exempt and still get paid by the CCAP program.
Crow says the newest initiative is focused on mental and behavioral health. Learn much more about state and local Birth to Five efforts online at Region 20 — Birth to Five Illinois.
Coming up next week at Kiwanis, the club will welcome former Miss White County Fair and Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Kelsi (Kessler) Hunsinger. She’ll be discussing the upcoming fair pageant coming up to kick off the 146th annual White County Fair on Sunday, July 6th.
