Additional Links

Organizations and Agencies

Department of Children and Family Services
Timely information about Child Protection, Foster Care, Adoption, Day Care and Services provided by one of the largest state child welfare agencies in the U.S.
http://www.state.il.us/dcfs

CLAS: Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services
The CLAS Institute identifies, evaluates, and promotes effective and appropriate early intervention practices and preschool practices that are sensitive and respectful to children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
http://clas.uiuc.edu/

DCAC - Day Care Action Council
The Day Care Action Council of Illinois is an alliance of individuals and groups committed to advancing the quality and accessibility of child care.
http://www.daycareaction.org/

Early Head Start National Resource Center
The EHS NRC provides training and technical assistance for expectant parents and families with infants and toddlers.
http://www.ehsnrc.org/

Geography Matters: Child Well-Being in the States
The state in which a child is born and raised can make an enormous difference to their helath and chances of surviving to adulthood, according to a major new report released by the Every Child Matters Education Fund (ECMEF) http://www.everychildmatters.org/homelandinsecurity/index_geomatters.html

Good Start, Grow Smart
The Bush Administration's Early Childhood Initiative.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/earlychildhood/toc.html

Head Start Bureau
Provides family assistance (welfare), child support, child care, Head Start, child welfare, and other programs relating to children and families.
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/

I Am Your Child Foundation
A national non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of early childhood development and school readiness.
http://www.iamyourchild.org/

Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children
The vision of the Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children is that every young child in Illinois will have access to the highest quality of care and education.
http://www.illinoisaeyc.org/

Illinois Board of Education
News and information about education in Illinois.
http://www.isbe.state.il.us/

Illinois Department of Human Services
DHS improves the quality of life of thousands of Illinois families by providing an array of comprehensive, coordinated services.
http://www.dhs.state.il.us/

Illinois Early Learning Project Site
The Illinois Early Learning Web site is an effective means of providing evidence-based, reliable information for parents, caregivers, and teachers of young children in the state of Illinois.
http://www.illinoisearlylearning.org/

Illinois Head Start Association
Head Start's original and ongoing overall goal is to increase the social competence of children from low income families.
http://www.ilheadstart.org/

Illinois KidCare
A state program that offers health care coverage to children and pregnant women and help in paying premiums of employer or private health insurance plans.
http://www.kidcareillinois.com/

Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies
Illinois CCR&Rs work in partnership with parents, business leaders, government officials, and child care providers to make high quality child care available to Illinois families.
http://www.ilchildcare.org/

Mayor Daley's KidStart
"Providing quality activities for children is a year-round commitment. Through our KidStart program, we have put a focus on out-of-school time and interesting and engaging activities for children." - Mayor Richard M. Daley
http://www.chicagokidstart.org/

MENC - The National Association for Music Education
A site that has music curriculums for young children.
http://www.menc.org/information/prek12/echild.html

National Association for the Education of Young Children
Promoting excellence in early childhood education.
http://www.naeyc.org/

National Child Care Association
Serving the private, licensed childhood care and education community.
http://www.nccanet.org/

National Child Care Information Center
A national resource that links information and people to complement, enhance, and promote the child care delivery system, working to ensure that all children and families have access to high-quality comprehensive services.
http://www.nccic.org/

National Head Start Association
The only organization dedicated exclusively to the concerns of the Head Start community.
http://www.nhsa.org/

National Institute for Early Education Research
The National Institute for Early Education Research supports early childhood education by providing objective, nonpartisan information based on research.
http://nieer.org/

NECTAC: National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
Their mission is to strengthen service systems to ensure that children with disabilities (birth through five) and their families receive and benefit from high quality, culturally appropriate, and family-centered supports and services.
http://www.ectac.org/

NNCC Homepage- National Network for Child Care
An Internet source of over 1000 publications and resources related to child care.
http://www.nncc.org/homepage.html

NPIN Illinois
The web site helps parents find the answers to questions about raising and educating their children.
http://npinil.crc.uiuc.edu/

Ounce of Prevention Fund
The Ounce of Prevention Fund invests in the healthy development of infants, children, adolescents and families through an innovative cycle of program implementation, research, training, policy analysis and advocacy in order to prevent physical, social and emotional problems later in life.
http://www.ounceofprevention.org/

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Illinois Overview
Through T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education & Compensation Helps), funding is available for child care professionals to obtain college credit.
http://www.ilchildcare.org/Providers/TEACH/overview.htm

The American Academy of Pediatrics
The web site is committed to the attainment of optimal physical, mental and social health for children of all ages.
http://www.aap.org/

The Center for Early Childhood Leadership
The Center for Early Childhood Leadership is dedicated to enhancing the management skills, professional orientation and leadership capacity of early childhood administrators.
http://www2.nl.edu/twal

U.S. Department of Education
Education Resources: Policies, Grants, Research and Statistics.
http://www.ed.gov/

Voices for Illinois Children
Voices for Illinois Children is a privately funded, non-profit organization that educates, engages and inspires Illinoisans to take meaningful action to improve the lives of all children and their families.
http://www.voices4kids.org/

Zero to Three
The Nation's leading resource on the first years of life.
http://www.zerotothree.org/