Resources & News

Courses, Webinars & Workshops

Hosted by External Partners

Webinar on mental health access in rural America
May 25, 6pm CST
This discussion will focus on mental health in rural America and how we can improve access and eliminate barriers to essential mental health care.

Mental Health Wellness: Growing Resilient Together
Thursday, May 26, 2022, 9:00 am – 11:00 am CST
Participants will increase their knowledge of toxic stress, adverse childhood experiences, and traumatic stress; identify three strategies to improve overall wellness and resilience; and increase their motivation to conduct personal self-wellness to ultimately spread wellness to others. Register here.

Mental Health America Annual Conference: Forward Together: Recovery, Healing, Hope
June 9-11, 2022
Mental Health America’s annual conference is coming up in June. Virtual offerings are free, in-person has an associated cost.

Partner Plan Act Conference
June 7-8, 2022
This year’s conference theme is Equity from the Start: Taking Action, Shifting Power. Registration opens in March—be sure to check www.PartnerPlanAct.org for the latest information as the conference nears.

Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children Conference
October 13-15, 2022
The Growing Futures Conference will take place in person October 13-15, 2022, in Springfield, IL. 

Hosted by Start Early Professional Learning Network

Home Visitor Reflective Practice Groups
June-August flyer with dates for the Home Visitor Reflective Practice Groups. We continue to offer these in English and Spanish. For June, we will be reflecting on father and father figure engagement.Home Visitor Reflective Practice Groups June-August 2022; Grupos de práctica reflexiva para visitantes a domicilio junio-agosto

Resources to Expand Your Knowledge

Community & Family Resources

Pritzker Administration Takes Action to Support Families Amid Baby Formula Shortage

Chicago Moves- Transportation Cost Relief
Chicago Moves is a financial assistance program aimed at providing financial relief for Chicago residents struggling with transportation expenses. The program is comprised of $7.5 million earmarked for $150 physical prepaid cards eligible for redemption at local Chicago gas stations as well as $5 million earmarked for $50 prepaid cards eligible for use on public transit. More info here: Chicago.Gov/ChicagoMoves. Apply here.

Resources around anxiety

1. childmind.org-How to Avoid Passing Anxiety on to Your Kids childmind.org-Cómo evitar pasarle la ansiedad a sus hijos; 
2. childmind.org-Cómo evitar pasarle la ansiedad a sus hijos; 
3. childmind.org-What to Do and Not Do When Children Are Anxious; 
4. childmind.org-Qué hacer y no hacer cuando los niños están ansiosos (1)
   

New Podcast Episode from the Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University: The Brain Architects: Building Resilience Through Play
In this podcast, the role of play in supporting resilience will be explored with a panel of experts on play. Ideas and personal stories about applying the science of play in homes, communities, and crisis environments around the world will be shared by experts in the field. Listen to the podcast here.

New Retailers Come on Board for SNAP Recipients to Buy Food Online and Shop Right from Their Mobile Device
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Human Services recently announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved retailers Sam’s Club and Meijer Grocery for SNAP online purchasing. With these additions, Illinois LINK card users can now purchase groceries online through eleven retail chains across the state. Click here to read the full press release.

Programs & Staff Resources

• Mental Health Month Outreach Toolkit
  Mental Health America has created an outreach toolkit in English and Spanish. This toolkit provides free, practical resources to introduce mental health topics such as recognizing warning signs, knowing the factors that can lead to mental health conditions, maintaining mental wellness, and seeking support for mental health. Download toolkit: in English; in Spanish.
  
• Erikson Institute recently published its latest Risk and Reach Report. These reports present data on risk factors that undermine child development as well as the reach of publicly funded programs that support early childhood wellbeing. Read more here
• Strategies to Support and Engage Families Virtually  Staff can use this resource from the Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center, to build on their existing knowledge, expertise, and resources for developing positive and goal-oriented relationships with families.
• Virtual Home Visiting Training Modules and Supervisor’s Toolkit: Rapid Response has created 6 training modules that provide foundational knowledge and best practice principles for delivering virtual home visiting services. This series was designed to support home visitors in all aspects of their work. Click below for descriptions on each module.
  • Virtual Home Visiting 101: Service Delivery Overview 
  • Virtual Home Visiting 102: Preparing Yourself and Families 
  • Virtual Home Visiting 103: Engaging Families 
  • Virtual Home Visiting 104: Facilitating Parent-Child Connections 
  • Virtual Home Visiting 105: Screening and Assessment
  • Virtual Home Visiting 106: Supporting the Whole Family
• What is the Supervisor’s Toolkit? Spanish Version. This is a robust and interactive PDF that includes information for supervisors about providing home visiting services virtually.
• Engaging Families in Virtual Home Visiting: Perspectives from the Field. This Data in Action Brief from the National Home Visiting Resource Center examines chat messages from a selected group of webinars hosted by the Rapid Response-Virtual Home Visiting collaborative (RR-VHV) to explore the following questions:
  • What are emerging challenges and solutions to recruiting and enrolling families in home visiting?
  • What are emerging challenges and solutions to families participating in home visiting?
  • What are emerging challenges and solutions to families maintaining skills gained through home visiting?

• Research Report on Family’s Experiences of Virtual Home Visiting: A team of researchers, supported by Perigee Fund and The Ford Family Foundation, interviewed providers and families in seven communities around the country about their experience participating in early childhood programs as they shifted to technology-based services. The providers listened to parent needs and responded with creative solutions for keeping families engaged.
• The Black Infant and Toddler Equity Project: Practitioners can use a new resource to inform service provision for Black families with infants and toddlers that draws on cultural assets and uses a strengths-based perspective. Check out a series of resources focused on the development and well-being of Black families, infants, and toddlers here
• Family Voices Launches Anti-Racism Toolkit: A toolkit website designed to support the important work of dismantling racism in health care. The website offers concrete tools designed to support organizations and individuals to become more culturally competent and responsive by building meaningful, equitable engagement with Black children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) and their families.

Research Opportunities

General Information

• Find COVID-19 Guidance for Your Community: The new website, COVID.gov, asks visitors to enter their county and then provides nearby locations for masks and respirators, vaccines and boosters, as well as testing and treatment options. The site also identifies clinics and pharmacies with a test-to-treat option, where one can get tested and, if positive, immediately receive anti-viral pills. Visit Illinois Community Level Map.
• Early Intervention Extended Services (EI/ES): Effective January 2022, children with birthdays between May 1 and August 31 can continue to receive Early Intervention services past their third birthday. If a child meets the criteria, families will be offered the option to continue with Early Intervention services until the beginning of the next school year.
• Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development e-Newsletter: Interested in checking out the e-newsletter from the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development? Click here to register to receive the e-newsletter or briefings in the future.
• Raising Illinois Website is Now Live! The robust and easy-to-navigate Raising Illinois website encompasses how Raising Illinois approaches its work—with diverse expertise and authenticity.
  • Better understand the challenges Illinois families are facing today
  • Learn more about each of our eight policy priorities
  • Share your experience(s) with them and hear experiences from other advocates
  • Stay up to date on the latest news regarding early learning and care in the state