Illinois Organizations

Located in Lincoln, IL, The Academic Development Institute (ADI) is a non-profit corporation founded in 1984 with the mission of assisting families, schools, and communities with children’s academic and personal development.

This site provides information and professional development opportunities for families and early care professionals. Information is also available to help find and pay for child care.

(formerly Illinois KidCare)

This site provides information, programs and resources to promote and advocate for optimal child, youth and family well-being, and access to quality healthcare.

Baby TALK (Teaching Activities for Learning and Knowledge) is a community family support model which provides the framework to guide parent educators, teachers, social workers, family support specialists, nurses, physicians, librarians and city leaders in nurturing school readiness and optimal child development by supporting infants and toddlers and their parents.

In 2004, the Illinois Department of Human Services established Caregiver Connections to bring mental health services to Illinois child care providers. This unique, free support program helps child care providers recognize, understand, and respond to the social-emotional needs of the children, birth through age 5, in their care. Local Caregiver Connections consultants and the local Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) agencies share the same territories and work in partnership to provide training and technical assistance to Illinois child care providers. The project is funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services and coordinated by Chaddock.

This provides information regarding the research being conducted at the Center for Early Childhood Research, including opportunities for parents to include their children in studies.

This site offers expert professional development and support for education professionals who, in mainstream classrooms or specialized venues, serve at-risk students and those from the most difficult circumstances.

This website provides information regarding current research on young children to bring research, policy, and practice together.

This 7-minute video provides information on how you can hold the power to be an advocate for young children and families.

This is a Facebook page for The Crisis Nursery Coalition of Illinois which is an organization of seven crisis nurseries across the state of Illinois. Located in Peoria, Springfield, Urbana, Bloomington, Rockford, Chicago and Effingham.

This website serves as an archive of various resources and publications produced by projects under the former Early Childhood and Parenting Collaborative as well as those published by the former ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under the leadership of Dr. Lilian Katz.

This is a Preschool Least Restrictive Environment initiative of the Illinois State Board of Education. The project promotes increasing high quality inclusive education for each and every preschool aged child by providing technical assistance and professional development to early childhood professionals and families in Illinois.

This site provides educational resources and information on trainings and events to support quality environmental education throughout the state.

This site provides information regarding the early childhood educational programs available at the Erikson Institute, including professional development and leadership courses.

This site provides information regarding advocacy efforts, events and blogs regarding health equity and access to high-quality health care for women, children and families in Illinois.

This is a statewide quality rating and improvement system designed to make continuous quality improvement an everyday priority among early learning and development providers. The program establishes standards for helping infants, toddlers, and preschool age children develop intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally. It provides a framework for early learning and development professionals to identify opportunities for improvement, to increase their skills, and take steps to make positive changes. ExceleRate Illinois is administered through the Illinois Network of ChildCare Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA) under the joint direction of the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Illinois State Board of Education. See also: ExceleRate Providers

This website provides information, resources and educational resources for families of children with disabilities.

This division of the Illinois Arc works to uncover the resources, funding, and services needed to help people with developmental disabilities live fulfilling lives in their own homes.

This is the Illinois chapter of the Council for a Strong America who engages law enforcement, military, business, faith and sports leaders who promote evidence-based policies and programs that enable kids to be healthy, well-educated and prepared for productive lives. Information and reports are provided and include issues regarding early education.

This is a statewide professional development support system designed to provide guidance, encouragement, and recognition to individuals and programs serving children, youth, and families.

This agency leads the state’s initiatives to create an integrated system of quality, early learning and development programs to help give all Illinois children a strong educational foundation before they begin kindergarten. Resources and information for families and child care providers is provided.

The Illinois AfterSchool Network (IAN) provides support to the after school and youth development field through professional development, leadership and networking opportunities.

This website seeks to advance infant mental health knowledge, perspectives, and practices to build and support community and competence among multidisciplinary professionals whose work impacts the lives of infants, young children, families, and caregivers.

The site provides resources and professional development opportunities to build the capacity of educational leaders to enhance the quality of teaching and learning.

This site provides information and resources for early childhood professionals. The Illinois AEYC is dedicated to improving the education and lives of young children in their own communities and throughout the state.

This site provides information on the Illinois Social and Emotional Standards, statewide expansion of Screening Assessment and Support Services (SASS) Program, stigma, numerous educational publications, identification of service descriptors, early childhood mental health consultation, and community-based linkage to services.

This site provides links to services for families and individuals to help meet basic needs to be healthy and self-sufficient. Resources include SNAP, cash and medical assistance, child care assistance, rehabilitation services, reporting fraud, abuse or neglect, and a help line.

This organization is dedicated to improving the health and safety of people in Illinois.

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is a nonprofit organization advocating for individuals who work with or on behalf of children with special needs, birth through age eight, and their families. Support is provided for classroom teachers, child care providers, early interventionists, and higher education professionals / students who work with children with special needs and their families.

This website provides more than 500 resources for use by early childhood educators.

The provides a collection of services for families of children from birth to age 3 who have disabilities or developmental delays or who are at risk of having developmental delays. Links to a form to request materials from the lending library is provided.

This provides information on information, training opportunities and resources for early intervention professionals in Illinois.

This site provides information, resources for children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing have every opportunity to achieve their full potential.

The Illinois Fatherhood Initiative (IFI) is a state-wide non-profit fatherhood organization that provides resources and programming to help dads take an active role in the education of their children.

This site provides information for learning and advocacy, resources, and self-care/calming resources.

The Illinois MTSS Network (IL MTSS-N) provides professional learning and coaching for schools and districts in order to develop and sustain a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS).

The Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA) is a statewide organization which is a resource for making high quality, affordable early care and education and school-age care options available for children and families in Illinois.

This website provides information regarding support, information, and networking services for parents of twins and higher-order multiples through its member club affiliates.

The Parents as Teachers program is an evidence-based early childhood home visiting framework that builds strong communities, thriving families and children who are healthy, safe and ready to learn. This provides resources and information on trainings and events.

This is the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) who works to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. Leadership and advocacy resources are provided.

This provides information for educators, families and stakeholders regarding education in the state of Illinois.

This provides information and links to local injury free coalitions. All of the sites are independent, physician led programs driven by the Coalition’s mission: preventing injury to children. Coalition members work to help people to make their communities safer and they do it in a manner that is respectful of various cultures, beliefs and lifestyles.

Several state initiatives serving young children are supported by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), including Preschool for All, Prevention Initiative, Early Childhood Special Education, Early Childhood Professional Development, and the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS). Call (217) 524-4835

This provides information and resources for special education services, child identification, and families.

La Leche League helps parents, families, and communities to breastfeed, chestfeed, and human milk feed their babies through parent-to-parent support.

This site is dedicated to increasing access to professional development and credentials for early childhood leaders.

This website provides information regarding NAMI in Illinois. Links for virtual support groups, crisis information, education, advocacy and resources are provided.

Formerly known as The Ounce. This site provides information and resources for early childhood professionals and parents.

This site provides news, information, and advice on parenting and family life. Designed for parents and grandparents of children from birth through the teens, it provides feature 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.

This website provides a central place for Illinois early childhood care and education professionals to learn more about how to expand, deepen, or build new local early childhood collaborations in your community. Resources and information on this website will focus on how to use a community systems development approach to strengthen and improve early childhood services and systems in local communities.

This site provides information on prevention education and public awareness, community outreach, public policy advocacy, and promotion of effective child abuse prevention programs.

This website is dedicated to supporting family members and others who have been touched by the tragedy of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or any other infant death. Information for public and professionals is provided.

This site provides a variety of opportunities for personal and professional growth for those who touch the lives of young children, ages birth through eight, with an emphasis on children with special needs. Services include: collaboration, funding opportunities, information and resources, linkages and networking, workshops, webinars, and conferences technical assistance and consultation.

This site provides information and resources to support and guide families and educators to nurture the healthy, well-rounded development of children from birth to eight years old.

The Autism Project (TAP) provides a variety of services and resources throughout the state of Illinois, including a referral service.

This website aims help families, businesses, and communities solve problems and learn new skills with research-based programs, webinars, virtual meetings, videos, and more.

This is a statewide, nonpartisan, multi-issue advocacy organization that is committed to building better lives for children. Information is provided on a range of activities — including policy research and analysis, policy advocacy, strategic communications, and community engagement — all in support of policies and programs that enhance the well-being of children, families, and communities in Illinois.