By Ben Cox
Birth to Five Illinois announced that it has awarded a $12,500 Early Childhood Collaboration Planning Grant to the Scott County Health Department to form the Scott County Collaborative.
These funds will support efforts to improve Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services, enhance access to childcare and connect families to essential resources within Scott County.
The grant is part of a broader initiative by Birth to Five Illinois to strengthen Early Childhood Education and Care services across the state. As part of the grant, the Scott County Collaborative will work alongside local stakeholders to develop strategies that increase enrollment in high-quality early education and care programs, while also improving the availability and accessibility of child care services. “We are honored to receive this funding from Birth to Five Illinois, which will be instrumental in expanding access to early childhood education and care in Scott County,” said Wendy Smith, Community Health Educator at the Scott County Health Department. “This grant allows us to further our mission of ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive from the very beginning. With these funds, we will not only increase enrollment in high-quality programs but also create pathways to connect families with critical resources that promote long-term success.”
Through the Early Childhood Collaboration Planning Grant, the Scott County Health Department will partner with local organizations, providers, and families to assess the needs of the community, identify gaps in services, and develop a comprehensive strategy for improving education and care options available to families with young children. The initiative will also focus on improving overall access to child care and strengthening connections to resources that support child and family well-being.
The Scott County Collaborative kicked off grant activities in Winchester on Monday, April 7 with a play group event to promote developmental screenings for children from birth to three years old at the Winchester Public Library.
Participants got to do “bunny yoga” with the book Yoga Bunny, made bunny puppets and the children played at a sensory table with bunny tails. “This grant will allow us to research where the most significant gaps lie in the early childhood experience in Scott County,” Smith says, “Once we know where families are lacking access to resources and programming, we can start to create and support a better infrastructure to improve the early childhood experience in Scott County.”
For more information about the Early Childhood Collaboration Planning Grant, please contact the Scott County Health Department by calling 217-742-8203.
