This study examined caregivers' lived experiences during the initial weeks of stay-at-home mandates within the unique socio-cultural and healthcare context of the United States. To learn about the experiences of caregivers during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted seventeen semi-structured interviews with caregivers of young…

Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS)--a strategy to improve families' access to high-quality child care--assess the quality of child care programs, offer incentives and assistance to programs to improve their ratings, and give information to parents about the quality of child care. These systems are operating in a growing number of…

The purpose of this study was two-fold. It was first to find out what the educational materials needs were for children living in poverty, and second, to learn of the challenges, obstacles, and strengths by the programs already in place that were supplying educational materials to these children. This study used interviews and surveys as data…

This report details the findings from the first stage of a study of placement instability in substitute care in Illinois. Funded by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (IDCFS), the goals of the study were to develop an accurate picture of the nature and prevalence of placement instability in Illinois and a better…

Noting that the after-school hours are peak hours for Illinois juveniles to be either victims of crime or involved in criminal activity, this report provides evidence that making quality after-school programs available to all youth who need them will reduce crime and provide constructive activities for youth. The report details statistics on…

This report explores the need for and barriers to the use of mental health services among grandparent-caregiver families. Specifically, this study sought to determine: (1) how children in their grandparents' care are doing, and what their grandparents see as their service needs; (2) how the caregivers' needs--particularly unmet health or mental…

Developed by Voices for Illinois Children, a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy group that addresses problems faced by Illinois children and their families, this booklet evaluates in a report card format the condition of Illinois children in the areas of education, health, special needs, and economic level. Sections of the booklet describing each of…

This report presents a picture of the welfare of children in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Developed by Project Respond, a group addressing the needs of at-risk children in the community, it is an attempt to measure the treatment of children by families, private institutions, government, and other facets of society. The introduction describes…

The Illinois Social and Emotional Health of Infants, Toddlers and Their Families Committee hosted the Early Childhood Mental Health Regional Summit 2000 in November of 2000. Building on the momentum of the U.S. Surgeon General's first report on mental health, which underscores the importance of early preventive mental health services, this summit…

This report was written to stimulate discussion about the potential and need for expanding access to voluntary, high-quality early childhood care and education programs in Illinois. The report compiles 13 short articles pertaining to early learning as follows: (1) "Ready to Succeed: Preparing Children for School, and for Life"; (2)…

This document consists of the three issues of the "Voices for Illinois Children" newsletter published during 1998. Voices for Illinois Children is a child advocacy group that works to make kids "count" in Illinois and to ensure that the basic needs of all children, families, and communities are met. These three newsletter…

The Illinois Children's Mental Health Task Force was convened in 2002 to assess the status of Illinois' mental health system for children from birth to age 18, and to develop short- and long-term recommendations for assuring that all Illinois children have access to coordinated and comprehensive mental health services and programs. This report is…

This document is comprised of the three "Voices for Illinois Children" newsletter issues published during 1999. Voices for Illinois Children is a child advocacy group that works to make kids "count" in Illinois and to ensure that the basic needs of all children, families, and communities are met. These newsletter issues explore…

The Great Lakes Resource Access Project (Region V RAP) serves Head Start programs in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The Region V RAP conducts an annual needs assessment to determine the training and technical assistance needs of the Head Start Disability Services Coordinators. A survey for assessing needs for the…

Participants in the 1981 Illinois Conference on Children's Priorities for the '80s were provided with two main working documents: (1) "Summary--Recommendations of the 1980 Illinois White House Conference on Children," and (2) "Narrative Summary of State Agency Questionnaires on Selected Recommendations from the Report of the 1980…