EC*REACH kicks off our Alliance Council with over 30 community partners

 On March 13^th, EC*REACH officially launched our Alliance Council with an interactive kick-off meeting. The Alliance Council will serve as a collaborative network designed to foster cross-sector connections, support research-practice partnerships, and drive meaningful change through additional EC*REACH initiatives.  

The kickoff meeting included over 30 individuals from across the City of Chicago, representing early childhood providers, educators, researchers, policy makers and parents.  During the three breakout groups, we engaged in thoughtful discussions on Community Engagement, the EC*REACH Research Agenda, and Data Infrastructure. We explored key challenges and opportunities that are affecting the early childhood workforce, communities, and families. Three common needs emerged on the need to:

1.      Co-construct a Menu of Options for Cross-Sector Connection 

a.      There is a need to create stronger bridges between different early childhood sectors to help facilitate better collaboration and knowledge-sharing.  

2.      Support Research-Practice Partnerships in the early childhood education (ECE) teacher workforce 

a.      Further understanding the ECE teacher workforce within the city of Chicago (vacancies, qualifications, salaries, etc). 

3.      Support Research-Practice Partnerships for birth-to-five services for children with special needs 

a.      Obtaining a better understanding of the available services for birth-to-five services for children with special needs and how the communities are able to access these services.  

Through the Alliance Council, we will advance these three themes throughout the remainder of the year to best meet the needs of our communities. We extend our gratitude to all those who attended and participated. Be on the lookout for updates regarding ways to get involved with the Alliance Council activities to help create a stronger and more connected early childhood system in Chicago! 

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