Save the Date! Start Early’s Annual Luncheon 2025A child’s best start in life begins before birth–ensuring every family has access to effective Early Learning and Care, prenatal-to-age 5, which lays the foundation for healthy childhood development, long-term success and well-being.


Our luncheon theme, “Nurture the Early Years & Empower Families to Thrive,” will address the critical issues and impacts of prenatal stress and maternal mental health on early childhood development. We will also showcase Start Early programs that help children thrive, support families through challenges, and set the stage for a child’s healthy start in life.
[link removed]
Register now to join us on May 6.









Illinois Families are Facing Historic Delays in Early Intervention ServicesA recent report found that the number of Early Intervention providers has dropped significantly post-pandemic, leaving thousands of children—especially Black children—waiting too long for critical support. Many are even aging out of the program before they get off the waitlist. Zareen Kamal, policy specialist at Start Early, speaks on this and more in a recent WBEZ article.
[link removed]
Learn more.










Take Action: Contact Your Congressional Leaders Today!Early Tuesday morning, the Trump Administration closed at least five of the Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) regional offices in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and New York, which serve 23 states and territories. This means that there are currently no regional staff available to support programs funded through ACF, including Early Head Start and Head Start programs - ultimately, impacting children and families served by those programs. This action puts early childhood programs and the young children they serve at risk across the country.
[link removed]
Contact your Congressional leaders TODAY and demand that they retract the closures and reinstate staff immediately.








Early Childhood Advocacy Day 2025On March 4, Start Early and Raising Illinois, along with our partners at Child Care for All, COFI, Evanston Early Childhood Council, Illinois Action For Children, SEIU, and We, the Village, brought 300+ advocates from all over the state down to Springfield to urge legislators to prioritize early childhood programs and services as they finalize the state's budget. Despite a rainy start, we had a great day!
[link removed]
The event was also covered on the March 4 episode of the WBEZ rundown!


If you weren't able to attend,
[link removed]
you can still take actionby contacting your legislators!








Coming Late 2026/Early 2027: Educare Lake CountyStart Early is proud to announce the development and building of
[link removed]
Educare Lake County , a state-of-the-art early learning school in Zion, Illinois that will serve 174 children, ages 6 weeks to 5-years-old, and their families. Educare Lake County will be the newest Educare school and the second to be directly operated by Start Early through partnerships with Schreiber Philanthropy and other generous donors, the Office of Head Start, and Lake County community members.
[link removed]
Learn more.








The Power of Play: Unlock Developmental Benefits for Your ChildTips from our Experts


Unlock your child's potential through play! Our latest blog offers expert tips for parents and caregivers on fostering learning and development through play-based learning. Discover how play enhances creativity and supports emotional growth and dive into practical strategies to create engaging play environments at home. Let's make learning fun together –
[link removed]
learn more .





[link removed]
Start Early advances quality early learning for families with children, before birth through their earliest years, to close the opportunity gap.

[link removed]

[link removed]



[link removed]



[link removed]



[link removed]

[link removed]


33 West Monroe Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60603 - 312.922.3863


(c)2025 Start Early


mailto:[email protected]

[link removed]
Privacy Policy |
[link removed]
Fundraising Disclosures

[link removed]



[link removed]
Manage Subscription Preferences |
[link removed]
Unsubscribe


This link will update subscription preferences for
mailto:[email protected]
[email protected] .