FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 1, 2022
Contact: communications@collab4kids.org
The Collaboration for Early Childhood Partners with Easterseals to Connect Families to Community Resources
- Easterseals will now serve as a helpful guide to anyone who contacts the Collaboration for Early Childhood, comprehensively connecting them to relevant community resources.
- Easterseals currently contracts with the Collaboration for Early Childhood to provide Home Visiting and parent support services in the community.
- The Coordinated Intake work will be a full-time role, an expansion of what had previously been a part-time role at the Collaboration for Early Childhood
Oak Park, Illinois, September 1, 2022. The Collaboration for Early Childhood’s Board of Directors last week voted to approve a new contract with Easterseals to serve as the main point of contact for families and community members and connect them to services and supports as needed. The Collaboration for Early Childhood currently serves as the main point of contact for the community’s Home Visiting Programs, Preschool for All Programs, and child development resources and supports. The Collaboration also works with early childhood educators and child health professionals, providing trainings and networking opportunities.
The Collaboration has contracted with Easterseals since 2015 to provide Home Visiting services to families with children 0-5 in Oak Park and River Forest. The Collaboration also partners with Easterseals to provide other forms of family support in the community including the Chicago Parent Program 12-week workshops for parents with children 2-5 and supplemental workshops for new and expecting moms such as infant massage and parent education and connection groups. The new coordinated intake contract with Easterseals with deepen the Collaboration for Early Childhood’s partnership with the agency.
Until June of 2022, the Collaboration’s Early Learning Coordinator managed coordinated intake for the Collaboration. During that year, the Collaboration connected with 256 individuals, from households speaking 11 languages other than English. The Collaboration worked with 158 families around Free Preschool and program openings and referred 29 families to Home Visiting Programs.
“As the Collaboration’s work grows, so does the amount of people who see us as a trusted place to get connected to resources and support. Easterseals is perfectly positioned to meet this growth and to connect the dots for families who may have unique circumstances. Their deep-seated knowledge of the local community and their existing work with families through Home Visiting make them an ideal fit to manage our coordinated intake work,” said Laura Crawford, Interim Executive Director of the Collaboration for Early Childhood.
“Easterseals is excited to connect more to the community by serving as the Collaboration’s “warm-line.” The priority has always been making sure families get what they need as soon as possible, in whatever way is best for them, and we are excited to help facilitate that in this expanded partnership with the Collaboration for Early Childhood,” said Michelle Howell, Program Manager at Easterseals.
As always, anyone who has any questions about their child’s development, local child-care options, free preschool, parent support programming, or ways to get connected to other parents in the community are encouraged to contact us. The direct line is: 708-441-4561. The Collaboration and Easterseals have neighboring offices at 171 S. Oak Park Avenue. Come visit!