In Illinois today, the systems of support for expecting families, infants and toddlers are insufficient to meet their individual needs or the needs of the communities where they live. This is a crisis that demands immediate attention and action. Raising Illinois, powered by Start Early, represents a collective effort to respond to this crisis. Our coalition is guided by the Prenatal to Three (PN3) Policy Agenda, created by Raising Illinois & Start Early, in collaboration with seasoned legislative, policy and advocacy experts in partnership with parents, providers, community leaders, public partners and other champions.

Raising Illinois is leading the charge of a cultural shift towards greater societal appreciation of the importance of the first 3 years of development, and a brighter tomorrow for every child and every family, in every community. Our efforts to enact this PN3 agenda have already shown strong progress and are continuing to gain momentum. With significant work still to be done, we will continue to tackle our current crisis by breaking down systemic barriers across the various systems that support expecting families, infants and toddlers through advocacy, aligning our coalition with local community leaders and supporting Illinois to reimagine the importance of a child’s earliest years.