Taking Bold Action for Illinois Families
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.
"I appreciate the great work Raising Illinois continues to do to forward our goal of making Illinois the best state in the country for families expecting or raising children. By bringing public agencies, philanthropy, advocates, providers, and families across the state together, your work is improving opportunities and outcomes for those who face the greatest barriers. My early childhood plan, Smart Start Illinois, will build on this work with historic investments in our youngest children. I look forward to our continued partnership and all that we will achieve together."
-Governor JB Pritzker
Closing The Opportunity Gap For Our Youngest Children
The first 3 years of a child’s life are the most critical for healthy development. Illinois’ expecting families, infants and toddlers currently experience profound disparities in equitably accessing the support they need during their formative years, like prenatal care, home visiting, economic supports, early intervention and other critical services – they are being shortchanged exactly when the potential benefits are greatest. By investing early, we can lay the foundation for all Illinois children to have a strong start in school and life. Furthermore, effective policy must also address the root causes of historic disparities to create an equitable, cohesive early childhood development system for Illinois’ expecting families, infants and toddlers.
Our Priorities
Creating the strongest foundation for success in school and life
Our coalition of diverse stakeholders is working to ensure every Illinois family with children under age 3 has affordable and equitable access to high-quality learning experiences, health services and economic supports. Learn more about the Raising Illinois PN3 Agenda.
News & Resources
A Conversation on Pregnancy Loss
October 25, 2024 A Conversation on Pregnancy Loss A conversation between Raising Illinois, Gifts from Liam & Evelyn James Co on pregnancy loss and how policy can better support grieving families. In observance of Pregnancy &…
News Release, Babies Can’t Wait: We Need EI Campaign Launch
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | MONDAY, OCTOBER 28 Families, Advocates Rally to Demand Increased Funding for Early Intervention Services in Illinois Thousands of Infants and Toddlers Experiencing Delays to Receive Life-Changing Services CHICAGO, IL – Families and…
Babies Can’t Wait Postcard
Your Early Intervention Stories Fill out a postcard and share your story! Illinois’ Early Intervention (EI) program provides critical services to children under age 3 who have or are at risk for significant developmental delays and…
