Enriching Partnerships for Early Learning (EPEL) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization serving as the hub of the early childhood system across eleven communities within School District U-46. We work collaboratively to build a family-centered, equitable, and high-quality early childhood system that raises awareness about the importance of early learning, connects families to vital resources, and expands access to early childhood initiatives and education programs. Focused on children five and under, EPEL engages families and providers by using local data and parent input to create a connected, easy-to-navigate system for families.
Through a collective impact approach, EPEL promotes the holistic development of young children in the Greater Elgin Area. Our mission is to unite families, early childhood professionals, healthcare providers, and organizations to create a comprehensive, community-wide system that empowers every child to thrive.
EPEL focuses on three interconnected pillars crucial for positive child and family outcomes: early learning and development, family support, and health. By fostering collaboration across these systems, we help ensure that children and families in our community thrive.
Enriching Partnerships for Early Learning (EPEL) launched The Basics of Greater Elgin, a community-wide early childhood initiative that equips parents and caregivers of children from birth to age five with five simple, science-based principles that support healthy brain development and school readiness: Maximize Love, Manage Stress, Talk, Sing, and Point, Count, Group, and Compare, Explore Through Movement and Play, and Read and Discuss Stories. These practices are embedded into everyday interactions to build strong foundations for lifelong learning and success.
Our Mission
EPEL brings together families, organizations, early childhood professionals, and healthcare providers to build a collaborative, community-wide support system, ensuring every young child has the opportunity to succeed in school and life.
Our Vision
Young children and their families in the Greater Elgin Area have equitable opportunities to thrive.
Equity Statement
EPEL is committed to ensuring that all children, regardless of background or social identity, have access to high-quality early care and education. In collaboration with our stakeholders, we work to promote policies and practices that intentionally address the diverse needs of children and families.
Our Purpose
- Ensure a shared vision for young children is embraced by the community and put into action.
- Raise awareness and increase access to high-quality care and early learning experiences for families.
- Coordinate efforts across birth-to-five programs to maximize impact and efficiency.
- Support the improvement and capacity building of early childhood professionals and organizations.
- Respond to community data to identify strengths, gaps, and needs.
Since our founding in 2012, EPEL has pursued a vision of young children and their families in the Greater Elgin Area have equitable opportunities to thrive. Achieving this vision requires the collaboration of a village, centered around the three key systems of early learning and development, family leadership and support, and health. Thriving children and families are always at the heart of our work.
Our Work
With the collaboration of over 140 organizations, EPEL’s efforts are organized into four mobilization paths:
Together, we develop coordinated resources and services while identifying and addressing gaps in the system, using data and family input to ensure the needs of our youngest learners are met. EPEL is dedicated to improving practices through the lenses of equity, advocacy, and data-driven decision-making.
Our Why
Children have just 2,000 days from birth until they enter kindergarten, and nearly 90% of brain development occurs during the first five years of life. Yet in the Greater Elgin area, only 23% of children enter kindergarten with the skills they need to be successful. This critical window makes it a shared community responsibility to support young children and their families so every child is prepared for school and life.
Recognizing the urgency of these early years and local outcomes, community leaders established Enriching Partnerships for Early Learning (EPEL) as a collective impact partnership focused on strengthening local systems and promoting the healthy development of young children.