In the Greater Elgin community, there are 18,306 children under the age of five, with roughly 3,000 children in each age group. Of these, 9,000 are of preschool age, and about two-thirds are eligible for publicly funded preschool programs. Despite this need, approximately 7,000 eligible children do not have access to publicly funded preschool in our community. As a result, only 23% of children enter kindergarten ready to learn, highlighting the urgent need to expand early learning opportunities and support families during these critical years of development.
Why Invest in Early Childhood?
Invest + Develop + Sustain = Gain
“Investing” in resources for families furthest from opportunity nurtures the “development” of cognitive and social skills, “sustained” through education into adulthood, leading to a “gain” for the overall economy of a productive and valuable workforce.
Children with high-quality early learning care experiences are:
- 25% more likely to graduate from high school
- 4x more likely to have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher
- Earn up to 25% more wages as an adult
- Had fewer teen pregnancies
- Committed fewer crimes
Return on Investment
University of Chicago Professor James Heckman, helps us understand the Heckman Equation’s need to invest in quality early learning for children in their first five years. For every $1.00 invested, our community will see a $13.00 return.
Understanding EPEL’s Work
Below are two videos that illustrate how we function as an organization. The first one explores the power of collective impact. The second video looks at system building in the early childhood community. These two concepts are the backbone of how we work within the communities we serve.
What is Collective Impact?
Collective impact is when diverse organizations and community members work together with a shared goal, coordinating their efforts and measuring progress to create lasting change that no single group could achieve alone.
What is System Building?
In an early childhood context, System Building means creating a coordinated network of families, educators, healthcare providers, community organizations, and policies that work together to ensure every young child has access to high-quality learning, care, and support. It’s about connecting programs and resources so children enter school ready to learn and families have what they need to thrive.
What Can You Do?
The Early Childhood System is fragmented and complicated for families to navigate. EPEL is building an equitable system to increase awareness and access for families to resources and programs that support school readiness. Over 140 partner organizations work collaboratively with the mantra of “Together We Can” to ensure families have access to information and resources to develop a strong foundation for children.
Join EPEL’s mission to be a part of solution through collective impact. To learn more on how you can make an impact connect with the collaboration.