IECAM Electronic Newsletter (IECAMnews-L)
2009, Issue 4“Nice site!”The Honorable Chapin Rose
Illinois House of Representatives,
110th District
It is important to have ongoing conversations with other groups and agencies in your local community that serve young children and their families. Data are more than numbers and demographic information. Behind each number, estimate, or projection is a child, a family, a provider, a teacher, or a program.
Communities across Illinois have recognized the value of completing a formal assessment of their child care and early education needs—and of developing coordinated plans for building a stronger system of care.
The Building Blocks Community Assessment (BBCA) is a free, interactive tool designed to help Illinois communities complete a quantitative assessment of their need for child care and early education services and to initiate a community-wide process to evaluate the availability, accessibility, quality, and community awareness of local child care and early education programs. The Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map (IECAM) is used as a primary data source for this tool.
The BBCA can be accessed at http://www.buildingblockscommunityassessment.org.
When you use IECAM, you are getting a snapshot of what a specific geographic area might look like, but it is important to get the whole picture. Each community is made up of programs, agencies, and individuals who are making a difference for young children and their families. IECAM is one resource dedicated to helping bring the early childhood community into better focus. Be sure to continue your conversations at the local level to see the entire picture!
We want to hear
your voice...
If you have used IECAM, please contact Dawn Thomas at dthomas3@illinois.edu to share how you have used IECAM and your thoughts and impressions about the Web site.
IECAMNEWS-L is a periodic newsletter that announces new developments on the Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map (IECAM) Web site.
IECAM is planned and developed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in collaboration with Chicago Metropolis 2020. Public funds have come from the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, and University of Illinois. Foundation funding has come from the Joyce Foundation, Irving Harris Foundation, Grand Victoria Foundation, McCormick Tribune Foundation, CME Foundation, and Spencer Foundation. For a listing of the IECAM Advisory Committee and more information, see About IECAM at http://iecam.crc.uiuc.edu/about.html. For training, please contact IECAM directly at (877) 275-3227 or dthomas3@illinois.edu.
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For more information, contact Dawn Thomas at (877) 275-3227 or dthomas3@illinois.edu
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign