Gateways to Opportunity

10/20/2026

It’s Lead Poison Prevention Week!

Through the i-learning website, you can enroll in an online training that provides a brief overview of lead contamination and the harmful effects of lead exposure. Illinois state requirements for lead in water testing are discussed along with the procedures for testing and developing a mitigation plan.

This training meets the Illinois Child Care Licensing training requirements for the testing of lead in water.


To enroll, click the link below!
https://courses.inccrra.org/enrol/index.php?id=2367

10/19/2026

10/16/2026

Keeping children safe starts with drinking water. LeadCare Illinois offers free lead-in-water testing, training, and support for licensed child care providers and schools. If lead is found, they’ll even help you plan solutions and reimburse mitigation costs.

Take the first step toward safer water today by visiting https://leadcareillinois.org/

10/15/2026

Safety drills protect students by preparing them for real life emergencies. Many drills include loud noises and changes to classroom routines. Young children may be worried or express high emotions before, during, and after a drill. Talking about the drill ahead of time at home can help a child feel ready.

Illinois Early Learning’s new tip sheet, School Safety Drills, describes safety drill and offers tips for parents to help children prepare for them. Check it out below!

Safety drills protect students by preparing them for real life emergencies. This tip sheet describes safety drills and offers tips for parents helping children prepare for them.

10/14/2026

All Smart Start Workforce Grant recipients are required to complete reporting for funding they receive. Have you completed all reporting for FY26 funds that your program has received? If not, missing required reporting items could be holding up your program’s approval for FY27 Round 3 funds.

Due to limited funding, programs that miss renewal deadlines or do not submit required information by November 13, 2026, will not receive funding in Round 3. Additionally, programs that are not funded in Round 3 may not have an opportunity to re-enter the program during FY27 Round 4 and could be required to wait until the FY28 funding cycle to apply again.

    In February 2023, Governor JB Pritzker announced his plans for Smart Start Illinois, a multi-year plan to provide every child with access to preschool, to increase funding for child care providers to raise wages and classroom quality, and to reach more vulnerable families with early support. S...

10/14/2026

October is Safe Sleep Month! 💤

Creating a safe sleep environment for your baby is one of the most important steps you can take to protect them from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and sleep-related suffocation.

Remember the ABC’s of Safe Sleep:
✅ Alone
✅ Back
✅ Crib

Click below for important tips and resources.

Follow safe sleep practices for your infant. Following safe sleeping practices with your infant helps protect them from Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID or SIDS) and sleep suffocation. Sleep suffocation is one of the leading causes of infant death in Illinois. There are some simple practices you...

10/13/2026

Making ECERS-3 Work for You

This introductory ECERS-3 training explains how to create engaging play-based learning experiences for young children and support meaningful interactions with adults and peers. You will explore how to plan and enrich your classroom space and materials across the ECERS-3 subscales and items such as fine motor play, art, dramatic play, nature and science, math, etc. Language and Literacy items are also explored, with tips for building vocabulary, engagement with books, and encouraging communication.

https://courses.inccrra.org/enrol/index.php?id=2919

10/09/2026

Do you ever wonder how technology is impacting our youngest learners? What are they noticing? What do they understand or maybe misunderstand? Well, we only have to observe them in their play, specifically dramatic play, to see what they are absorbing about current technology in the world around them.

Learn more about how technology impacts play in Illinois Early Learnings’s blog!

Do you ever wonder how technology is impacting our youngest learners? We only have to observe them in their play, specifically dramatic play, to see what they are absorbing about current technology in…

10/08/2026

Thinking about life after high school? Join in for a free college planning and financial aid workshop near you and get the support you need. https://studentportal.isac.org/Events

If you can’t attend an event and you have questions about the college and financial aid process, book a free virtual appointment with an member at www.isac.org/Booking.