In the summer of 2022, an assessment was commissioned by Foundations in Lake County to examine resources, needs, and gaps in the early childhood landscape in Lake County. I am excited to share the final version of Start Early’s Lake County Early Childhood System Assessment report. Lake County, Illinois is home to over 48,000 children five years old and under. Start Early Consulting conducted an assessment of the local early childhood system, which was requested and funded by:
· The Gorter Family Foundation
· The Hunter Family Foundation
· The John & Kathleen Schreiber Foundation
· The Lake County Community Foundation
· The Steans Family Foundation
I along with many others are thankful for these foundations that serve Lake County and work to help families and students daily with their contributions.
The process of creating this report was advised by the following group of partners in Lake County who contributed their experience and expertise:
· Jon Ashworth, Community Systems Development Manager, Lake County Health Department
· Kevin Considine, President and CEO, Lake County Partners
· Dane Cruz, Regional Council Manager, Region 34, Birth to Five Illinois
· Tynisha Gardner, President, Affirm Leadership Christian Academy
· Dr. Michael Karner, Regional Superintendent of Schools, Lake County Regional Office of Education
· Gail Nelson, Director, Early Childhood Initiatives, Steans Family Foundation
· Cheri Richardson, Executive Director, Gorter Family Foundation
· Martina Rocha, President and Founder, Together for Childhood Network
The steering committee who helped guide this process is working together to develop a plan for how best to address the findings. In the meantime, we hope that this information is useful to the community as we explore opportunities to continue enhancing our early childhood systems for Lake County families.