CARBONDALE — As part of a broad, long-term effort to improve the state’s early childhood education and care system, the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Association has committed to creating regional councils to promote the growth of high-quality early childhood programs across the state. Those councils, known as Birth to Five Action Councils, will be created in 39 regions.

Southern Illinois will have three councils: Region 20 in Edwards, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Pope, Saline, Wabash, Wayne and White counties; Region 21 in Franklin, Johnson, Massac and Williamson counties; and Region 30 in Alexander, Jackson, Perry, Pulaski and Union counties.

Lori Longueville, a long-time early childhood educator and former director of the Child Care Resource and Referral Network at John A. Logan College, is helping launch the councils in Southern Illinois regions as a consultant for the group.

“I know first-hand that the coalitions are model of what true collective impact efforts can accomplish when community partners work together to implement change,” Longueville said.

Longueville said the councils should represent a broad section of the community, including parents, child care workers, schools and businesses. They will be involved in comprehensive planning, looking at the community’s needs, resources already available and ways to maximize access to those resources.

Longueville said the data for Region 30 is stunning.

The region is rural. The area has almost twice the percentage of the statewide average. The number of families who identify as white is 72%. This might make understanding the strengths and needs of non-white families a challenge.

Eighty percent of the children living at 200% of the poverty level do not access resources. It is estimated that 3,800 children are in that gap between services and those who access them.

Longueville said the reasons for not getting children into preschool programs can be transportation or a parent who cannot leave work to take a child to a part-day class.

She stressed that to understand what families need in both services and accessing services is helped by including parents in the councils and their planning. They need to have more feedback and be allowed to weigh in.

Longueville said different kinds of parents need to be part of the process, such single parents, parents in traditional families, parents in nontraditional families.

During a virtual kick-off for the councils, Larry Lovell, superintendent of Trico School District, said their district does not have special education program for preschoolers. Students have to be bused 35 miles to Murphysboro to attend school.

This is one kind of problem the councils will look at and plan to overcome.

They will also look at improving access to healthcare, social services and mental health. They will look at resources in the area and who is using them.