Alliance Receives Early Childcare Grant

Effingham County Regional Growth Alliance was awarded $49,633 in grant funds to provide early childcare education and care enrollment community outreach for Bond, Christian, Effingham, Fayette and Montgomery Counties.

“Reliable, licensed childcare is a foundational piece of a healthy, thriving economy. This grant will help us communicate some of the early childcare opportunities that are available to families and those interested in pursuing a career in early childcare,” Courtney Yockey, President and CEO of Effingham County Regional Growth Alliance explained.

Julie Wollerman, Regional Office of Education #3, shared: “We’re pleased to partner with the Alliance in this project. It’s important that early childhood providers receive the recognition they deserve and help residents learn about early intervention, CCAP and other fundamental early childhood supports available in our region. ROE 3 hopes this grant will bring to the forefront the need for quality childcare and encourage interested individuals to consider this career choice.”

The goal of the grant is to promote and connect families to Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) programs and boost enrollment throughout local communities in the state of Illinois for children ages birth to 12. ECEC programs include: the Child Care Assistance Program, Head Start/ Early Head Start, Early Intervention, Home Visiting, Preschool for All /Prevention Initiative, and Child Care.