Our Mission

Early CHOICES Mission Statement

The Early CHOICES inclusion initiative promotes increasing high quality inclusive early care and education for each and every child birth to age 5. Our goal is to increase the number of children with disabilities receiving specialized services in regular early care and education settings.

Early CHOICES will accomplish this through:

• Providing technical assistance and facilitating professional learning for teams that support children and families
• Engaging and empowering families to access resources and information
• Collaborating with other Illinois early care and education entities

Language Acknowledgement

We are committed to using language that honors the diversity of individuals’ identities, abilities, and experiences. This includes being mindful of language that may perpetuate harm, including but not limited to ableism, racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination.

We recognize that language evolves and that we are all continually learning. If language is used in this space that does not meet these standards, we invite you to bring it to our attention so we can learn and grow together.

We ask everyone to remain open to feedback, understanding that being called in is an opportunity for growth and deeper inclusivity. We invite you to bring any concerns to our attention, and we may also invite you to reflect on the words you use, fostering a space of mutual growth and respect.

Early CHOICES is operated through a grant awarded by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to Northern Illinois University; 100% of annual funding for the project is from federal sources. Early CHOICES is the inclusion initiative focusing on inclusive early care and education birth to age 5. We provide technical assistance and facilitate professional learning for the early childhood community in Illinois. Early CHOICES assists the ISBE in meeting their local needs by providing services throughout Illinois. Early CHOICES partners with the other technical assistance projects and early care and education entities.

To work with Early CHOICES we have created a collaborative agreement to define roles and responsibilities for programs and Early CHOICES. We also create goals and develop an action plan with each site under the framework of implementation science.

Funding Provided by the Illinois State Board of Education

Early CHOICES SY 2025 End of Year Report is available. Our Executive Summary Report is also available for a quick view.

Alicia Lynch Deatherage – Interim Director Early Childhood Development

Kristy Doan – 619 Coordinator & Project Liaison