Transforming Early Childhood Education & Care in Illinois
C A S E S T U D Y
A collaboration with the newly formed Illinois Department of Education to understand the barriers to accessing and delivering early childhood education and care to create a system that supports all Illinoisans.
S E E K I N G
D E E P E R U N D E R S T A N D I N G
O F T H E N E E D
Research Question
What are the policies and practices that disrupt the access and delivery of early education services and care? What does an ecosystem that supports all Illinoisan children and families look like?
It is not beyond our power to create a world in which all children have access to a good education.
— Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa
Early Childhood Education and Care Equity Framework
W H A T W E C O - C R E A T E D
The Early Childhood Education and Care Equity Framework identifies the pathway to create an ecosystem that serves all Illinoisans and captures the interconnectivity of the proposed and co-created outcomes, drivers, and principles. Desired outcomes are the goals set by co-designers for the Department of Early Childhood, while drivers are the essential approaches used to achieve these goals. To bring the drivers—and ultimately the desired outcomes—to fruition, the principles serve as guideposts for developing new programs and services, modifying existing ones, and acting as evaluation metrics for both.
Creating Equitable Compassionate Digital Experiences
C O - D E S I G N E R - C R E A T E D C O N C E P T
C O N C E P T
D E S C R I P T I O N
Co-designers addressed the impact of elongated processes and communication gaps. They prototyped a digital platform powered by real-time data that provides an experience that identifies families’ needs and connects them with the proper tools and resources. Co-designers developed the following concept to demonstrate the possibilities of mobilizing technology to streamline processes and empower families to make informed decisions that support their well-being. Features of this concept include intuitive and data-driven experience, cross-agency collaboration and data sharing, bi-directional communication, and accessible and proficient support.
C O N C E P T
C O M P O N E N T S
Intuitive and data-driven experience. Utilizing time-stamp utilization, families can pause and resume applications. The platform can identify critical needs and automatically pair families with available services based on the information provided.
Cross-agency collaboration and data sharing. Families can access their data in a centralized location, flag discrepancies and incorrect details, and more. They will no longer be required to input the same information more than once, eliminating redundancy.
Bi-directional communication. Feedback loops are a key feature of this platform, enabling families to communicate with the state and the providers from whom they receive services.
S E E K I N G
D E E P E R U N D E R S T A N D I N G
O F T H E N E E D
The Process
Project
Objectives
Convening diverse stakeholders to understand the conditions, policies, practices, and experiences that shape early childhood education.
1
Co-designing anti-racist innovations with lived experts that can shape early childhood education services and practices
2
Building relationships between Illinois families, early childhood providers, and adjacent systems actors
3
CBD
Methodology
Design and lead three 2.5-hour virtual co-design workshops that sought to identify barriers, imagine a new experience, and prototype ideas.
1
Session One: Understanding the System
Convening diverse stakeholders (parents, providers, state personnel, and other stakeholders) to connect their experiences in the early childhood ecosystem and the policies, practices, and infrastructures that influence them.
Session Two: Future Framing
Collectively imagining futures in which the needs of children, families, and providers are centered.
Session Three: Prototyping
Collectively prototyping new policies, practices, and infrastructures that address children, families, and providers’ challenges. These prototypes will inform future platforms and experiences for children, parents, and providers within the ecosystem.
Design and facilitate three milestone presentations for state officials and advisory groups to align on direction and receive feedback.
2
P R O J E C T
D E T A I L S
Illinois Department of Early Childhood
PARTNER
Systems
Transformation
PROJECT TYPE
12 months
PROJECT TIMELINE
3 co-design
workshops
OUR PROCESS
20
participants
R E F L E C T I O N S A N D N E X T S T E P S
This was ChiByDesign’s largest state partnership to date. Despite challenges such as a delayed launch and recruitment hurdles, this project reaffirmed the importance of people-centered government. It also strengthened CBD’s methods for facilitating complex, cross-sector conversations with care and impact.
Building on the work completed through this collaboration, we continue to transform early childhood education and care with two new projects: reimagining early intervention services and developing an equitable service-delivery model.
To learn more about this project,
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