COFI-trained Parent Leaders from across the state of Illinois met on September 27 in Bloomington, Illinois to brainstorm ideas for building statewide parent voice on behalf of young children and their families.
They also met with a representative of the Illinois State Treasurer’s office to push forward a proposal to create Children’s Savings Accounts for all Illinois children and talked about how to assure that the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) plan around the new Federal Every Students Succeeds Act is accountable to families. Particularly, the parents want to be sure that the ISBE plan incorporates a strong commitment to parent engagement and early learning – including funding the work of transitioning children from Birth to 3 programs into preschool and then into kindergarten, and that it recognizes the importance of school climate and lessening the use of punitive discipline as factors for assessing school district progress.
The parents also began their COFI Phase 3 Parent Leadership Training on Policy & Systems Change – and began earning their Policy Change Badges for this work. Go Statewide Parents!
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