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Starting July 1, 2026, the Illinois Department of Early Childhood will officially become the lead agency for Child Care Licensing, Head Start State Collaboration Office Grant, Home Visiting, Early Intervention and the Child Care Assistance Program, Early Childhood Block Grant, and a range of other early childhood support to families, providers and educators.”  

Should you have any questions related to this transition please reference our Transition FAQ’s (PDF). Should you need further support visit our Contact page where you can submit your questions. We are excited to continue this journey with you!

Prevention Initiative

The Prevention Initiative (PI) program provide voluntary, continuous, intensive, research-based, and comprehensive child development and family support services for expectant parents and families with children from birth to age 3 to help them build a strong foundation for learning and to prepare children for later school success.​

There are many examples of research-based models. Some examples include: Home Visiting services that adhere to the requirements of Baby TALK ™, Early Head Start, Healthy Families America ®, Nurse Family Partnership, Parents as Teachers ™, There are other evidence-based approved programs.  

Some programs also offer supplemental doula services. Doulas are home visitors. (Doula are trained in the program’s Home Visiting model. They have more responsibilities than doulas trained by DONA International.)

IDEC grants providers funding to directly deliver PI eligible services and also grant funds training and technical assistance to eligible training provider.

 

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Monitoring

Continuous Quality Improvement

Additional Monitoring Resources

  • Prevention Initiative ManualPDF Document(Posted May 2025)
  • FAQ: Behavior Support and Program Transition Plans​PDF Document
  • Sample Forms

  • Guidance and Information

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