Illinois Pyramid Model State Leadership Team

Early childhood education and care systems in Illinois are committed to promoting and supporting a racially equitable, inclusive, and diverse society that embraces healthy social-emotional development for all children ages birth through five and their families across settings.

Illinois envisions a racially equitable, inclusive, and diverse integrated system of professional development across early childhood education and care programs to provide ongoing information, resources, and supports for young children's social-emotional development. 

The Pyramid Model Consortium has evaluated data from years of implementation across multiple states leading the field to regard it as a sound framework for early care and education systems. In the state of Illinois, we have several data reports that speak to the Pyramid Model’s effectiveness. 

• 2021 Pyramid Model Evaluation - The full evaluation report of the sites which participated in the Illinois Pyramid Model Implementation in 2021. 

• Pyramid Model Implementation in Illinois: Where We Have Been and Where We Are Going Infographic (7/22/2021) - This infographic illustrates the past four years of implementation work, highlighting where we have been and where we are going. The implementation of the Pyramid Model leads to positive outcomes for children and families, as well as increased equity, recruitment, retention, and compensation within the workforce in Illinois.
• Pyramid Model 2018 Highlights - This poster, presented at the Pyramid Model's National Training Institute, details how Illinois has built capacity to implement the model to fidelity.
• Preliminary Preschool Development Grant-Expansion (PDG-E) Pyramid Model Pilot Evaluation - A brief evaluation report based on the first six months of the PDG-E Pyramid Model implementation. 

• Full PDG-E Pyramid Model Pilot Evaluation - The full evaluation report of the 26 PDG-E grantees who participated in the Illinois Pyramid Model Pilot from 2018-2019.
  

• 2020 Pyramid Model Evaluation - The full evaluation report of the 43 sites which participated in the Illinois Pyramid Model Implementation in 2020. 
  

• Illinois Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER I) Pyramid Model Project - Full Report (6/30/2021)- A report illustrating the impact of GEER I funds in elevating Pyramid Model implementation and collaboration across Illinois

• Pyramid Model Readiness Checklist/IECMHC Crosswalk
  
• Illinois Pyramid Model Implementation Guide (7/29/21)
  
• Master Cadre Members
  
• National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI)
• Pyramid Model Implementation Sites
  
• Readiness Checklist for Program-wide Implementation

Illinois' Pyramid Model State Leadership Team (SLT) enhances existing collaborations by bringing together a leadership team that includes multiple stakeholders. All work together to resolve state-level barriers (with training for various professional development systems based on a common model) and facilitate access to necessary interventions at the local level.

The Illinois SLT recognizes that the Pyramid Model conceptual framework emphasizes strong relationships, support for social competence, and the prevention of challenging behaviors, and is congruent with its social-emotional foundations for infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children. The Illinois SLT collaborates with the Pyramid Model Consortium to train Illinois early childhood professionals across the state in professional development systems that work together to strengthen interagency collaboration at the state and local levels.​

Having a common vision for social-emotional development across all state-wide training efforts create a cohesive and effective approach to addressing all levels of need of very young children, including those with challenging behaviors and special needs that align with Illinois' Social-Emotional Early Learning Standards.

The broad goal for the early care and education workforce is to:

1. Enhance early childhood programs' capacity to adopt the Pyramid Model.
   

2. Grow the number of high-quality trainers and coaches.
   

3. Identify and develop implementation sites.
   

4. Collect data and evaluate.​

Congratulations to those selected to the second cohort of the Pyramid Model Master Cadre! Thirteen individuals were selected in January 2020 through an application process to be part of Illinois' Pyramid Model statewide initiative. The priority of this Master Cadre is to support ISBE PFA programs across the state. The Master Cadre can offer training, technical assistance and coaching support to leadership teams who have applied to be a Pyramid Model Implementation site. By using the Pyramid Model framework, programs will become confident in their social emotional practices, reduce challenging behaviors, and reduce suspensions and eliminate expulsions. 

To view the 2020 Master Cadre Cohort, click here.