DeKalb County Collaborative for Young Children

The DeKalb County Collaborative for Young Children (DCCYC) is a cross-sector collaborative that uses a collective impact model, believing that no single organization can transform the early childhood landscape on its own.

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Mission:

Support an equitable early learning system through county-wide collaboration of organizations that partner with families and communities to impact the optimal development of children.

Vision:

 

All DeKalb County children have equitable opportunities to be prepared for school and life success.

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Core Beliefs

  • Child development includes wholistic wellness and can be positively impacted.
  • Inequities in early life negatively impact children's learning outcomes.
  • Families are the child's first teachers.
  • The collaboration of schools, early childhood educators, families, community service providers, and policymakers improves access to high-quality early learning opportunities.

Strategic Plan

The DCCYC utilizes a hub structure with a dedicated Steering Committee that provides strategic leadership and oversight to ensure the collaborative is responsive to family needs and maintains fidelity to the strategic plan, with the DeKalb County Regional Office of Education serving as the backbone organization.

Work Groups

Icons with descriptions of each work group. Coordinated Intake for Home Visiting: supporting a single point of entry for families to access home visiting and increasing organizational referral partners. Kindergarten Readiness Toolkits: Planning, assembling, and encouraging distribution of Kindergarten Readiness Toolkits. Early Childhood Education and Care: Reducing the slot gap in early childhood education and care programs.
Work Groups continued. The Basics Community Ambassadors: supporting greater saturation of The Basics in DeKalb County. Healthy Beginnings: supporting the physical health and development of children and their families. Family Engagement: Incorporating family voice into the work through existing family advisory groups and creating materials for families. Innovation and Sustainability: marketing, recruiting, and sustaining the DCCYC.

Are you interested in joining the work? 

DCCYC Interest Form
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"What none of us can achieve alone, all of us can achieve together."

 Dr. Ron Ferguson, Founder of the The Basics

The Basics DeKalb County

The DCCYC is the early adopter and proud supporter of The Basics - an early relational health strategy that supports parents as their child's first teacher through five fun and powerful principles of early brain growth. Everyone has the opportunity to do The Basics with children aged 0 to 5 years old. The Basics DeKalb County is the local initiative that provides resources for families and partner organizations.

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The Basics Vision and History

Early Learning and Brain Development

The Basics Principles

The Strategy

Institutional Funders

The DCCYC has a formal memorandum of understanding with Birth to Five Illinois Region 16 and actively participates in the Regional Council. Birth to Five Illinois is also an institutional funder of the DCCYC through a subcontract.

The DeKalb County Community Foundation has been an institutional funder of the DCCYC since its inception.

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Partnership Projects

DeKalb County Mental/Behavioral Health Resource Directory

This directory was compiled by the Birth to Five Illinois Region 16 Action and Family Councils. It is meant to be a support to any community member looking for mental and behavioral services in DeKalb County. It is not conclusive - if there is a resource missing or that need updating, please complete this form.

Kindergarten Readiness Toolkits

Through support and partnership between the DeKalb County Community Foundation, School Toolbox, Thrivent, and the DeKalb County ROE, every school district has the opportunity to request and provide Kindergarten Readiness Toolboxes for each incoming kindergarten student. Please contact your school district with questions.

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