About

Elgin Partnership for Early Learning (EPEL) is building a connected community dedicated to helping young children thrive. EPEL is working to intensify the impact of local efforts that prepare children for kindergarten by integrating the partners' expertise and resources to create a unified community plan. In 2011, community partners committed to taking action by giving up individual agendas and adopting an approach called collective impact, which leverages the commitment of its partners to contribute to successful and sustainable outcomes. EPEL in collaboration with the community is working to prepare children for success in school and life. EPEL increases entry and engagement through the following objectives: Strengthens the birth to school pipeline through the implementation of a coordinated referral system. Utilizes a common messaging of “Give Me FIVE: Talk, Play, Read, Do and Write” to show unified support for children and families that “Learning Starts at Birth”. Increase parental awareness of programs and the importance of early childhood programs. Together we take action through several community initiatives to “Meet Families Where They Are” to increase awareness and access to resources as parents are a child’s first and most important teacher.