SFI Workgroups
Building Resiliency
This workgroup advises and supports the achievements of Goal 2 of the strategic plan, which focuses on building the capacity of early childhood centers in the pilot sites and across the state to effectively address smental health issues in children and adults, to mitigate the impact of trauma on young children, and to promote children’s social and emotional well-being. Its chairs are the co-chairs of the Children’s Mental Health Partnership’s Early Childhood Committee and one of its main roles is to integrate the building resiliency efforts of Strengthening Families Illinois, DCFS, and the Children’s Mental Health Partnership.
Co-Chairs:
Karen Freel, Ounce of Prevention Fund
Gaylord Gieseke, Voices for Illinois Children
Members:
Adjoa Denise Blalock, Illinois Department of Human Services
Pat Brady, Five A’s & a B
Courtney Clarke, Children’s Home + Aid
Tina Copeland, University of Illinois Chicago Child and Family Development Center
Renee Deberry, Action for Children
Reshma Desai, Illinois Violence Prevention Authority
Alvina Eineke, Kane County Health Department
Tim Gawron, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
Laura Hansen, Action for Children
Roselyn Harris, Illinois Department of Human Services
Susan Kaplan, Illinois Association for Infant Mental health
Teresa Kelly, Children’s Home + Aid
Laurie Kramer, Family Resiliency Center, Department of Human and Community Development, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Dedra Markovich, Ounce of Prevention Fund
Dawn Melchiorre, Voices for Illinois Children
Margarita Paredes, Community Care Options
John Roope, Chaddock Child and Family Center
Mark Saalfield, Chicago Children’s Museum
Karen Selman, Children’s Home + Aid
Barbara Shaw, Illinois Violence Prevention Authority, Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership
Melissa Stalets, First Step Program
Molly Steinke, Caregiver Connections
Cynthia Stringfellow, Midwest Learning Center for Family Support, Family Focus, Inc.
Anne Studzinski, Illinois Childhood Trauma Coalition
John Tschoe, Administration for Children and Families, Region V
Marlita White, Chicago Safe Start Initiative / Department fo Public Health
Laurie Wiley, CFC
Letechia Williams, Illinois Family Partnership Network
Marcia Zumbahlen, Consultant/Infant Mental Health Specialist
Communications
This workgroup advises and supports the achievement of Goal 3 of the Strategic Plan, which focuses on building awareness of Strengthening Families Illinois—its ideas and practices—and the protective factors among childcare providers, child welfare staff, and families.
Chair:
Kendall Marlowe, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
Members:
Jackie Lalley, Jacqueline Lalley Communicatyions
Kim Morris Johnson, Ounce of Prevention Fund
Julie Parente, Voices for Illinois Children
Dacelle Waters, Illinois Family Partnership Network
Letechia Williams, Illinois Family Partnership Network
Jimmie Whitelow, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
Evaluation
This workgroup is charged with developing and evaluation framework and tools for both the initiative overall and the pilot sites with the goal of documenting the impact of the Strengthening Families approach on childcare centers, child welfare agency staff, and families.
Chair:
Jamilah Jor’dan, Partnership for Quality Childcare
Members:
Nilofer Ahsan, Center for the Study of Social Policy
Debbie Bretag, Illinois Center for Violence Prevention
Hilary Freeman, Children’s Home and Aid Society of Illinois
Joan Frankel, Metropolitan Chicago Information Center
Karen Freel, Ounce of Prevention Fund
Hilary Freeman, Children’s Home + Aid
Kim Kerbat, Action for Children
Mindy Lanum, Illinois Center for Violence Prevention
Ancilla Parducci, Universtiy of Illinois Extension
Al Zwilling, University of Illinois Extension
Hub Coordinator
This workgroup is made up of the lead coordinators from each Learning Network. The group meets monthly to discuss ideas, successes, and challenges within their networks.
Members:
Donna Ashley, Crittenton Centers
Connie Boatright, Wabash Area Development, Inc. Head Start
Alex Brewington, Rockford Public Schools
Tanya Brown, Childcare Network of Evanston
Maxine DeLapp, Wabash Area Development, Inc. Head Start
Keri Hartwig, Crittenton Centers
Leslie Janes, Carole Robertson Center for Learning
Lori Longueville, Child Care Resource and Referral Agency at John A. Logan College
Lisa McCuan, Child Care Resource and Referral Agency at John A. Logan College
Ashley Tomes, Tom Thumb Community Child Care Center
Sharifa Townsend, South Cook Educational Consortium
Pilot Sites
This workgroup advises and supports the achievement of the strategic plan’s goals for the pilot sites, which include establishing learning networks of childcare centers interested in embedding the Strengthening Families approach in thir work and testing child welfare innovations.
Chair:
Joanne Kelly, Illinois Department of Human Services
Members:
Martha Arntson, Childcare Network of Evanston Donna Ashley , Crittenton Centers
Tanya Brown, Childcare Network of Evanston
Nancie Brown, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
Linda Henderson, Prevent Child Abuse Illinois
Jamilah Jor’dan, Partnership for Quality Child Care
Lori Longueville, Child Care Resource and Referral Agency, John A. Logan College
Lisa McCuan, Child Care Resource and Referral Agency, John A. Logan College
Denice Murray, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
Gail Nelson, Carole Robertson Center for Learning
Gina Ruther, Illinois Department of Human Services
Karen Selman, Children’s Home + Aid
Ashley Tomes, Tom Thumb Community Childcare Center
Professional Development and Training Workgroup
Co-Chairs:
Leonette Coates, Action for Children
Beth Knight, Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA)
Members:
Cindy Brunger, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
Ida Butler, Illinois Association for Family Child Care
Kathleen Cleary
Gail Conway, Healthy Emotions
Patti Faughn, University of Illinois Extension
Laurie Frichtl, Illinois Head Start Association
Laura Hansen, Action for Children
Linda Henderson, Prevent Child Abuse Illinois
Kay Henderson, Illinois State Board of Education
Renee Jackson, Illinois Family Partnership Network
Madelyn James, Starnet, Chicago Public Schools
Joanne Kelly, Illinois Department of Human Services
Xochitl Martirosyan, Chicago Department of Public Health
Jan Maruna, Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies
Lauri Morrison-Frictl, Illinois Head Start Association
Gail Nelson, Carole Robertson Center for Learning
Margarita Paredes, Caregiver Connections
Margie Perzynski, Midwest learning Center for Family Support
John Roope, Caregiver Connections
Mark Saalfield, Chicago Children’s Museum
Karen Selman, Children’s Home + Aid
Molly Steinke, Caregiver Connections
Cynthia Stringfellow, Midwest Learning Center for Family Support, Family Focus, Inc.
Karen Yarbrough, Ounce of Prevention Fund
Judith Zaleski, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services