About Us

Incorporated in 2016, the Coalition is a cross-sector collaboration of agencies and individuals dedicated to working together to improve the quality of life for young children and their families in southern Illinois.

Our History

Driving Systems Development

By aligning their work, and developing shared processes to achieve common outcomes, Coalition members drive systems development that also advances the work of their own organization. Partners use common data to design and implement systems change in small iterative cycles that adjust as system parts interact.

Research-based frameworks

The Southern Illinois Coalition for Children and Families utilizes both the Collective Impact and Strengthening Families frameworks in their efforts.

Through systems development, members can not only advance a shared community agenda but also improve and strengthen their own programs. Coalition members are actively involved in building strong community systems at the regional level and in local communities throughout an eighteen-county
area in southern Illinois.

Strengthening Families

Today’s families face many challenges. Support to overcome those challenges helps keep the family strong. The Southern Illinois Coalition for Children and Families implements the Strengthening Families approach in its work to build the following protective factors in families.

Strengthening Families is a framework developed by the Center for the Study for Social Policy over the last decade to prevent child abuse and neglect. This approach provides a valuable framework to help child welfare systems, early education and other programs work with parents.

Enhancing parental resilience

Providing an array of social connections

Providing parents with concrete support in times of need

Facilitating knowledge of parenting and child development

Supporting healthy social & emotional development in young children

Collective Impact Approach

Partners in the coalition have a long history of collaborating with one another on special projects and initiatives. However, the Coalition’s work goes beyond traditional collaboration and utilizes a Collective Impact approach for community systems building.

To put it simply, Collective Impact is when a group of individuals, agencies or programs from different sectors commit to a common agenda for solving one or more complex social problem. This is done by coordinating efforts and working together around a clearly defined goal/goals.

Leadership & Governance

In the Fall of 2025, the Coalition changed its governance structure to align with its 501c3 status. Oversight of the Coalition is now the responsibility of the Coalition’s 7 member Board of Directors, elected by its members.

Child Care Resource and Referral serves as its backbone agency.

A number of agencies/ programs have made a commitment to provide resources to support the Coalition’s work. This includes financial support or staff serving on action teams or work groups.

About the Governing Board of Directors

Members & Minutes

Action Team Members and Participants

The Coalition’s members are an actively engaged and committed group of educators, social service providers, business owners, and community leaders. They work together on Action Teams and participate in Coalition initiatives or events designed to move the work forward.

View our list of Members