IFF's community planning initiative is Building Blocks

Putting Research Into Practice 

As part of its commitment to put research findings into practice, IFF has created Building Blocks, an innovative five-year initiative to improve and increase early childhood development services for working families in some of the highest-need communities throughout Illinois.

IFF’s partner on this initiative is the Grand Victoria Foundation (GVF). One of the few statewide philanthropic entities, GVF shares IFF’s goal of increasing and improving licensed care in Illinois. Using data from IFF's Moving Towards a System study, IFF and GVF have selected thirteen high-need “communities of focus” to receive essential planning and coordination, which will help in establishing unified goals and making difficult decisions about the allocation of resources. 

Building Blocks is focusing planning efforts on the following thirteen communities:

Addison Aurora Berwyn Calumet City Chicago Heights Cicero Decatur

Glendale Heights Harvey Joliet North Chicago Peoria Waukegan

Many communities will require new child care centers to help meet the substantial needs. Building Blocks brings to these communities the IFF’s 17-year experience in nonprofit financing, real estate development, management assistance, and coalition-building. Together, IFF staff work with the community to secure financial commitments, work with providers to improve their financial and organizational readiness, and lead each step of the facility development process from ground breaking to grand opening.

Communities in Motion: Cicero and Berwyn
The neighboring communities of Cicero and Berwyn have the highest unmet need for early childhood development services; that made them the right places to launch the Building Blocks initiative. A Building Blocks presentation in October 2003 brought together more than 25 community leaders to discuss the issues and begin finding solutions. These leaders now form the Early Care Planning Group for Berwyn-Cicero, a working group dedicated to increasing local capacity. Sub-committees have been formed, goals have been set, and a new vision for improved services has emerged. Already one group participant, Morton College, has taken a leadership role in working towards the vision of a new child care facility.

Community in Motion: Aurora
When enough people get on board, things start to happen. The City of Aurora has a vision for bringing new early education resources to the East Aurora community, and has been working hard to find an appropriate site. The Building Blocks team put together a preliminary plan, and anticipates that 124 children from birth to five-years old could receive full-day, full-year care at a new center. Currently, the Building Blocks team is working with the community to identify service priorities and the capital commitments needed to make an Aurora family service center a reality. 

Generating Big Impact from Small Improvements


Fresh Spaces for Learning Places
Makeovers aren’t just for reality TV. Small, affordable changes and cosmetic improvements can make a big difference to a classroom, too. Improving the condition and design of classrooms—through new flooring, fresh paint, low-noise ceilings and wall-coverings, and an innovative use of furniture and space—can dramatically improve the learning environment for both teachers and children. In addition to the community planning efforts in the thirteen communities of focus, the Building Blocks program Fresh Spaces for Learning Places offers competitive grants for classroom renovations to nonprofit licensed child care centers serving children between the ages of six weeks and five years. Providers in Champaign-Urbana and Suburban Cook Country received grants in 2004.  Additional grants will be awarded beginning in 2005.

Building Blocks is generously supported by a grant from the Grand Victoria Foundation.