Rock Island Community Priorities
The All Our Kids (AOK) Network is a community-based collaboration that consists of people who share a common interest in helping families get the best start in life. Knowing that individual efforts are not enough, AOK Network partners work together to connect and coordinate services as they address current child and family priorities.
The AOK Networks uses system-building strategies to improve service access, equity, capacity, quality, and families' satisfaction with services. As a result of working together, Network partners generate even greater outcomes for healthy pregnancies, children birth to five, and their families.
The Rock Island County AOK Network started in June 2008 by the Early Childhood Coalition and is part of a system of AOK Networks across the state of Illinois. Find out more about AOKs across Illinois here!
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AOK Network partners work within their community to address system issues and local child and family priorities that transcend typical programmatic approaches. Together AOK Network partners share responsibility for planning, decision-making, action, and accountability of a more comprehensive early childhood system of services and supports.
From 2011-2012 the Rock Island County AOK Network conducted a comprehensive local planning process to identify and plan around strategic approaches to selected areas of high collaborative priority in our local community. To then include a Community Wide Needs Assessment in 2018.
These priority areas include network capacity, coordinated referral system, culturally competent workforce development, responsiveness to emerging community needs, social and emotional learning supports, and information and referral. To see how the local AOK Network worked toward those goals, please click here.
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Please see below for local priority descriptions:
Network Capacity
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The Rock Island County AOK Network will have deeper engagement of Network partners as evidenced by 1) formalized partner relationships, 2) higher levels of understanding of Network structure and function, 3) cross-sector partnerships, 4) communication loops around engagement levels, 5) and engaged collaborative leaders.
Coordinated Referral System
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The Rock Island County AOK Network will develop and support a coordinated referral system to meet the needs of local early childhood service providers in making more effective referrals and be responsive to the needs of Rock Island County families.
Culturally Competent Workforce Development
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The Rock Island County AOK Network will support the early childhood workforce to offer culturally competent and responsive services to children and families.
Responsiveness to Emerging Community Needs
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The Rock Island County AOK Network will work with community partners to stay aware of and responsive to community needs. Current areas of exploration and discussion include continuous quality improvement in early care and education services and social emotional learning needs of young children.
Social and Emotional Learning Supports
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The Rock Island County AOK Network will support service providers, families, and the community in identifying and developing social emotional learning supports for young children and families through developing community and family understanding of children’s positive mental health.
Information and Referral
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The AOK Network partners will ensure the Family Yellow Pages and Food Resource guide contains accurate information through annual comprehensive update efforts and distribute them to community members.
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