Advocacy is supporting, defending, or arguing for a cause or idea in public to influence opinion, policy, and resource allocation. Our coalition is run on the advocacy of parents, providers, and passionate early childhood community members. Through toolkits, resources, events and trainings, We, the Village strives to make advocacy accessible and center family and provider voices in every early childhood decision in Illinois.
Tools and Resources
We, the Village continues to develop resources and advocacy tools to provide up-to-date information on how to engage with early childhood policy and funding on the state and federal levels. Find our latest ones below:
Advocacy Events
HB1312 Webinar Series
In December 2025, Illinois House Bill 1312 (HB1312) was signed into law. HB1312 established the Illinois Bivens Act, and banned civil immigration arrests at or near courthouses, and mandates that hospitals, universities, and licensed child care centers develop specific safety protocols in the event of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence. This webinar series was designed to support early childhood providers in understanding and implementing best practices to keep children, families, and staff safe when navigating immigration enforcement activity in their communities.
Webinar 2: Beyond HB1312 – Navigating Immigration Enforcement for Child Care Providers in IL
During this session, we focused on: Applying the HB1312 requirements shared in Webinar 1 to real-world situations, staff response protocols, and supporting children, families, and staff when managing immigration enforcement.
Webinar 1: Understanding HB1312 Safe Licensed Child Care Legislation
During this session, we focused on: An overview of HB1312 requirements for licensed child care centers, guidance on compliance and implementation, and shares best practices and resources from state agencies.
Advocacy 101 Trainings
We, the Village offers general and issue-specific early childhood Advocacy 101 trainings to organizations, coalitions, and parents / provider groups. The goal of these trainings is to ensure advocacy is accessible to all early childhood community members, so decisions reflect the lived experiences of the field.
Interested in learning more? Request a We, the Village Advocacy Training below!
Take Action!
Make your voice heard! Visit our Action Center for the latest early childhood advocacy opportunities on the state and federal level.