Children's Museum in Oak Lawn teams up for new birth to 5 resource hub

Chicago Tribune

3 days ago

The Children's Museum in Oak Lawn has long been a resource for area parents looking for fun and educational experiences for their kids. Now they're taking that mission online and expanding it, teaming with other area organizations to host the Early Childhood Resource Hub.
The Early Childhood Resource Hub, at www.cmoaklawn.org/resource-hub, helps parents of children up to age five find early intervention services, educational programs, health resources and other important support for those early years so vital to an individual's development.
Other organizations that participated in developing the site, include Birth to Five Illinois, Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 and its Early Learning program and the Illinois Resource Center. Birth to Five Illinois funded the project with a $12,500 grant, which covered its creation, design and a part-time staff person to manage the data.
'We've been doing a lot of work in early children with our Wee Ones program and it just seemed like kind of a natural fit for us to take the lead on it,' said Adam Woodworth, executive director of the museum, who added the Birth to Five Illinois Region 1-B-C Action Council had the resource hub idea in place when he joined that council about a year ago.
Woodworth said parents might not know where to turn when they need help for their kids.
'I think everybody talks about getting ready for kindergarten and investing in these birth- to-five years before they get there,' Woodworth said. 'A lot of parents don't know where to go when they need help.
'There really hasn't been anything like this that has existed … it does now because we created it.'
The museum and the other organizations involved are trying to get the word out and also let reputable young children's organizations know they can be listed on the web site.
Ashonti Jackson, regional council manager for Birth to Five Illinois-Region 1-B-C, which supports all of south Cook County, said the new resource hub was sorely needed.
'Families and caregivers in Region 1-B-C have repeatedly shared their struggle with the lack of awareness and access to critical services,' Jackson said. 'Can you imagine how frustrating it is to search for help, only to be sent to two or three different places before finding the right support?
'The Resource Hub changes that. It brings everything into one centralized space, making it easier for families to get what they need and for community partners to connect, collaborate, and build a stronger support system that truly puts families first.'
Christine Fuller, director of the Early Learning Center at District 123, who is also on the Birth to Five Forum of South Cook County, said she was one of several administrators who wanted to be sure parents had access to helpful resources in the region.
'I think this is very important because it continues to help families figure out where resources are in their community easily,' Fuller said. 'We know that over 90% of a child's brain is developed before age 5, so we need to make sure children are maximizing all the resources we have in our community.'
Fuller said she knew finding the right help could sometimes be a cumbersome process.
'Ultimately it's a beautiful thing if families know where their local preschool is because then they don't have to jump through a lot of hoops to figure it out,' Fuller said. 'I hope it streamlines the experience of families struggling with where to go.'
She also said the museum was a good place for the information.
'The Children's Museum is a very open, free-spirited and welcoming environment where children go to play,' Fuller said. 'When you're doing those things and it's like 'Oh, by the way, we have this resource — how great is that?'