Driving system development
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According to the Community Systems Development (CSD) subcommittee of the Illinois Early Learning Council, community systems building is the ongoing process of developing the structures, behaviors, and connections that make all the components of a system operate as a whole, to promote shared results for children and families.
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At a local level, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and other partners work in collaboration to focus and align their work, and develop shared processes to achieve common outcomes that also advance the work of each organization. Partners use common data to design and implement systems change in small iterative cycles that adjust as system parts interact. By working to advance a shared community agenda, organizations also improve their own systems and, as a result, may also inform larger system improvements".
Members of the Southern Illinois Coalition for Children and Families are actively involved in building strong community systems throughout the fifteen county area in southern Illinois . In 2019 the Coalition participated in the ISBE funded Collaboration Institute. In partnership with Illinois Action for Children, and Partner Plan Act, The initiative provided a system of statewide supports for early childhood community systems development. Supports included training, technical assistance, and coaching. Like many agencies and programs, much of the Coalition's "work" was put on hold during the COVI19 pandemic. Coalition leaders took advantage of this time to reset/ refine their focus. With funds from the Grand Victoria Foundation, Coalition leaders have worked closely with the world renowned Tamarack Institute on a year long process of assessment, exploration and strategic planning. New strategic priorities have been identified and Action Teams launched.
Some great resources for our partners about Community Systems Building