Data summit, 2025A Look at our children’s wellbeing GROWING UP Strong
A Look at the Health and Wellbeing of our Region’s Children with presentations from Alignment Rockford on the 2025 Early Development Instrument, Advance Illinois of the State We’re In Report, and many other local, statewide and national partners.
What we know
Shapes our Action
“If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions”— Albert Einstein
Understanding the nature of a problem or challenge is the most important part of solving it. That’s why we have invited dozens of institutions, organizations, and agencies together to shed light on what our community data and trends have to tell us about the assets and needs of our regional youth. Hear from Alignment Rockford for the release of the brand new 2025 Early Development Instrument (EDI) data. Hear about the state of K-12 education regionally and across the State of Illinois from our partners at Advance Illinois who will be sharing the newly-released 2025 State We’re In report. Learn from UCLA’s Data Informed Futures and Social Innovation Lab about trends in youth wellbeing across EDI sites nationwide, and through other data. Find out about the recently-published Illinois State Board of Education’s Childhood Adversity Index from data analysts at Chapin Hall, University of Chicago, who built the index. And hear from local agencies, organizations, and stakeholders about issues affecting the opportunities of our youth.
Growing Up Strong will be a powerful day of learning, sharing, and working together in an effort to understand more about the current state of our youth, and the ways that we can affect change together for impact.
Register today. Seats are limited.
Thursday, November 20, 2025
AGENDA
8:30 AM Doors Open
9:00 AM Opening Remarks, Superintendents
9:30 AM Early Development Instrument (EDI) Data
11:00 AM Morning Breakout Sessions
Noon Lunch and EDI Gallery Walk
1:00 PM Advance Illinois State We’re In Report
2:15 PM Afternoon Breakout Sessions
3:30 PM Closing Activities
Join us for networking following the closing activities
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY
Alignment Rockford, UCLA Data Informed Futures
Release and Data Walk through of the Early Development Instrument, 2025
Advance Illinois: The State We’re In Report 2025
School District Reports by superindentends
Early Development Instrument Interactive Gallery Walk
Topical Breakout Sessions led by local, state, and national experts
FEATURED PRESENTATIONS
Alignment rockford and ucla present the Early development Instrument data for 2025
This cornerstone presentation will unveil the 2025 Early Development Instrument (EDI) results for Winnebago County, offering a neighborhood-level picture of how young children are developing as they enter kindergarten. The EDI measures key domains of early development—including physical health, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication—and helps communities understand where children are thriving and where more support is needed.
Presenters
Josh Bader and Efren Aguilar, UCLA
Emily Klonicki and Jillisa Bondurant, Alignment Rockford
Jaclyn Vasquez, Early Childhood Equity Advocate
Ballroom
Advance ilLINOIS presents findings from the state We're In report, 2025
Presented by Advance Illinois, this session will share findings from the 2025 State We’re In report—an in-depth look at how Illinois is performing across the full education continuum, from early childhood through postsecondary. The report highlights both progress and persistent disparities, offering insight into how communities like Rockford can align local action with statewide priorities.
Presenters
Kelsey Bakken, Advance Illinois
Ballroom
MORNING Breakout Sessions
11:00 am-noon
Data for Change: How Programs Use Data to Make Significant Impact in Our Community
Sustainable change requires persistent effort. These organizations have made significant impact in our community by utilizing data and remaining steadfast to their missions.
Presenters
Jennifer Cacciapaglia, City of Rockford
Danielle Potter, Rockford Park District
Kim Nelson, Ready to Learn
Jessica Iasparo, United Way of Rock River Valley
Ballroom
ThRiving Neighborhoods, Strong Communities: Equity and Quality of Life Where We Live
A discussion on how neighborhood equity, housing, and municipal investment shape community wellbeing—featuring insights from the National Neighborhood Equity Index and ISBE’s Children’s Adversity Index.
Presenters
Josh Bader, UCLA Data Informed Futures
Kiljoong Kim, Chapin Hall, University of Chicago
Ron Clewer, Housing and Local Level Strategies
Nelson Room
Strong Bodies, Strong Minds: Childhood Health and Mental Health
A discussion on children’s physical and mental health across our region, highlighting data and strategies from the Health Atlas, Regional Health Council Annual Report, IPLAN priorities, and YMCA community wellness initiatives.
Presenters
Jason Holcomb, Region 1 Planning Council
Shelton Kay, Rockford Regional Health Council
Dr. Sandra Martell, Winnebago County Health Department
Brent Pentenberg, YMCA of Rock River Valley
Munthe Room
AFTERNOON Breakout Sessions
2:15-3:15 pm
Breakouts will be panel presentations by local, state, and national experts.
Advancing for action: policy and advocacy around youth issues
How do we move from data to action at the systems level? This session brings together leaders from Advance Illinois, Illinois Action for Children/We the Village, and the Illinois Department of Early Childhood for a conversation on translating evidence into policy.
Presenters
Cheryl Flores, Advance Illinois
Neoma Nagahawatte and Celia Bartel We the Village/ Illinois Action for Children
Maya Portillo, Illinois Department of Early Childhood
Ballroom
Adversity to resilience: Juvenile justice, crime, domestic violence and the ISBE adversity Index
This session will examine how adversity shapes the lives of young people—and how systems can respond with resilience. Panelists will explore the intersections of juvenile justice, crime, and domestic violence, and discuss strategies for building healing-centered approaches across the community
Presenters
Megan Hawkinson, ROE 4
Kiljoong Kim, Chapin Hall, University of Chicago
Taryn Marko, Deputy Director of Juvenile Probation, 17th Circuit
Nelson Room
WELCOMING NEWCOMERS: IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE SERVICES FOR YOUTH
As immigration and refugee populations continue to grow, schools and service providers are facing new challenges—from language access and family stability to trauma support and cultural adaptation. This session explores how communities can respond.
Presenters
State Representative Dave Vella with Ricardo Montoya Picazo and Joan Velazquez
Diego Valdlivia , La Voz Latina
Holly Sammons, Rock Valley College–Immigration and Refugee Office
Munthe Room
Light breakfast refreshments will be served in the morning.
Lunch will be served at noon.
Please register in advance.
SUPPORT Alignment rockford
WHAT IS READY TO LEARN?
Ready to Learn is a community-wide early childhood initiative comprised of organizations, businesses, and individuals. To learn more about our partnerships, visit our Partners and Sponsors page.
HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?
Be a part of the Ready to Learn Initiative! Host a Ready to Learn Space, become a facilitator for family classes, or help us reach more families!
HOW CAN I SUPPORT?
DONATE! Research shows the return on investment for early childhood is higher than any other age group. For every dollar invested in early childhood, $13 is saved in intervention.
Thank you to our Sponsors
