Representatives from Versafy Illinois asked the Iroquois County Board during public comment to help publicize a centralized network of early-childhood referrals and to support expanded mental and behavioral health supports for children and early-childhood workers.

Liz Gibson, regional council manager for Versafy Illinois, said her office — one of 39 across the state — has worked three years in the region identifying local early-childhood needs and building supports. She told the board Versafy’s goals include a centralized community network for early-childhood information and referrals, mental-health supports for children and the workforce, and targeted outreach for parents of children ages 8 and younger.

Gibson said the group will forward a brief timeline and recommendations to the board and encouraged members to visit Versafy’s website and contact the regional office in Bradley for more information. "We need to work to make sure that we're getting that information out to our families and to our workforce because the children, they're our future," Gibson said.

Why it matters: county support for outreach and referral networks could improve access to early-childhood services and behavioral-health resources for children and providers in Iroquois County.

Next steps: Versafy representatives left informational materials with the board and offered to meet with county staff in person or by Zoom to follow up; the group’s contact information was included in materials distributed to board members.