The Elgin City Council on Jan. 8 approved multi‑year support for two local education organizations that city leaders say feed into workforce development and school readiness.

Alignment Collaborative for Education (ACE) — Nancy Coleman, ACE executive director, described ACE’s growth and its work connecting employers and schools across multiple districts, including U‑46 and Elgin Community College. Coleman highlighted a paid summer internship program that expanded from 52 to 146 students and reiterated the organization’s focus on high‑school–level work‑based learning and teacher‑pipeline development. Council discussion focused on capacity, school‑district contributions and measurable outcomes. The council approved the funding motion described in the meeting as approximately $120,000 over three years; the roll call recorded one abstention by Council member Dixon and the motion passed 6–0 with one abstention.

Elgin Partnership for Early Learning (EPEL) — Amber Peters, EPEL executive director, presented data on kindergarten readiness and explained EPEL’s new Basics of Greater Elgin initiative, a community‑wide messaging and family support effort aimed at improving school readiness in the birth‑to‑five period. Peters described EPEL’s community programs (playgroups, mobile outreach at laundromats and food‑distribution sites), a text‑message service for parents and partnerships with libraries and health providers. Council approved a three‑year commitment to provide $40,000 a year to EPEL; the motion carried unanimously, 7–0.

Why it matters: Council members framed the two items as complementary pieces of a cradle‑to‑career strategy—EPEL works on early‑childhood readiness while ACE focuses on high‑school pathways into local jobs and apprenticeships. Staff and the presenters emphasized the need to scale internship slots, address transportation and staffing for classrooms, and continue partnership funding from school districts and other funders.

Procedural note: The ACE funding line was phrased inconsistently in the transcript; staff should confirm the precise contract language and dollar amounts in the executed agreement. The roll call in the meeting transcript recorded Council member Dixon as abstaining on the ACE funding motion.