The Basics is a community-wide strategy to support vibrant learning and brain development in children from birth to age five, helping children grow, learn, and thrive.
Growing Across Illinois
As the Basics Illinois Network continues to grow by adding communities across Illinois, it works to help every family in Illinois support every child in reaching their full potential.
The Basics Illinois Network
The Basics Illinois Network is a professional learning community and system of support for Basics communities in Illinois. It connects communities to The Basics Learning Network while recognizing the diverse and individual needs of communities across Illinois.
The Basics Illinois is led by the DeKalb Regional Office of Education and includes multiple licensed communities. It also welcomes any Illinois community interested in learning more about or implementing The Basics.
The Basics Strategy
The Basics is a community-wide strategy grounded in a public health approach to early childhood development. In each licensed community, a local backbone organization works with partners across sectors to raise awareness and build capacity around how young children learn and grow.
Together, these partners engage parents and caregivers with information and supports for incorporating The Basics Principles into everyday family routines.
The Basics Principles
The Basics Principles are research-based principles that combine scientific rigor with comprehensive coverage of key domains of early childhood development. They are simple enough to commit to memory and use regularly in everyday interactions.
Maximize Love, Manage Stress
Talk, Sing, and Point
Count, Group, and Compare
Read and Discuss Stories