little girl with dandelion

Illinois Head Start Community Stories

page banner for illiinois head start community stories


Families and staff across Illinois Head Start and Early Head Start programs are sharing how increased enforcement activity in their communities affects daily life.

These stories focus on real experiences—attendance challenges, changes in family engagement, stress on children, and the extra work programs do to support families. Identifying details have been removed to protect privacy.

The purpose of sharing these stories is awareness and understanding.

Privacy first

Stories are reviewed and edited to remove names, locations, dates, or details that could identify a person, family, or program. We do not publish information that could put anyone at risk.

Why these stories are shared

These stories help illustrate how broader policies and enforcement practices show up in everyday life for children, families, and Head Start programs.


Collection of Stories and Experiences