Community News

Elgin, IL – 11.12.2025 – Enriching Partnerships for Early Learning (EPEL) is thrilled to share that Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is now available to all children in Kane County, including the northern communities made possible by The Follett Educational Foundation and Fox Valley United Way.

Thank you to the Follett Educational Foundation for their generous financial contribution, making it possible for children across Kane County to receive new books. We also extend our gratitude to Fox Valley United Way for their contributions and leading the effort to bring this opportunity to our community. Together, their support helps every child develop a love for reading—bridging economic and social gaps through access to books and early learning opportunities.

This new effort aligns with the Follett Educational Foundation’s mission to ensure a lasting impact on education and literacy. For 150 years, the Follett family-owned businesses in the Chicagoland area have worked to get books into the hands of students from kindergarten through higher education.

Amber Peters, Executive Director of Enriching Partnerships for Early Learning, shared, "Having access to new books provides opportunities not only to build strong foundations for learning, but also to snuggle with your child and show them how much you care while reading together. There’s nothing better for a child—or a caregiver—than that special time. EPEL looks forward to helping families access this opportunity in the communities we serve."

Together, we’re creating stronger foundations for every child!

For more information about EPEL and resources, visit: www.enrichingpartnerships.org

Contact:

Amber Peters, EPEL Executive Director

amberpeters@enrichingpartnership.org

847.452.2457

Enriching Partnerships for Early Learning Launches "The Basics Greater Elgin"
It has been two weeks since the launch of The Basics Greater Elgin. Over 200 community members have signed up to commit to building strong foundations for our youngest children.
The Basics Greater Elgin's goal is for every baby born in the Greater Elgin area to thrive and enter kindergarten ready for success in school and life. One of their key strategies is to support parents and caregivers of children 0-5, providing them with simple yet powerful principles to optimize their child’s growth and development.

Click here to see more.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought several unprecedented challenges, including the need to provide continuous healthcare coverage to Medicaid patients. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) responded to this challenge by automatically re-enrolling individuals with Medicaid insurance. However, with the coming end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, all Illinois Medicaid and Medicaid Managed Care patients will have to regularly re-enroll to continue to receive Medicaid health insurance coverage.

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Help to Literally Change Someone's Life

The Literacy Connection, an organization dedicated to adult literacy, is currently seeking local volunteers to tutor adults in Basic Reading or English as a Second Language. To learn more, attend a free one-hour orientation delivered synchronously over Zoom followed by tutor training. The tutor training is instructor-led remotely, with both online and out-of-classroom assignments and fulfills the 12-hour requirement to become a Literacy Tutor.

To register or for more information, call 847-742-6565, visit our website at elginliteracy.org to complete a Volunteer Interest Form, or email info@elginliteracy.org.