Advocate of the week: April Janney

 

One of the leading advocacy groups in Illinois is Illinois Action for Children, with a rallying mission statement:

 We are a catalyst and champion for real change and better life outcomes for children and families in Illinois.

This organization provides direct services to families, locates resources for families and educators, involves the local community to support young children, collaborates with policymakers and legislators to improve all aspects of early childhood, and conducts research to make evidence-based recommendations for enhancing early childhood education (Illinois Action for Children, n.d.). It takes a lot of organization and commitment to head up such a worthy organization, and April Janney has what it takes. As the CEO of Illinois Action for Children, April is dedicated to improving the lives of young children.

April comes from the West Side of Chicago, one of twelve children. She was the first, and only, one in her family to graduate from college, achieving a Bachelor's Degree from Chicago State and a  Master’s degree from Roosevelt University. She has worked tirelessly for the education and lives of young children. After graduating, she went on to take on leadership roles:

·       Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, Assistant Vice President of Operations and Regional Service Director

·       Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Regional Service Director

·       Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, Senior Vice President of Operations

·       Illinois Action for Children, Vice President of Operations

·       Illinois Action for Children, President and CEO

·       Illinois Action for Children, Chief Executive Officer (Current role)

Together with staff at Illinois Action for Children, she adapted programs during the pandemic to continue supporting over 150,000 Illinois children and families, and more than 20,000 providers. IAFC under April’s leadership focuses on every level of advocacy and support for children from birth to age 5. IAFC operates four Head Start Early Learning Centers in Cook County, Illinois, serving nearly 1,100 children and partnering with dozens more centers.  IAFC is the largest administrator of the Child Care Assistance Program in Illinois, which assists low-income families to afford quality childcare so that parents can work or attend school. During fiscal year 2024, CCAP served 63,447 families and over 105,000 children in Cook County (CauseIQ, n.d.).

April herself is an outspoken advocate for early childhood education, working to improve policies that give greater access and funding to early care. She is a member of the Illinois Early Learning Council, whose goals are to make sure the needs of all Illinois children are represented. She is a champion of the Early Childhood Emerging Leaders Fellowship, which focuses on alleviating the teacher shortage in Early Childhood Education by building leadership skills in EC professionals. April started programs such as the Healthy Food Program and Mental Health Consultation Services. In 2024, over 7,900 children and families received referrals for these nutrition and mental health resources. The North Lawndale Early Learning Collaboration works directly with schools and families to address issues like chronic absenteeism.

Close to April’s heart, IFAC runs the public policy and advocacy program that organizes more than 8,600 early childhood advocates across Illinois and connects them to elected officials to address issues and challenges in the early childhood field, including expanded access for all Illinois families. IFAC models early learning programs to make early education available to young children in child care, preparing them to succeed when they start school. This work has included creating a national model for providing preschool to children in home-based child care, as well as finding funding to bring certified teachers, child development experts, nutrition, literacy training, and materials into these child care homes.

April has a “whole child, family, and community" approach, and wants to build a stronger future for the state's most vulnerable children. She has spoken about her work as a way of "contributing to a better society—planting strong, fruitful trees to benefit generations that I may not have the honor of knowing." She aims to empower families and communities to be part of the solution in any program, with the support of organizations such as IFAC. In 2024, IFAC offered 489 training sessions and workshops to more than 8,000 participants to further the skills of educators of Illinois’ youngest children (CauseIQ, n.d.).  

IFAC, and April, face challenges to their goals. Funding cuts by the federal administration have reduced the number of Early Childhood Education and Care scholarships, further limiting the number of high-quality educators entering the early childhood field and putting the goal of expanding preschool seats at risk. Government shutdown and layoffs have led to delays in background checks and licensing, which in turn cause delays in hiring (Illinois Action for Children Responds to Fiscal Year 2026 State Budget and Spring Legislative Recap, N.d.-b). This, combined with the low pay and often challenging conditions faced by early childhood educators, can make consistent care difficult. There is still a shortage of preschool seats and quality, affordable childcare, particularly infant care and care during non-traditional hours.  IFAC’s own Child Care Assistance Program has strict eligibility rules, which can make it difficult for families to quality or stay in the program. 

April has been working in the early childhood field for more than 30 years, advocating for improved outcomes for Illinois children, families, and educators. Her leadership shows what’s possible when experience, passion, and vision come together. With over 30 years advocating for Illinois children, families, and educators, she’s transforming early childhood education, one policy, one program, and one classroom at a time. Under her guidance, Illinois Action for Children is not just supporting kids; it is shaping a future where every child has the opportunity to thrive. If anyone can face the challenges and make IFAC an even stronger advocate for the early childhood community, April can. April’s leadership proves that experience, dedication, and vision can transform entire systems. We can’t wait to see what IFAC and April have in store for Illinois.

April can be contacted at https://www.linkedin.com/in/apriljanney or
janneya@actforchildren.org

 

References

April Janney Profile. (n.d.). Home [Profiles]. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/apriljanney

Cause, I. Q. (n.d.). Illinois Action for Children financials for 2024 [Data set].https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/illinois-action-for-children,362712912/

Illinois Action for Children. (n.d.). Actforchildren.org. https://www.actforchildren.org/team-bio/april-janney/#:~:text=CEO,Education%20from%20Chicago%20State%20University.

Illinois Action for Children Responds to Fiscal Year 2026 State Budget and Spring Legislative Recap. (N.d.-b). Actforchildren.org. https://www.actforchildren.org/news-and-press/fy26-legislative-session-full-response/#:~:text=Demand%20for%20ECACE%20continues%20to,educators%20needed%20to%20lead%20classrooms.&text=During%20this%20legislative%20session%2C%20IAFC,staff%20with%20cleared%20background%20checks