Resources

Community resources for McHenry County families.

Trusted local, state, and national organizations — plus guides created by O&A staff.

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General Information & Services

  • Service, Inc. (external link)

    Service, Inc. is the Independent Service Coordination agency for McHenry County. They are the entry point for all services through the Illinois Division of Developmental Disabilities. As such, they complete intakes and updates for PUNS.

  • NISRA (external link)

    The Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association provides year-round recreation activities for people with disabilities.

  • Gigi's Playhouse (external link)

    Gigi's Playhouses are Down syndrome awareness and educational centers that provide resources, specialized teaching, and support to individuals with Down syndrome, their families, and the community.

  • Division of Specialized Care for Children (external link)

    Illinois Title V agency that provides care coordination for families and children with special health care needs. DSCC, helps children with disabilities, and those who have conditions which may lead to disabilities, grow and develop to the full extent of their abilities.

  • NAMI McHenry County (external link)

    NAMI MCH offers an array of services, at NO Cost, including one-on-one peer support, support groups, educational classes, workshops, trainings, community presentations, wellness programs and advocacy. These services draw on the lived experience of individuals who have experienced mental illness in their lives.

  • Equip for Equality (external link)

    Equip for Equality works to empower people with disabilities to advocate for themselves and their families in Illinois.

  • Youth and Family Center of McHenry County (external link)

    Youth and Family Center of McHenry County envisions a collaborative community that provides equal opportunities, resources, and support to all individuals in McHenry County.

  • CASA of McHenry County (external link)

    Bring hope to children who have experienced abuse and neglect. Together, we can advocate for their safety, well-being, and future success.

  • Senior Services Associates, Inc. (external link)

    Senior Services Associates, Inc. is a non-profit agency dedicated to sustaining and improving the quality of life for individuals age 60 and older, the disabled, and their caregivers by providing access to the social services they need.

  • LGBTQIA+ Resources (external link)

    This website includes different supports and resources for individuals and their families that are part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

  • Options & Advocacy YouTube Channel (external link)

    A great place to find videos on O&A programming as well as tips & strategies!

Infants & Young Children

  • Early Childhood Network (ECN)

    The Early Childhood Network (ECN) of McHenry County is a community-based collaboration that is committed to ensuring a high-quality, well-coordinated, easily-accessible system of care that will promote positive growth and development for children birth to age five and their families.

  • ECN Shared Referral Form (English) (document)

    The shared referral form for the Early Childhood Network of McHenry County.

  • ECN Shared Referral Form (Spanish) (document)

    The Spanish language shared referral form for the Early Childhood Network of McHenry County.

  • Early Childhood Screening Calendar (document)

    Information regarding all developmental screening opportunities in McHenry County for children birth to age five.

  • Early Intervention Clearinghouse (external link)

    The Illinois Early Intervention (EI) Clearinghouse identifies and collects research-based and best-practice early intervention information to share with families. This is a library system for parents, EI professionals, and educators. Located in Champaign, Illinois, items can be checked out from the Clearinghouse free of charge. They mail the items to you, and many times you can return the items to your local library instead of mailing them back. They have books, periodicals, magazines, videos, and training materials on various delays and disabilities.

  • McHenry County Head Start (external link)

    Information regarding Head Start preschool services for McHenry County residents between the ages of 3 and 5.

  • 4-C: Community Coordinated Child Care (external link)

    4-C is a private not-for-profit social service agency that helps families and childcare providers by offering services and resources that include Child Care Financial Assistance, Resource and Referral for Child Care, Parent and Provider Professional Development, the Child Care Food Program, Family Support as well as nursing, social work, mental health, Quality and Infant Toddler Specialists.

  • StarNet Region II (external link)

    Illinois StarNet is a support and technical assistance regional network. They provide training, assistance, and resources to parents of young children with special needs and professionals in the early childhood community. Region II services north and west suburban Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and Mchenry Counties.

  • Zero to Three (external link)

    Zero to Three is a national nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. They have a wide array of information on child development available on their website.

  • Pathways (external link)

    Pathways provides free and trusted resources to identify early motor, sensory, communication, and feeding delays while also offering information to help all babies.

  • Kids In Need of McHenry County (external link)

    Provides a variety of programming aiming to provide kids in need the important resources necessary for a happy and health childhood, including the Family Visitation & Resource Home.

  • Sensory Processing Basics (external link)

    Susie Nevin presenting on Sensory Processing. The video is an overview of the sensory system; how adults and children process their environment and make sense of their world; what it looks like when it’s going well; what it looks like when children are struggling and functioning breaks down; the debate of “Is it sensory? Is it behavior?”; and strategies to help our children.

Education

  • Early Intervention to Early Childhood FAQ (document)

    This FAQ document was created by O&A staff to address some of the most common parent questions related to the transition from Early Intervention to school district Early Childhood programs at age 3.

  • The Parent Guide (external link)

    This book, published by the Illinois State Board of Education, is an excellent one-stop-shop for learning about special education laws and processes!

  • What Parents Need to Know (external link)

    This training module was created by one of our own ARC Educational Advocates and provides all of the information that a parent may need to know about the special education system in Illinois!

Not sure where to start?

For evaluations, screenings, or to get started in any of our programs, complete a referral today — or call 815-477-4720.

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