Kane County

Contact Info

Network Coordinator: Lorena Nunez Gonzalez 630-444-3098 NunezLorena@KaneCountyIL.gov

Family Engagement Specialist: Cindy Rodriguez 224-238-1050 rodriguezcindy@KaneCountyIL.gov

Address: Kane County Health Department
1240 N Highland Ave
Aurora, IL 60506

About Us:

The Kane County All Our Kids (AOK) Network is a long-standing community collaboration that brings together organizations, agencies, community members, and businesses united by a shared vision: ensuring all children are born healthy, stay healthy, and enter kindergarten ready to learn. For more than 25 years, the network has driven collective action, engaging over 100 local organizations representing 16 sectors to strengthen systems of support for children and families across Kane County.

Spread out along the Fox River, Kane County is expansive with the highest priority areas concentrated in the county’s northern and southern regions. Kane County’s 520,997 residents live in a variety of settings including urban, suburban, and rural. The county features one of the most diverse populations in Illinois, with nearly one in three residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino. Families here face significant challenges, including a child poverty rate of over 14%, language barriers impacting more than 60,000 residents, untreated mental health conditions, and high rates of substance use disorders. Despite these issues, the community has consistently demonstrated a strong spirit of collaboration and mutual support.

Our Work:

Following a community assessment that began in 2024, the Network identified opportunities to improve coordination among providers and increase access to developmental screenings and early intervention services. In response, AOK has invested in advancing technology solutions that strengthen connections between families and services.

Collaboration extends beyond meetings and information sharing. AOK has created practical, shared infrastructure that allows organizations to coordinate more effectively, reduce duplication, and improve how families access services across the community.

A key component of this work is the launching of the IRIS web-based referral platform. Now in its fifth year of implementation, IRIS has transformed how organizations connect families to services across Kane County, facilitating more than 15,000 referrals while improving communication, coordination, and follow-up among partner agencies. By leveraging a shared referral system, organizations can work together more efficiently, and families experience a more seamless pathway to the supports they need.

Rather than having organizations independently develop separate processes and technology systems, AOK leads a shared approach focused on streamlining communication, strengthening collaboration, and improving access for families.

Building on this success, AOK recently launched ASQ Online to expand access to developmental screenings and strengthen the county’s ability to track, monitor, and report screening outcomes. This technology creates a more streamlined process for families and providers while generating valuable data that helps identify needs, measure impact, and inform future system improvements.

By continuing to implement IRIS and launching ASQ Online, AOK Kane County is modernizing the way developmental screenings and referrals are completed and tracked across partner organizations. Families can complete screenings more easily, providers can coordinate services more efficiently, and shared systems help community partners work together more effectively. Shared systems and collaboration connect community partners more effectively. Without this coordinated effort, organizations would be left to develop these systems independently, creating inconsistent processes and additional barriers for families seeking support.

Technology is only one component of AOK’s approach to strengthening the early childhood system. To ensure that programs, services, and initiatives are shaped by the voices of families and responsive to community needs the AOK Network has engaged eight Parent Ambassadors from diverse communities across Kane County as Network partners. Drawing on their lived experience, these parent leaders help inform network priorities, connect families to resources, provide peer support, and facilitate Parent Cafés that foster meaningful connections among caregivers. AOK also advances children’s social-emotional well-being through ongoing ACEs and resilience presentations delivered to educators, healthcare providers, home visitors, social workers, and other community partners, helping build awareness of trauma-informed practices and the importance of early childhood mental health.

As a convener, connector, and innovator, AOK continues to strengthen Kane County’s early childhood system. By leveraging technology, partnerships, and collective problem-solving, the network is creating a more seamless, family-centered experience for children and caregivers while building a stronger, more connected system of care for the entire community.