Working together, community members can better address the well-being, development, and education of children and youth living in the greater Carbondale community.

Who We Are

Launched in the Fall of 2022, the Carbondale Community Cabinet for Children and Youth is a new partnership between community members and the city of Carbondale. Members are dedicated to making sure ALL children/ students in the community have the resources and support they need to thrive. The Cabinet provides leadership to efforts targeted to meet the need of Carbondale’s children/ students.  By working together, community members can help ensure that a well-coordinated full continuum of programs and services is available to meet their changing needs.

 What We Do

There are just under fifty(50)  Community Children’s Cabinets in the National Network of Children’s Cabinets. The role of a Community Children’s Cabinet is to facilitate collaboration and improve the coordination of programs and services in the community. Our overall goal is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of both the city’s and community stakeholders’ efforts to improve child and youth outcomes.  Examples of Cabinet activities include:

1. Mapping out an ideal cradle-to-career pipeline designed to assure the success of their young people.  

2. Conducting a gap analysis: What’s missing? Where do services, supports, and opportunities fall short?

3. Identifying available and potential assets to fill those gaps.  

4. Selecting and implementing strategies for closing the gaps and points of entry for building a stronger children’s system like more access to high-quality early childhood education or more access to mental health counseling.   

 How The Community Can Be Involved

Be engaged- attend our meetings on the fourth Monday of each month at the Carbondale Civic Center and provide input and suggest new ideas.

Support and participate in special events and Impact Tables.

Most importantly, commit to doing what you can every day to make a positive difference in the life of a child or youth!

 The Carbondale Community Cabinet on Children and Youth is a collaborative partnership between the greater community and the City of Carbondale with support from the Southern Illinois Coalition for Children and Families