Civic Leaders for Illinois Children (CLIC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan project uniting the voices of three membership organizations that each make a research-proven case for greater public investments in the well-being of children — investments shown to benefit not only kids and families, but their surrounding communities and our entire state. These groups number more than 650 members in all:

• ReadyNation Illinois — Business executives aiming to strengthen our workforce and economy;
• Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Illinois — Police chiefs, sheriffs, and state’s attorneys looking to bolster public safety; and
• Mission: Readiness Illinois — Retired admirals and generals from the military, concerned with protecting our national security.

CLIC’s chief priorities include strengthening the access, affordability, and quality of child care, preschool, and key birth-to-3 programs, as well as other important services such as after-school initiatives. CLIC administers none of these services; school- and community-based providers do so.

In Illinois, these membership groups’ work dates back to 1998. In 2024, they began operating as CLIC under the nonprofit Illinois Network for Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, after many years of previous work under the former nonprofit umbrella Council for a Strong America.