Our Year

President & Chairman of the Board’s Letter

For more than 30 years, the Ounce has been at the forefront of early learning—and this year was no exception. While our fortitude was tested by a challenging state environment in Illinois, we continued to fight to ensure that from the moment children are born—and even before—they are surrounded by quality experiences and relationships. That’s why we work with children and families where they are: in homes, schools and communities.

Our goal is big and our approach is broad reaching. We are laser focused on changing lives for the nearly 5.5 million young children and their families living in poverty. We hold ourselves accountable to outcomes and measurable impact.

We cannot and are not doing this important work alone. We are very fortunate, and grateful, to have the support of advocates, experts and researchers; local, state and federal governments; community-based programs and national organizations; and business leaders, parents, donors and all champions for young children.

People are at the heart of everything we do and every decision we make. We partner directly with parents and early learning professionals to ensure all young children have the skills and support to achieve their dreams. In this annual report, we invite you to meet the Ounce family: experts in their fields and united in our commitment to our mission. See the work we are doing to envelop children in quality and get to know our staff, our partners and the families we serve. Hear directly from them how early learning helps to inspire minds and change lives.

Thank you for your support,

Diana Mendley Rauner
President

Anne Lea Tuohy
Chairman of the Board