Our Mission

SAL Community Services strengthens children, families, and individuals to build and enhance thriving communities.

Who We Are

At SAL Community Services (SAL), we provide Support, Advocacy, and Learning in our communities—from childhood to adulthood. Our mission is to strengthen children, families, and individuals to build and enhance thriving communities.

Founded in 1970, we have a history of listening to the needs of our community and responding. We have grown from an organization focused on providing quality child care to low-income working families to one that meets a wide variety of needs from early care and education to crisis assistance and stabilization services.

Today, SAL has a bi-state, 17-county regional footprint from the Quad Cities to the Peoria area. We advocate with and for the people we support, the communities we serve, and the solutions we champion, and we offer an inclusive, welcoming community for the people we serve—and our employees.

Our History and Programs

SAL Community Services (SAL) is a nonprofit organization based in Moline, IL. The agency was founded in 1970 as Skip-a-Long Daycare by a group called the "Concerned Citizens," who saw a need to establish quality care for children of families who could not afford the full cost of high quality early care and education programs in the Quad Cities. Skip-a-Long became one of the first centers to offer care for infants in the region, and partnered with the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) to offer care on a sliding fee scale so high quality care was accessible and affordable for all families, regardless of financial needs.

High-Quality Care and Education Programs

Skip-a-Long Childhood Centers 

SAL's Skip-a-Long Childhood Centers are dedicated to making sure every child is prepared for success in school and in life. With campuses in Davenport, IA, Milan, IL, Moline, IL and Rock Island, IL, Skip-a-Long Childhood Centers serve children ages six weeks to 12 years old. Our campuses are Nationally Accredited. In Illinois, our centers are Gold Circle, the highest quality rating attainable through Illinois' ExceleRate. In Iowa, our Davenport Center has earned a 3 on Iowa Quality for Kids (IQ4K^®), Iowa’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. With full-time infant and toddler care, preschool, before/after school care and full-day summer programs, Skip-a-Long Childhood Centers provide high quality, caring early care and learning environments where children thrive.

Home Child Care Network

SAL's Home Child Care Network (HCCN) was started in 1996 to support families needing non-traditional hours of child care (1st, 2nd, 3rd shifts, weekends, holidays). HCCN works with licensed family child care providers to offer free support, supplies, and training resources so children in a home setting receive the same high quality care as children in center-based programs. HCCN offers free consultation and support to licensed family child care homes serving Illinois families in 16 counties in Illinois and Scott County, Iowa, from the Quad Cities to central Illinois. HCCN Coordinators provide curriculum, CPR/First Aid training, professional development opportunities, assistance with the ExceleRate Illinois quality rating system application process, and one-on-one coaching on a variety of early childhood development topics. With this help, licensed family child care providers further their businesses while supporting the needs and education of children. HCCN Coordinators also work with parents/guardians needing child care on Child Care Assistance Program application processes and make referrals to the high quality licensed homes in the Network to best meet families' needs. 

Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships

In 2021, Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships (EHS CCP) became a core early learning and education program of SAL serving Rock Island, Henry and Mercer Counties. This federally funded grant program provides comprehensive services to low-income children and families. Early Head Start specifically serves families with children age birth - 3 years in centers and birth - 4 years in child care homes. Child care services are offered in our Illinois Skip-a-Long centers; partner centers P&J Tender Care and the Aldridge Early Learning Center, as well as SAL Home Child Care Network home providers.  We also offer a home visiting program for expecting parents which includes individualized home visits and socialization events with other families.  Comprehensive services include support staff in Early Childhood Education, Health and Nutrition, Mental Health/Disabilities, and Family, Parent, and Community Engagement.

Prevention Initiative 

In 2022, SAL added Prevention Initiative to our program offerings. Funded by the Illinois School Board of Education, Prevention Initiative is an intensive, research-based child development and family support services for families with children from birth to age three, with an aim of building a strong early learning foundation and preparing children for later school success. SAL Community Services’ Prevention Initiative program offers early, continuous child development and family support services in Rock Island County. The comprehensive year-round program is for families with children currently enrolled in SAL’s early childhood programs, including Skip-a-Long Childhood Centers and select licensed homes within our Home Child Care Network. It is also available to new families in the community who are interested in establishing a strong early learning foundation for their children.

Child Care Resource & Referral Programs

Child Care Connection of Central Illinois & Child Care Resource and Referral of Midwestern Illinois

Child Care Connection of Central Illinois (CCCCI) and Child Care Resource and Referral of Midwestern Illinois (CCRRMI) are "sister programs" funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services to support families needing quality, affordable child care and to assist licensed and license-exempt child care centers and homes in Illinois with meeting quality standards. CCCCI serves the nine-county area surrounding Peoria, IL, and CCRR works with the seven counties surrounding the Illinois Quad Cities area. Both programs offer databases of all licensed and license-exempt child care options for parents, and both work with families who apply for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). Quality Teams at both locations offer support and resources for child care providers, to make sure they have what they need to provide high quality early care and education services. By hosting training sessions and conferences, collaborating with community organizations, and issuing Quality Grants to providers who qualify, both programs ensure communities are caring for and teaching children so they are prepared for success in school.

Stabilization Services

Welcoming Center

SAL Community Services' Welcoming Center specializes services and support for immigrant, refugee, and Limited English proficient individuals and families in Rock Island, Henry, and Mercer Counties. Funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services, SAL Welcoming Center serves as a one-stop center for immigrants, refugees, and limited English proficient individuals and families – offering support with, advocacy and family support; navigating help with critical needs like housing, food and clothing; locating employment (job search); and assistance applying for and understanding Illinois state benefits. 

Welcoming Center has an on-site food pantry, clothing, and public-accessible computers, and Coordinators work to connect individuals to community resources such as counseling, health services, employment, and safe homes to meet each person's immediate needs.