Starting Early Organization

Parents and youth develop significant information networks, both by informal word of mouth and through the internet. Is your Main Street equally organized in promoting the child-friendly nature of your downtown? Welcoming children and families downtown overlaps all of the four points of Main Street. It can easily become the lead responsibility of design, promotions, or economic restructuring. Do any of your committees have designated student members? Also Junior Main Street programs can form an important part of creating child-friendly downtowns. Create a child-friendly downtown and families will help spread the word about your welcoming Main Street.

For more information, please contact: Carol J. Dyson, AIA, Illinois State Historic Preservation Office, DNR. Carol.Dyson@Illinois.gov